Results 241-260 of 1,061 for speaker:Séamus McGrath

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.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2024: Tusla - the Child and Family Agency (2 Oct 2025)

Séamus McGrath: I am just caught for time. Sorry, I do not mean to be rude. If they were not closed because of Covid-----

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2024: Tusla - the Child and Family Agency (2 Oct 2025)

Séamus McGrath: -----why are we focusing on the Covid period?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2024: Tusla - the Child and Family Agency (2 Oct 2025)

Séamus McGrath: So other potential flags that could not be raised.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2024: Tusla - the Child and Family Agency (2 Oct 2025)

Séamus McGrath: I refer to a report in The Irish Times in relation to blacklisted care providers and internal discussions within Tusla to go back to using some of these blacklisted providers. In one case fake Garda vetting documents were supplied and so on. How many blacklisted suppliers are we talking about in terms of the discussions that were undertaken within Ms Duggan's organisation?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2024: Tusla - the Child and Family Agency (2 Oct 2025)

Séamus McGrath: Again, I am just caught for time, but is Ms Duggan at this point in time confirming that as regards all the providers Tusla is using in relation to, say, concerns previously highlighted, it is satisfied that-----

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2024: Tusla - the Child and Family Agency (2 Oct 2025)

Séamus McGrath: I have one final question, Chair, if I may.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2024: Tusla - the Child and Family Agency (2 Oct 2025)

Séamus McGrath: In relation to children and the welfare issues, are there currently open cases where children had previously come into contact with Ms Duggan's organisation where it is currently unable to trace those children?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2024: Tusla - the Child and Family Agency (2 Oct 2025)

Séamus McGrath: There would not be any outside the category of international protection - children-----

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2024: Tusla - the Child and Family Agency (2 Oct 2025)

Séamus McGrath: I thank the witnesses.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2024: Tusla - the Child and Family Agency (2 Oct 2025)

Séamus McGrath: It is a significant increase, yes.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2024: Tusla - the Child and Family Agency (2 Oct 2025)

Séamus McGrath: That is primarily the age group. Are some younger than 16?

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2024: Tusla - the Child and Family Agency (2 Oct 2025)

Séamus McGrath: So four, and I presume we are talking about teenage years.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2024: Tusla - the Child and Family Agency (2 Oct 2025)

Séamus McGrath: I thank the witnesses for staying with us. I will try to be reasonably brief. I want to go back to the issue of separated children. If I am right, for the year to date, 547 was the figure that Tusla gave us.

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statements 2024: Tusla - the Child and Family Agency (2 Oct 2025)

Séamus McGrath: Projecting towards the end of the year, we are looking at over 700 if the trend continues - 729, if we do the maths proportionately. That is a very high number. Am I right that Ms Duggan said earlier that some of them claim to be minors, although they may not be, but certainly 20% or so would be under 16?