HSE boss on the rack over repeated untruths in ‘Grace’ case

More than 10 people who left a disabled woman in an abusive home are still in their jobs, facing no sanction, writes Political Editor Daniel McConnell.

Just how many times does it really take for the truth to be told? I ask because yesterday the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) took evidence from Tony O’Brien, director general of the HSE, in regard to the ongoing saga of the ‘Grace’ foster abuse scandal.

HSE boss @dghealthservice Tony O'Brien apologises for misleading the PAC in February 2016 over Grace case #iestaff @Ocionnaith

— Daniel McConnell (@McConnellDaniel) March 23, 2017

"Extraordinary series of mistakes, a monumental cock-up" is how @dghealthservice Tony O'Brien describes botched apology to Grace #iestaff

— Daniel McConnell (@McConnellDaniel) March 23, 2017

This scandal revolves around the referring of 47 intellectually disabled children and young adults to a foster home between the late 1980s and 2013. Several of those who stayed at the home allegedly suffered savage sexual abuse and neglect at the hands of the foster family.

Despite concerns about abuse being raised as far back as 1993, one woman identified as Grace was allowed remain in the home on a full-time basis until 2009.

Mr O’Brien was back in before the committee in order to “correct the record” over evidence given by him to the PAC and public statements which since have turned out not to be true.

But his appearance was, in truth, the third time he has been forced to correct the record to the PAC.

In February 2016, on foot of reports in the Irish Examiner about a botched apology to Grace and her carers, the HSE went on the attack.

It issued a detailed rebuttal of our story which had said the apology to Grace had not been delivered in person as claimed. The HSE insisted the apology had been delivered.

They passed on the details of that rebuttal to the PAC, only to row back significantly on that days later.

At that meeting, PAC members were told that, actually, the apology had not been given and that some error had taken place.

Concerns were also raised at that meeting by PAC members such as John Deasy and John McGuinnness about whether people involved in the failure to protect Grace were still in public service.

Mr O’Brien referred to the “specific decision” made in 1996 to leave her in the foster home, despite serious concerns. He said this decision was made by a three-person panel, adding that those three people “are no longer in the public service… to be clear about that”.

However, since the publication of two internal HSE reports (the 2012 Conal Devine report and the 2015 Resilience Ireland report) into the Grace foster abuse scandal, Mr O’Brien’s claims have been called into question.

It has been confirmed that as many as 11 people involved are still working either in Tusla or in the HSE.

At the PAC two weeks ago, Mr O’Brien was accused of misleading the committee.

Asked by chairman Sean Fleming to respond, Mr O’Brien sought time but promised to do so in writing and reappear before committee members.

Then, earlier this week, Mr O’Brien sought to clarify his remarks about the three-person panel which failed Grace in 1996 in writing to Mr Fleming.

He said the three people he referred to were actually part of a five-person panel.

But these three had “an important dual role” in that they participated in the decision to leave Grace in the home.

They also had a duty to carry out eight actions in order to make the environment safe for Grace.

He insisted that all three of these people were retired from public service and in receipt of “full HSE pensions”.

He never clarified what happened to the others, so we can only assume that they are some of the 11 people known to still be in the public service.

In his letter, Mr O’Brien laid the blame for failing Grace on these three retired people.

He said key actions to protect Grace never took place and she remained in the home, exposed to abuse, until 2009.

“These key actions were not followed up by some of the three individuals who were tasked with making Grace’s environment safe,” Mr O’Brien wrote in his letter dated March 16.

But that is not all.

Yesterday, Mr O’Brien had to send another letter of clarification to the PAC.

It turns out that one of the senior official directly involved in Grace’s case continues to work in the public service.

Mr O’Brien conceded the situation in a letter that contradicted his previous evidence and two other attempts to clarify the issue to the cross-party group.

He admitted this situation is also not entirely accurate and that a person directly involved in the 1996 decision to leave Grace at the home continues to work in the public service.

“I have now established that H3 [a title given to the person] provides some specialist clinical services to Tusla on a part-time contract basis,” he wrote.

“This information came to my attention today by way of the examination process I initiated. This examination was not straightforward as H3 possess a number of payroll numbers, both pay and pension, across two organisations. In light of information that I now have, I wish to correct the record of my information to the committee on February 2, 2016.”

So we now at least one person who Mr O’Brien said failed Grace is still working in Tusla, the Child Protection Agency. And there is the other 11 who were also involved in her care who remain at their posts.

No sanction, no penalty, and in receipt of a full pension from his organisation.

That’s accountability Irish style.