Mattie McGrath Blasts HSE Management and Lack of Accountability
Mattie McGrath spoke on 29 March 2022, criticising the HSE, Mr Reid and senior health management for a lack of accountability and failures linked to Covid. He argued that legal losses and long waits for speech and language assessments show a system failing children and taxpayers.
Accusations against HSE leadership
Mattie McGrath accused the HSE and named Mr Reid and other senior managers of acting without accountability. He said senior officials "can do what they like" and criticised travel by officials to places like Dubai and Abu Dhabi as evidence they are out of touch.
High Court challenges and taxpayer cost
He referenced multiple High Court challenges and said people are being forced to go to court because of service failures. McGrath warned that repeated legal losses cost the taxpayer to fight cases and that senior managers avoid responsibility.
Delays in speech and language services
McGrath highlighted long waits for speech and language assessments, saying some children waited two years pre-Covid and now wait four or five years. He also noted there are young people seeking work as speech and language therapists who cannot find posts despite demand.
Criticism of political leadership and accountability
Quoting the Taoiseach's remarks about an inquiry into Covid, McGrath said senior figures such as Mr Reid and Mr Houlan would not be expected to be called before it, and argued this culture enables a lack of accountability. He accused those responsible of having "no shame" and of hiding from responsibility while the public and children suffer.
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Good morning, good morning, I am glad to be able to support this motion this evening, but look, it is the third time this motion has been down here in recent times, as I heard Sinn Fein outlined at the start of presenting the motion, and they have said that the reason they did it is because of the many High Court challenges. What is going on in this country, that the HSE, Mr Reid, and Mr Reid and others, and the top management, under your watch, Minister, can do what they like, not accountable for anyone, you can fly out to Dubai for yourself for Abu Dhabi, where you are, Timbuktu, I wish you were, and you stayed there, that's all you are fit for, you are not accountable to anybody, you don't respect the people, you don't respect the children, Nadine Yoga, I had people pre-Covid that were waiting two years, now they are waiting four or five years, have you no shame, cherish the people equally, our children, deny them the rights, and people are forced to go to the courts, and you lose after lose after lots of them, but it doesn't cost yen, it costs the taxpayers to fight those cases, and then not accountable, and I heard the Taoiseach say, actually, in America, if I quote him right, that if there was an inquiry into the appalling vista, the way you handled Covid, he didn't expect Mr Reid, or Mr Houlan, to be brought before it, so why wouldn't they hide, and scurry, and black-eyed people, when they've got away with it, for decades, no accountability, and the shocking money they're on, the young people, who need the speech and language, who need the assessments, then there are dozens of people I meet every week, they're looking for jobs, as speech and language therapists, and they can't get them, what's going on, it's a con job you're playing on them, and the people know that now, but you have no shame, and you'll run and hide, but you have no place to hide. Government good. Deputy Heater Ray.
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