Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I, too, am pleased to be able to speak on this matter. I wish both Ministers well in their roles. I sincerely thank Deputy Brennan for putting away his notes and talking from the heart, and my colleagues here for doing so as well.

We have to have heart. Have we no heart to see what has been happening since the HSE was set up? In my honest opinion, it was set up by Mary Harney - maybe I am wrong - to create a buffer for the Government when it comes to accountability. My late brother was a paediatrician of some renown. The Minister saw, during her visit to Clonmel, the wonderful memento that is up there for his work. He loved and cared for children all over the world, especially in Africa, and he could not understand how they were being buried in just their clothes in the clay.

His wife told me that he had taken 250 coffins - little white boxes he made himself - for those children. I refer to the humanity of it. We are privileged to be in this House, but if we cannot do justice for the most vulnerable and people who are sick, especially children, what are we here for? When will somebody take accountability for the HSE, Children's Health Ireland and HIQA? I could name them all. There are many good people working in those organisations, but as organisations, they have gobbled themselves up in cover-up and deceit to protect the system and certain individuals in it. We have seen it too many times.

I wish the Minister well. I hope she will be able to do it. She visited Clonmel last week. I was shocked to see the number of senior managers, layers of them I had never met before and who had new titles. That is what is said of the self-serving HSE and CHI. The board should be gone. If the members of CHI's board do not have the good grace to go, they should be sacked. There is no accountability. Sick children, the elderly and people with autism are suffering. History books will be written about that, and there will be shame on all of us in this House for allowing it to happen and that they did not get the services.

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