HSE 'must account for child death figures discrepancy'

THE PUBLIC Accounts Committee has said it will summon a senior Health Service Executive (HSE) official to appear before it to answer questions about the difference between figures supplied to the committee and figures later released by the HSE.

Fianna Fáil deputy Seán Fleming said the committee had agreed to demand the appearance of Laverne McGuinness, HSE national director of primary community and continuing care, at the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) meeting next Thursday.

He pointed out that, on March 4th, Ms McGuinness told the committee that 20 children had died in the care of the health services over the past 10 years.

“Some of them died from natural causes, as a result of congenital defects, or by misadventure,” she said.

Last Friday, the HSE said that 37 children had died in care during the past 10 years of natural and unnatural causes.

Mr Fleming said it was now clear that the committee was given “wrong, untrue and inaccurate information on a most-important and sensitive issue.

“The HSE now know this to be the case and yet have not attempted to correct the information that they gave to the Public Accounts Committee in March.”

He said all witnesses who appeared before the committee must ensure that their evidence was correct.

“Where this is not the case, they must realise that there are consequences and the PAC will not let the matter go.”

Mr Fleming said the committee had “a unique role” in holding senior management in the HSE, Government departments and other public bodies to account.

“These people cannot attend in the Dáil chamber and they must be made accountable to the public by the Public Accounts Committee.”

He said his primary thoughts were with the 37 children who died while in care.

“We must ensure that their deaths were not in vain and that lessons will be learned to help those children in the care of the State in the future.”

A HSE spokeswoman said the HSE would be pleased to clarify these matters to the PAC next week.

Meanwhile, it appears likely that the body of Daniel McAnaspie will be released to his family this weekend, more than three weeks after his remains were discovered.

The 17-year-old from Finglas in Dublin had been in the care of the HSE since 2003, but he failed to return to his accommodation on February 26th.

His body was found by a farmer on May 13th in a drain near the old Dublin to Derry road at Rathfeigh, Co Meath.

A postmortem revealed he had been stabbed to death.

It is understood that the family hopes to hold the removal ceremony in Finglas on Monday evening, followed by the funeral Mass on Tuesday morning and burial at Glasnevin Cemetery.

His family has appealed for privacy as the funeral takes place.