Results 301-319 of 319 for speaker:Joanna Byrne

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2023
Vote 20 - An Garda Síochána (26 Jun 2025)

Joanna Byrne: And that were in the supply chain as well.

Middle East: Statements (2 Jul 2025)

Joanna Byrne: This week, we read more reports of starving Palestinians in Gaza being fired upon and murdered by the IDF as they made their way to Israeli and US-run aid centres for food. It really is the lowest of the low and I cannot think of another conflict where this has happened on a daily basis, with no consequences for the perpetrators or any real possibility of consequences. Israeli officials...

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2023 - Children's Health Ireland
Financial Statements - National Treatment Purchase Fund (3 Jul 2025)

Joanna Byrne: I thank all the witnesses for joining us here today. Many apologies have been issued in Ms Nugent's opening statement. She has said "sorry" a good few times to the families affected. Of course this is needed due to the trauma of the scandals that have come out. The test of those apologies will be the lessons that are learned going forward. I note that Ms Nugent admitted to a colleague...

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2023 - Children's Health Ireland
Financial Statements - National Treatment Purchase Fund (3 Jul 2025)

Joanna Byrne: I accept that and we will come to that in a moment but we are tight on time. Can Ms Hardiman provide evidence?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2023 - Children's Health Ireland
Financial Statements - National Treatment Purchase Fund (3 Jul 2025)

Joanna Byrne: We are saying clearly today that the information that was originally put out was incorrect, that this report was not-----

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2023 - Children's Health Ireland
Financial Statements - National Treatment Purchase Fund (3 Jul 2025)

Joanna Byrne: No, I understand what Ms Hardiman is trying to say. The issues were-----

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2023 - Children's Health Ireland
Financial Statements - National Treatment Purchase Fund (3 Jul 2025)

Joanna Byrne: We can take from that what it is. Coming back to Ms Nugent, sections of this report have been referred to the Garda for potential misuse of public funds and it was the HSE that actually referred them. CHI did not refer the report and sat on it despite the timeline outlined here going back to 2021. CHI never sought an opinion from the HSE or the Department despite clear evidence of...

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2023 - Children's Health Ireland
Financial Statements - National Treatment Purchase Fund (3 Jul 2025)

Joanna Byrne: I accept all that. My concern is that if it did not meet CHI's threshold to report to An Garda Síochána but it did meet the HSE's threshold, are the organisations working to different thresholds?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2023 - Children's Health Ireland
Financial Statements - National Treatment Purchase Fund (3 Jul 2025)

Joanna Byrne: It is bizarre that the HSE, out of an abundance of caution, did the right thing, which was to refer this matter to the Garda for a determination, but CHI took it upon itself to do the Garda's work for it and decide the matter did not meet the threshold for investigation. Even after this came out and blew up publicly, CHI has still held that view. That does not attest to the new culture of...

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2023 - Children's Health Ireland
Financial Statements - National Treatment Purchase Fund (3 Jul 2025)

Joanna Byrne: As I have said, although I cannot take it as certain, it seems that in all these instances the HSE is doing the right thing. It wanted this report to be published. It wanted the misuse of public funds to be investigated by the Garda but CHI was not on board with that. CHI has opposed publishing the report in full and it is still not published. Only a sanitised and editorialised, if that...

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2023 - Children's Health Ireland
Financial Statements - National Treatment Purchase Fund (3 Jul 2025)

Joanna Byrne: In answer to the next couple of questions, perhaps we could keep as closely as possible to yes-no answers. There are several examples of substandard care in this report. In any of those instances, were the parents made aware at the time?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2023 - Children's Health Ireland
Financial Statements - National Treatment Purchase Fund (3 Jul 2025)

Joanna Byrne: No, that is fair enough. I heard Ms Kelly's response at a previous committee meeting so I am aware. When the Dixon report was completed nearly a decade ago, it identified a cohort of children with spina bifida who had fallen through the cracks and were receiving suboptimal care. If we fast forward five years to when this review was done, CHI could not even tell the reviewer how many...

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2023 - Children's Health Ireland
Financial Statements - National Treatment Purchase Fund (3 Jul 2025)

Joanna Byrne: Could we keep the answer to ten seconds, please?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2023 - Children's Health Ireland
Financial Statements - National Treatment Purchase Fund (3 Jul 2025)

Joanna Byrne: That is not what I am asking. I am asking whether the parents were notified.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2023 - Children's Health Ireland
Financial Statements - National Treatment Purchase Fund (3 Jul 2025)

Joanna Byrne: The ones identified in the Dixon report and those identified five years later when this report was done. These are the orphaned children.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2023 - Children's Health Ireland
Financial Statements - National Treatment Purchase Fund (3 Jul 2025)

Joanna Byrne: There is no culture change here. Weeks and months ago, we had not learned lessons from ten or five years ago. It seems there is still no culture change.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2023 - Children's Health Ireland
Financial Statements - National Treatment Purchase Fund (3 Jul 2025)

Joanna Byrne: When Ms Nugent was asked that question previously, she said that these families, parents or guardians did not meet an open disclosure threshold.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2023 - Children's Health Ireland
Financial Statements - National Treatment Purchase Fund (3 Jul 2025)

Joanna Byrne: Yes.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2023 - Children's Health Ireland
Financial Statements - National Treatment Purchase Fund (3 Jul 2025)

Joanna Byrne: Ms Kelly must be aware that spina bifida advocate groups and many of the parents of the affected children have been asking for this information. It is not necessarily about open disclosure and CHI having to decide whether to reach out to them or whether a threshold is met. They have reached out to CHI and have got nothing. They have been stonewalled. To refer again to Ms Nugent's opening...