Mattie McGrath warns of HSE failures and lack of accountability
Mattie McGrath spoke in a motion debate criticising the HSE's handling of invasive procedures and the slow pace of investigations, arguing that internal reports have failed to deliver accountability. He thanked Sinn Fein for bringing the motion and urged that political and administrative leaders be held responsible for errors affecting patients, especially children.
Investigations and reports
McGrath said there are "so many reports" and investigations but criticised them as "all inside investigations," noting that some issues first came to light in 2021 and before and that inquiries have moved at a "dead slow pace." He challenged reliance on awaiting a single report as a reason for inaction.
Impact on patients and families
He emphasised the human cost when an invasive procedure was unnecessary or wrong, stressing children in particular and noting that every affected child has parents, siblings and wider families who suffer the consequences of errors.
Accountability and leadership
McGrath argued there is a lack of political accountability, saying ministers make promises but are not held to account. He criticised the HCC as having been set up in a way that removed accountability from political heads, mentioned a Secretary General who moved from public expenditure to health and received a payment to move, and referred to leadership disputes over the Children's Hospital site as further evidence of evasion of responsibility.
Funding and services
He recalled past health funding levels — "six or seven billion" previously versus "26 or 27 billion" now — and said that despite some good outcomes the system suffers from "less accountability, practically none." He called for services to be delivered and for accountability to accompany the spending.
Conclusion and appeal
McGrath warned that motions are often deferred because officials say they are "waiting for the report," and insisted the pattern of excuses must end. He closed by urging sustained accountability and, informally, invited engagement with a final "like, share and subscribe" line.
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Let's dive into the discussions shaping the nation. Good, I do want to speak in this motion and to thank Sinn Fein for bringing it forward. But again, it's a saga under the HSE. I know Minister, you're constrained, as you said, by waiting for the report. But we have so many reports and we have so many investigations, but they're all inside investigations. All inside investigations. And I mean, children, again, especially, but anybody, but children, especially to have an invasive procedure and that wasn't necessary, it was an error or wrong, that's as big as belief that it's going on. And it came to light, as we know, in 2021 and before, and reports says, why the dead slow pace? Every person that had a mis-procedure or a wrong procedure or a procedure that wasn't necessary, children, they have parents, they have siblings, they have wider families. And it's a shocking indictment at this time of, you know, at this 2025, that this is allowed to continue. And nobody seems to be held accountable. And Minister, I wish you well and hope you do well in the HSE, but we've had so many ministers of promises. And the Children's Hospital, as we said, waiting and waiting in the saga. I know the campaign was held to not have it built in that place, but it was built on. And the former, your former leader, chose the site, the former teacher of Radcliffe, and then your now leader denying he signed the contract, trying to deny he signed the contract. But why would there be accountability then from officialdom when the ministers won't take accountability? So the book has to stop somewhere. Has to stop somewhere for the people looking in at this house and what goes on here and what goes on in the apartments and the lack of accountability. I remember when the Secretary General moved from public expenditure to health and he had got the next 70,000 at the time, or 60,000 to move. For what? Where's the accountability? Somebody, the Secretary General's Department, must be held accountable. The Minister ultimately, but there are the people in London and there must be accountability and there's not. And I said this earlier tonight, I want to be repetitive. The HCC was set up with the one purpose of taking accountability away from the political heads. But we have no accountability now. We have them from the political heads or we have them from the heads of the department. And a lot of good people then work in these hospitals and work in the HCC and work in the different organisations, but they're just doing their best, but they're embarrassed at the situation. And rightly so, why shouldn't they be that these kind of procedures? So this motion, I'm sure, looks like many other motions and you're saying you can't accept it because you're waiting for a report. There's always some excuse. We must start taking accountability and provide the services. That the money, when I came in here first, there was six or seven billion for the HCC, for the problem of health. Now it's 26 or 27 billion. And while we have some, we have good outcomes, but we have less accountability, less accountability, practically none. Thank you. Like, share and subscribe and let us know your thoughts in the comments. We'd love to hear from you.
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