Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I too want to issue a fíor fáilte to Cara Darmody and her father, Mark. I wish her two brothers and mother, who are at home, well. I know the Darmody family all my life. I know Cara's grandfather and grandmother. They are a hard-working, decent family. Why does Cara Darmody have to leave her school to come up here in the rain today, as she does every day, to lobby for a law that has been broken? The Tánaiste has been talking about his opinion. He is in power. He met Cara as Taoiseach and as Tánaiste. She has met the present Taoiseach several times. It is like a merry-go-round. The law is being broken by the HSE. She has a simple ask - that the Government does not allow the laws that it makes to be flouted by an agency of the State - full stop. She is campaigning for children to get their assessment of need. If they cannot get that basic service, they cannot go anywhere. Does the Tánaiste know how frustrating it is for a family? I hear all the time from families in Tipperary who raise different cases. Could the Tánaiste please answer the questions? He is going around them. It is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. He is providing his opinion. He is in government. He sees the waste with the children's hospital. He also sees the waste with the maternity hospital.

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