Mattie McGrath: Calls for Investigation into Tusla Failures
Mattie McGrath criticised Tusla's handling of child protection and demanded an investigation, alleging failures in state care, family courts and reporting. He accused the minister of protecting Tusla and called the situation a "sickening cover up."
Allegations and demand for investigation
McGrath said the government's recent actions were showmanship and brigandism and urged an investigation into Tusla's involvement and lack of involvement in multiple cases. He complimented Deputy O'Donnell on her statements and insisted the matter should not be used to score political points.
Family court case highlighted
He highlighted a family court case of a four-year-old boy whose custody was given to his father, who was sentenced to seven years in prison after pleading guilty to neglect and obstructing the apprehension of the person he knew to have murdered the child. Mr Joseph McDermott was quoted as saying there was a clear and disturbing pattern of abuse and isolation of the child.
Child law project funding and reporting
McGrath criticised the failure to renew the tender for the child law project, which he said had reported for a decade on goings-on in Tusla and the family courts and cost 200,000 a year. He contrasted that with an additional 1.1 million being given to Tusla while the reporting project was suspended.
Missing children and alleged abuses in care
He said 70 children have gone missing in state care in the last five or six years and referenced an investigation in Cork where children were removed from care and brought into hotels used in a brothel. He described those events as shocking and disgusting treatment of children's rights.
Accusations of cover-up and accountability concerns
McGrath accused families of being blackguarded and described vindictive staff within Tusla, alleging a blind eye is being turned by the minister. He said the President of the District Court wrote to Roger Cogarmont calling the suspension of the project's reporting "the most unwelcome development" and claimed the media would not report these issues, leaving birth mothers with denied rights they cannot raise in parliament.
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I obviously think this state was here tonight and I said last week when they were called free in the Dáil, it was just a brigsmanship and showmanship from the government trying to get won over Sinn Fein. Nothing as naked and as blatant. When there are children in state care, children who have gone missing and children who have been failed by Tusla and failed by this government and ashamed of yourself if you're not trying to score points, of course anywhere does children abuse or anything wrongdoing and it should be and I heard the Deputy O'Donnells and I want to compliment her on her statements on how she has dealt with the issues that she's talking about. I want an investigation into Tusla's involvement and the lack of involvement in many issues but in the family court in the case of a four-year-old boy whose custody was given to his father who was sentenced last Friday, the father was to seven years in prison after he pleaded guilty to neglect and obstructing the apprehension of the person he knew to have. have murdered the child. Think about this, just about it. I mean it's shocking. If we had any moral compass in here it wouldn't be allowed this to go on. And Minister O'Donnell is protecting Tusla at all costs. Deputy O'Donnell has outlined it there. It's a shocking situation. Mr Joseph McDermott said he was satisfied that there was a clear and disturbing pattern of abuse of the child who was isolated from members of his family and was subjected to frightening forms of assault. Roger O'Donnell has failed to renew the tender and it's another issue. It's a failed to renew the tender of child law project that has been reporting at the last decade on goings on in Tusla and the family courts that was only costing 200,000 a year and he can't fund this and he can give money 1.1 million extra to Tusla who are failing and failing. And the blackguarding they are giving families in this state and I know about it myself. The families that meet they are giving and vindictive people working in that organisation. And a blind eye is turned by the Minister for Children. The President of the District Court who wrote to Roger Cogarmont telling him that the suspension of the reporting of the project was the most unwelcome development. That's the project. The only project for some reason that would report this. For some reason the media won't report this. 70 children have gone missing in state care in the last five or six years. We saw the investigation in Cork where they were being taken out of their care and brought into hotels used in a brothel. A shocking disgusting behaviour with children's rights and with everything else and that's going on and people have been taken every day of the week in family courts from their mothers and their rights to birth mothers are denied and they can't raise it in this parliament. It's a sickening cover up. That's what we're talking about. Not allegations over and back against who scored who and who scored more. 501. 651. 651. 652. 604. 662. 653. 801. glutamate我們. 61. 254. 701. 651. 862. 663. 664. 802. 802. 653. 601. 664. 664.
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