Tom Clonan (Independent)

I echo the sympathies for Garda Flatley and his family. My father was a garda. I remember as a child that you expected your mum or dad to come home from work every day. I was particularly struck to hear in the reporting of the tragic incident that the number of gardaí who are injured in roads policing is up to 70 every year. I hope that the Commissioner and the representative associations can get together and try to meditate the risk that is obviously there on the roads for members of An Garda Síochána. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.

I again raise the case of Louise Hassan and her daughter Caitlin. I have raised this issue many times in the House over the past year. Caitlin is a young woman who has been sexual assaulted - raped - while in State-funded care. This is the Grace case happening right now in real time. I am particularly puzzled that while everybody quite rightly decries what happened in the Grace case and we have had statements from the Taoiseach and Tánaiste saying that this will never happen again, it is happening right now to Caitlin and Louise.I am receiving correspondence from Caitlin's mom, Louise Hassan, that leaves me gravely concerned about her and Caitlin's welfare. The Minister for Health has not attended the Commencement matter that I have raised. The Minister of State, Deputy Grealish, who was the last Minister to attend, came here in good faith and in good offices. Since raising this issue with people who are deputised to come in here, there has been no change in the attitude of the HSE and Avista. In fact, they have doubled down and are more hostile and adversarial to Louise and Caitlin at this very sensitive moment. I do not know how to address this further. Could we have a debate in the Chamber about safeguarding so that we could get the Minister in here to address this because this is the Grace case happening again in real time?