Console fallout: HSE ‘not to blame’ over failure to act

HSE chief Tony O’Brien has insisted his organisation is “not to blame” for failing to uncover the Console scandal sooner, despite a powerful Dáil group accusing officials of not acting on a series of “alerts” about the charity over the past decade.

The HSE director general Mr O’Brien said the health service “was not responsible for the management and oversight of Console”, as he described the crisis as being as complex as the Hollywood film Catch Me If You Can.

Speaking during a six-hour meeting with the Dáil’s cross-party public accounts committee, in which another HSE official described what happened as an “aberration”, Mr O’Brien said he was “appalled” by the details of the “heart-sinking” internal audit when it emerged.