Results 801-820 of 1,061 for speaker:Séamus McGrath
- Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2024: Tusla - the Child and Family Agency (2 Oct 2025)
Séamus McGrath: I think these figures are for 2024. Is there a similar level of activity this year?
- Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2024: Tusla - the Child and Family Agency (2 Oct 2025)
Séamus McGrath: That would be reflective of an increase in numbers.
- Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2024: Tusla - the Child and Family Agency (2 Oct 2025)
Séamus McGrath: There has been an increase of approximately 20% in the numbers of separated minors presenting for international protection.
- Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2024: Tusla - the Child and Family Agency (2 Oct 2025)
Séamus McGrath: The vast majority will not be reunited with any family, according to the witnesses' historical experience. They will remain in the care of the State.
- Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2024: Tusla - the Child and Family Agency (2 Oct 2025)
Séamus McGrath: Okay. I am going to hop between topics. On procurement, there is an issue of non-compliance. There is a figure of €5.4 million. When that was investigated, was it considered that there was value for money in all of that?
- Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2024: Tusla - the Child and Family Agency (2 Oct 2025)
Séamus McGrath: It was just a case of procedures not being followed. There is no concern around value for money, conflicts of interest or anything like that.
- Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2024: Tusla - the Child and Family Agency (2 Oct 2025)
Séamus McGrath: It was just that procedures were not followed.
- Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2024: Tusla - the Child and Family Agency (2 Oct 2025)
Séamus McGrath: A number of members pointed to legal costs and plaintiff costs. There is a figure of €870,000 in one case when the compensation involved was less than €50,000. It seems extraordinary for that level of legal cost to be involved in a case where the compensation was so low. How many legal cases involving Tusla are pending at present?
- Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2024: Tusla - the Child and Family Agency (2 Oct 2025)
Séamus McGrath: Any kind of legal case.
- Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2024: Tusla - the Child and Family Agency (2 Oct 2025)
Séamus McGrath: Can I get an idea of how many we are talking about?
- Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2024: Tusla - the Child and Family Agency (2 Oct 2025)
Séamus McGrath: Okay. However, there are multiple other legal cases.
- Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2024: Tusla - the Child and Family Agency (2 Oct 2025)
Séamus McGrath: The witnesses see it as standard for the work they do that there would be a number of legal cases always under the-----
- Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2024: Tusla - the Child and Family Agency (2 Oct 2025)
Séamus McGrath: There are two plaintiffs in respect of whom costs have not been settled. Do we have an indication when those costs will be settled?
- Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2024: Tusla - the Child and Family Agency (2 Oct 2025)
Séamus McGrath: I will move to the welfare checks that are being carried out in respect of the Covid cases or those cases arising from the period of March 2020 to February 2022. A significant number of checks are going to take place in that regard. Do we have an indication as to how long that process will take?
- Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2024: Tusla - the Child and Family Agency (2 Oct 2025)
Séamus McGrath: It is obviously a huge body of work considering the volume of cases. Are they being triaged for priority?
- Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2024: Tusla - the Child and Family Agency (2 Oct 2025)
Séamus McGrath: They are. How many will be considered to be in the high priority category?
- Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2024: Tusla - the Child and Family Agency (2 Oct 2025)
Séamus McGrath: Quite a high number would be considered a priority. They will be dealt with over the coming months.
- Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2024: Tusla - the Child and Family Agency (2 Oct 2025)
Séamus McGrath: I am trying to understand. Those cases were previously closed.
- Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2024: Tusla - the Child and Family Agency (2 Oct 2025)
Séamus McGrath: I know it was raised earlier, but why did it take high-profile cases, media attention and so on for a decision to be made that welfare checks were required in those cases that were closed during Covid? There were obviously welfare protection issues and the cases were closed, yet it was never considered that we should revisit them.
- Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2024: Tusla - the Child and Family Agency (2 Oct 2025)
Séamus McGrath: Was it possible to make that decision properly during Covid? Obviously, the level of interaction was less and the work Tusla was carrying out was restricted during Covid. Decisions were made to close cases, yet they have never been revisited until now, until we are at crisis point, effectively.