Maire Devine (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am sharing time with my colleague, Senator Rose Conway-Walsh. I welcome the Minister of State to the House.

The last weeks have been a very tragic and upsetting time. Before our sos we were discussing the Tuam babies case. It was very emotional to see the survivors and the children of those women from Tuam and elsewhere in the Visitors Gallery. Grace is the next case we are dealing with today. We seem to be saturated with investigations, wrongdoing and callousness. This is not only historical, it is very current, as is much of the Tuam babies case also. We seem to be overwhelmed by these horrific cases of deliberate neglect and abuse and callousness in the care of our needy. It leaves me wondering if we ever get anything right. I think we do but we are overburdened at the moment.

Dignity means being regarded as worthy of respect and honour and this is what is so obviously missing in Grace's case and in our law, particularly in respect of the delay in the assisted decision-making Bill. Throughout Grace's harrowing story there are instances of decisions being taken from, in spite of and against her. In 1996, the South-Eastern Health Board decided that she should move to a new home. The three-person panel decided she would stay with the foster family. A 2005 decision removed her from the waiting list for a home that could have helped protect her. Although I welcome today's establishment of a commission of investigation into this matter, more has to be done. We need to learn lessons from this as from the Tuam babies case. We should be more inclusive and reach out with investigations rather than keeping them narrowly confined. If our investigations had been more inclusive in the past, the Tuam babies case might not be here today. It might have been brought to light at the time the other homes, Goldenbridge and so on, were being investigated.

We must provide adequate monitoring and supervision and we must ensure that all children are protected. I have two questions for the Minister of State. Did the Minister of the day or any officials intervene in 1996 following a request by the male carer and A.N. Other? I do not know who that other person was but he or she was obviously connected to the home. Did this impact on any decision in respect of Grace's care and her placement? The Minister of State will be aware of a report released today stating that there has been an 85% increase in complaints about the HSE's care of vulnerable people. It is staggering. Let us hope we get something right because we need to stand up here and have conviction and do what is best.