Máiría Cahill (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I am calling for an urgent debate. I understand the Minister may not be available today but, hopefully, she may be available tomorrow. The issue concerns allegations of abuse within a foster home, and particularly what the HSE knew and when. First, I want to put on record that my heart goes out to the woman at the centre of this case who has become known as Grace and to her family because she suffered horrendously. Of course, the fault of that lies with her abuser, but it also lies with the HSE for its woeful failings and dereliction of duty in protecting her and, potentially, others also.

Like Senator Bacik, I commend the whistleblowers for giving Grace a voice that, due to the nature of her disability, she was unable to use for herself. I have spent the past year and a half urging people to come forward to speak about their abuse in order that they can get help but also in order that they break the cycle of what happened to them. The most disturbing fact about this case is that this woman was physically unable to do so. The HSE had a duty to protect her and it failed her miserably. One would think after everything we know about abuse by powerful institutions in this county and after everything that we know about the systemic and horrific abuse of children, that somewhere some lessons would have been learned. The reality, of course, is that they appear not to have been learned. That is appalling and disgraceful.

I also want to deal with the wrong information given to the Committee of Public Accounts in relation to an apology which has not been given to Grace. At best there was a misunderstanding and at worst it was wilful misleading of this committee. It stinks to me of cover-up.It is clear that nobody has been made accountable in this case. I cannot see any instance of staff disciplinary procedures but I can certainly see an erosion of confidence in the HSE as a result. I understand the current director, Mr. Tony O'Brien, was not in place while all this was happening, but he was appointed in 2012, the same year the work on the Devine report was completed. Let me be very clear: heads should roll over this disturbing and complete failure of the HSE to protect vulnerable people from abuse. If the director cannot hold his staff accountable and dismiss those who contributed to this failure, he should resign. I welcome the fact that a commission of investigation has been established to consider this and I hope it will leave no stone unturned, so that lessons will be learned but also that action will be taken so that we are not in this situation again.