Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I agree with most of what people have said tonight. It is a shocking situation. I welcome Cara and her dad. I think of her mam at home as well as her two brothers. It is such an indictment. I know Cara lives in a lovely house in Ardfinnan. Looking out her back window, she can see the Liam Lynch monument, a man who gave his life for our freedom and democracy in this country. What has it come to now? We have the HSE, an organisation set up 25 years ago just to put buffers between the Government and the public who are entitled to services. It is allowed to break the law consistently without any repercussions whatsoever. What have we come to in this State when we can spend three hours making statements on this issue and then debate this motion, but nothing will change? It is getting worse, in fact. The HSE prefers to recruit lines of senior managers and senior executives. I met them at the opening of the Slievenamon wing in Clonmel some weeks ago. I was introduced to several people who I had never seen before. While they have big jobs and titles, they will not look after the basic needs of the people. It is an appalling vista.

Bhí mé thuas san Áiléar Poiblí earlier, and chonaic mé Cara ag foghlaim na Gaeilge. She was doing her homework here tonight. She should be at home with her brothers and with her friends, as has been said, rather than being in this situation where she has to sleep outside the Dáil in this appalling weather. It is unbelievable. She has met four or five taoisigh during her campaign. It was all promises and no empathy. There may have been empathy, but there was no action. We will not have any action after this, either. I am convinced we will not because the HSE is not accountable to anyone. It flouts the Disability Act 2005 and every other Act as well. We bring in these Acts and proclaim how great they are, but they are only for some people. It is an appalling vista that this has to go on.

We all deal with families who are traumatised, impoverished and deflated. The HSE has already spent €8 million fighting parents. Just think about. Some €8 million has been spent fighting parents to deny them the rights to which they are entitled under the Constitution. It is a shocking and depressing situation. I salute Cara, her family and her supporters. This situation is just not good enough or acceptable in this day and age. We will have this debate and rub our hands and it will all go on in its merry way. None of the CAMHS teams and the whole lot of them are properly funded or supported and no one gives a toss.

See this speech in context