The Taoiseach is not a fan of the Opposition’s shoot-first-and-ask-questions-later approach.
Can deputies not just wait until they have the whole story?
“The audit will be ready fairly imminently, I hope,” Micheál Martin told the Dáil, mentioning the end of next week.
“I have no interest in hiding anything. None. Why would I? Why would I?” he told Cian O’Callaghan of the Social Democrats and Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald, who were sure he was trying to pull a fast one.
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“For God’s sake, reflect on what you’re trying assert. I’m as serious about this as anybody is. It’s horrendous if anything wrong was done, but we need to find out the full facts.”
Day two of the standoff between the Taoiseach and the Opposition.
Neither side is getting anywhere.
But for all the angry words between them, the Taoiseach’s tone and demeanour indicate he isn’t a million miles away from the Opposition’s view that yet another disturbing HSE scandal is about to break. This one is about a large number of children possibly undergoing unnecessary hip surgeries in three Dublin hospitals with cases perhaps going back as many as 15 years.
Possibly. Perhaps.
The words being used for now.
Deputies have seen a leaked draft report revealed by online news site The Ditch, which makes for alarming reading. And as an independent audit into the situation nears completion, they want more details now from the Taoiseach.
They also want to know about letters sent on foot of this audit to parents of children who had operations as far back as 2010, reminding them to return to their hospitals for routine follow up care.
How many of these were sent and why now?
This issue was raised in the Dáil on Tuesday and again on Wednesday, with similar results. Angry interventions from Sinn Féin in particular did not help to move the matter on. And the Taoiseach, vehemently rejecting charges of some sort of cover-up, stuck to his line that he cannot comment or act until he has seen the final, independent report.
The Soc Dems deputy leader wanted answers now for parents wondering whether the serious surgery they watched their child suffer through was really necessary at all.
Why can’t he just tell them when he will answer their questions? It’s “insulting” not to do so, particularly when he “hinted” earlier in the week that he knows more than he is willing to say.
“Taoiseach, can you stop with the evasion and just level with us?”
More frustration from Micheál.
“No one’s insulting anybody, deputy ... it’s too serious for that. We’re talking about children who’ve had operations. So the least we owe to the parents and the families is the facts.”
As for the number of letters sent out, Micheál said Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill was on the case. He seemed confident she would come up with the goods before the day was out.
One person who is never unsure of her facts is Mary Lou McDonald, who just had to butt in during Cian’s slot to dispute one of the Taoiseach’s statements.
Micheál immediately had one of his “Aaaw-would-ya-ever-stop, Mary Lou” moments. These are a regular thing.
“Sorry, please now. This is not about politics, deputy. This is outrageous behaviour by you now ... It’s not your question and you’ve been doing this since this Dáil began and I’d ask you to stop because it’s too serious.”
Then he launched into his impassioned “I’m not hiding anything” mini-speech.
Obviously, it fell on deaf ears.
Later, during questions on policy, Mary Lou returned to the subject to tell him he misled the Dáil on the reason the letters were sent to parents. She also suspected he knew the number of letters which were sent out to parents, but was choosing to say nothing.
“Hear, hear!” Pearse Doherty boomed in an extra-shouty mood. It must have been the good weather.
There was brief row over what the letter contains.
The Taoiseach complained he wasn’t trying to cast aspersions on anyone asking questions, but “aspersions are being laid against door of the Government”.
It could have been worse. They might have been accused of having aspirations.
As an example, Micheál harked back to Tuesday’s sitting when she accused him of “ducking, dodging and diving” on the issue.
“Yes,” Mary Lou nodded, totally unanimous with herself on this.
It’s a false assertion, Micheál retorted. “The Government wants the facts here and I want the facts”.
“Well, share them,” she shot back.
“When the audit is complete,” the Taoiseach responded, emphasising every word, fixing a knowing eye on the Sinn Féin leader.
“I know what you’re at.”
This was too much for the loyal Pearse, who started spluttering about the audit and what the Taoiseach professed to know about it: “Jesus Christ!”
The Ceann Comhairle had a conniption.
“Excuse me. That is uncalled for!”
And now Micheál was in on the action, glaring at Pearse.
“He’s shouting again. Mr Angry is at it again now. Mr Angry is at it!”
“Do you not know?” Pearse bellowed.
“Angry theatrics is par for the course from you and it’s wrong to do it,” Micheál bristled as Pearse and Mary Lou huffed themselves to a standstill.
Clarity and confusion
But it was not over for Micheál yet as Aontú’s Peadar Tóibín returned to the letters sent out to patients and their parents.
He kept to the medical theme. “Taoiseach, you are injecting confusion into the hip operation scandal at the moment.”
Peadar said Micheál gave the Dáil contradictory answers about why these letters were sent out.
But just like Micheál knows what Mary Lou is at, he also knows what Peader is about.
“Look, I have the experience. I know what’s going on here. So you call for clarity, but what you want is confusion.”
He said deputy Tóibín wanted to paint a picture of an “incoherent, drip-drip, bit by bit” evasive attitude from him “whereas I’m saying, Can we not wait for the audit to be completed and given to the Minister?”
Then she can share it with the Dáil and the public and, above all, with the families and children that may be affected.
“That’s all I’m saying.”
By the evening, Jennifer had concluded her mission.
A statement from the hospitals confirmed that more than 2,000 letters had been sent to parents of children who had hip dysplasia surgery in the past 15 years, giving the Opposition renewed reason to demand answers.
The Minister says the audit “will be finalised and completed imminently.”
By the end of next week, the Opposition shouldn’t be shouting into a vacuum.
Because the Taoiseach will be free to say all he has to say on the matter.
He had better not hold back.
After all, his Government has absolutely nothing to hide.
