Gillian Toole (Meath East, Independent)

At this point, every Member of Dáil Éireann has received an email with information about protected disclosure, PD17/2025. That protected disclosure was made by a conscientious health professional. I am raising it as a matter of utmost gravity because, as far back as June and July of this year, that healthcare professional has attempted to get the matters relating to public health addressed by HIQA, the Department of justice, the Department of Health and the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland, to name but four. At this point, the lack of the issue being addressed goes to the heart of public trust in our democracy.

The submission is evidence based and contains a combination of clinical information and ethical common sense. Despite the seriousness of the allegations and repeated good faith to follow-up, no meaningful investigation has been undertaken to date. Fiosrú, the body tasked with examining such inaction, has received complaints about this failure to investigate crimes and has thus far failed to act. Government Departments and State agencies are implicated, yet all people in Ireland are equal before the law. Our Constitution does not allow the State to shield itself from scrutiny.

There is a profound conflict of interest here. The Garda cannot credibly investigate wrongdoing when those accused sit within the structures of direct Garda oversight and funding. Will the Taoiseach now commit to the establishment of an independent, external investigation into the handling, or non-handling, of these serious reports by An Garda Síochána, the Department of Health and the Department of justice? Will he publish the correspondence and internal assessments, which thus far have resulted in no investigation being opened?

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