HSE Dossier Scandal goes right to the Heart of the Dysfunction in Government

Aontú Leader Peadar Tóibín TD has called on the Minister and 3 previous Ministers for Health, who are currently in the Cabinet to answer questions on the shocking HSE Dossier Scandal. He stated;

“The RTE Investigates Programme raises serious issues about how this country is governed. Firstly the HSE and the Government for decades have been in combat and conflict with patients they should be protecting. There is no mechanism within the HSE to resolve wrongdoing suffered by patients. Patients are forced to go to court and the HSE combat patients in court, in some cases such as Cervical Check, right up to the death of the patient. This culture is shocking and it has to stop. Will the Minister put a stop to this practice immediately.

Secondly, the Secretary General of the Department of Health issued a statement on behalf of the department in part defending the practice that was revealed. The Minister also issued a statement condemning the practice. Who speaks for the Department of Health?

Thirdly where else does this practice exist within the Department. We know from documents released under Freedom of Information that the Department routinely monitors Vicky Phelan's twitter account, among others. Simon Harris when he was Minister for Health cancelled a last minute meeting with Sharon Butler Hughes, the whistle-blower who exposed the IT glitch in Quest Diagnostics, and whose revelations triggered the Brian MacCraith Rapid Review Report on Cervical Check, because he knew of a letter of claim which had issued on Sharon's behalf that did not name him. How did he know?

Fourthly according to Minister McEntee yesterday, this was not the first time the shocking Dossier Policy was raised within Dept, & nothing was found to be in breach. If the Dossier Policy was a matter for debate within the Department of Health what did Stephen Donnolly, Simon Harris, Leo Varadkar and Mícheal Martin know about it when they were Ministers? Why did they not do something about it?

And finally, if they did not know anything about it, why is the Department of Health allowed to make decisions of such magnitude without political oversight. Or is it a case of Ministers not wanting to know?

Aontú is calling for these four Ministers to take questions on the shocking revelation.

The Irish political system is radically broken

In Ireland the vast majority of elected representatives put a finger in the air to check which way the political wind is blowing. They have one eye on their leaders – seeking brownie points – and another eye keeping their seat safe. If elected reps shut up and do as they’re told, they are promoted; if they stand up for what they believe in, they are demoted. No wonder we have the political class we have. No wonder one point one billion euro is being buried in a hole under the National Children’s Hospital and that Stormont is in stalemate.

Throughout Ireland, many people are now afraid to say what they feel, many are afraid to respectfully engage on a range of different topics. Many feel there is a new censorship and a new political correctness in Ireland, that opposition to the establishment is being deleted.

Respectful opposition is not the enemy. Respectful opposition is a critical element of a functional democracy. Aontú will have the backbone to stand up, without fear, for you.