Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Ultimately, the buck stops on my desk but how a resource is managed is an issue for managers. If somebody comes to me and tells me they are short of ten nurses, it is my job to get the resources to deliver those nurses. Sometimes it is not possible because of issues relating to recruitment but it is my job to ensure it happens as quickly as possible. I have confidence in the management; I would not have approved this if I did not. We are dealing with acute mental health services which, by their very nature, have particular difficulties. To say the service is unsafe would unnecessarily frighten people who are not in the service but who need it. I have every confidence in the staff working in the psychiatric and mental health services, who are incredibly well trained and very dedicated. I have confidence in the safety of the service but, from time to time, things do go wrong.