Results 26,021-26,040 of 33,058 for speaker:Catherine Connolly
- Public Accounts Committee: Tusla - Financial Statements 2016 (19 Oct 2017)
Catherine Connolly: I am shocked that Mr. McBride has not read it because it is a public document which has been made available to everybody. I will list some of them, I do not really wish to-----
- Public Accounts Committee: Tusla - Financial Statements 2016 (19 Oct 2017)
Catherine Connolly: SAFE Ireland. It is there available for everybody. I have mentioned it in the Dáil. I really do not want to use my few minutes reading out the figures, but they are so astounding that I will use my opportunity with Mr. McBride to ask what Tusla is doing about them. Some 4,831 requests for refuge were not met because there were not enough spaces.
- Public Accounts Committee: Tusla - Financial Statements 2016 (19 Oct 2017)
Catherine Connolly: Absolutely, that is why I want to get beyond blame. I want to know what submission Tusla has made to this Government as a result of its awareness of a crisis on the ground. What has it told the Government it needs, because it cannot protect these children? They are being turned away from refuges. Tusla is failing it its job, through no fault of its own, so what does it need to put in place?
- Public Accounts Committee: Tusla - Financial Statements 2016 (19 Oct 2017)
Catherine Connolly: What did Tusla look for?
- Public Accounts Committee: Tusla - Financial Statements 2016 (19 Oct 2017)
Catherine Connolly: Was that additional funding?
- Public Accounts Committee: Tusla - Financial Statements 2016 (19 Oct 2017)
Catherine Connolly: What figure was it on top of?
- Public Accounts Committee: Tusla - Financial Statements 2016 (19 Oct 2017)
Catherine Connolly: Mr. McBride will come back to me on that.
- Public Accounts Committee: Tusla - Financial Statements 2016 (19 Oct 2017)
Catherine Connolly: That is okay. It was in addition to €24 million. When I look at these figures, I see that 79% of women never report abuse. We are talking about the tip of the iceberg. I have lost the figure for the amount of safe places we are supposed to have, but we are way below it. We have less than a third of what we should have.
- Public Accounts Committee: Tusla - Financial Statements 2016 (19 Oct 2017)
Catherine Connolly: It was €23 million.
- Public Accounts Committee: Tusla - Financial Statements 2016 (19 Oct 2017)
Catherine Connolly: Does that include the new allocation?
- Public Accounts Committee: Tusla - Financial Statements 2016 (19 Oct 2017)
Catherine Connolly: That entire €23 million goes out to the rape crisis centres and the various bodies listed, excluding a small amount used for administration.
- Public Accounts Committee: Tusla - Financial Statements 2016 (19 Oct 2017)
Catherine Connolly: Despite that public money going out, which is great, and despite the best efforts on the ground, this is the result. In Tusla's role as the statutory agent, how is it protecting children?
- Public Accounts Committee: Tusla - Financial Statements 2016 (19 Oct 2017)
Catherine Connolly: According to the Council of Europe, we need 446 family refuge places. We have 143. I could be wrong on the figure of 143; it may now be 145. That is a crisis, is it not?
- Public Accounts Committee: Tusla - Financial Statements 2016 (19 Oct 2017)
Catherine Connolly: That is the total figure which the witnesses have given me. I would love to see the submission which Tusla made to the Government in respect of the crisis on the ground and the impossibility of protecting women. Is there a written submission somewhere?
- Public Accounts Committee: Tusla - Financial Statements 2016 (19 Oct 2017)
Catherine Connolly: Great, could I please get a copy of it?
- Public Accounts Committee: Tusla - Financial Statements 2016 (19 Oct 2017)
Catherine Connolly: Great. I want to ask Mr. McBride a specific question. I apologise if I am blunt but it is the nature of the time restrictions on us. To go back to Dr. Geoffrey Shannon's report on section 12 and An Garda Síochána, was that published earlier this year or was it at the end of 2016?
- Public Accounts Committee: Tusla - Financial Statements 2016 (19 Oct 2017)
Catherine Connolly: That is okay.
- Public Accounts Committee: Tusla - Financial Statements 2016 (19 Oct 2017)
Catherine Connolly: I am only asking when it was published. Was it this year?
- Public Accounts Committee: Tusla - Financial Statements 2016 (19 Oct 2017)
Catherine Connolly: There were very specific recommendations in it in respect of Tusla and An Garda Síochána. Specifically in respect of Tusla, a number of recommendations were made and a period of time was given in which it was to fulfil those recommendations and report back. Where is it in that process?
- Public Accounts Committee: Tusla - Financial Statements 2016 (19 Oct 2017)
Catherine Connolly: I count 13 recommendations, but it is difficult to count the bullet points. One of them relates to out-of-hours services - social workers and so on. When will those recommendations be complied with?