MINISTER'S RESPONSE:MINISTER FOR Children Barry Andrews has denied any question of a cover-up in an edited report into the deaths at Monageer.
Seven of the 26 recommendations contained in the report of the inquiry team, as well as elements of a number of other sections, were blacked out.
Mr Andrews said the decision to censor those sections was based on legal advice and that it was his intention to publish as much of the report as possible. “There could be no question of a cover-up of any sort,” he said. “The recommendations are critical of the lack of an out-of-hours service, and if that was our intention we would have blacked out those things that were uncomfortable for government.”
Mr Andrews said he believed that the report contained enough information for professionals and members of the public, while protecting those who may have had a problem with its contents.
“I don’t want to go down the road of exonerating people, neither do I want to start blaming people,” he said. The “key conclusion” of the report was that the tragedy probably could not have been averted, even with intervention of social workers or gardaí.
Mr Andrews added that availability of out-of-hours services was “a key issue” brought up following the incident, and that his department and the HSE had explored many of the available options, but “clearly” funding was an issue.
He said that paying €15 million annually for out-of-hours social workers was considered to be a very large sum of money when there would not be a high usage.
Mr Andrews said that 95 per cent of people’s out-of-hours medical needs can be met by primary care teams and that the use of existing out-of-hours services, such as mental health, GP and acute hospital services, and providing gardaí with foster care services for children they find to be at risk, was appropriate.
Mr Andrews said it was important that non-statutory inquiries do not “point the finger of blame”, and that the purpose of publishing the report was to learn whether the deaths could have been prevented.
Fine Gael chief whip Paul Kehoe expressed concern that the recommendations of the inquiry would remain unimplemented.
“The blame for this terrible tragedy lies squarely with HSE services and structures. A 24-out-of-hours social work service must be put in place.
“However, the sad reality is that if the Government failed to prioritise the development of this in the good times, it is highly unlikely that they will do it now.”
