Stunned silence at paltry data on deaths of children in care

DAIL SKETCH:Even the Taoiseach was exasperated at the lack of information; the Opposition oscillated between anger and bewilderment, writes MIRIAM LORD

JUST ANOTHER routine batch of Leaders’ Questions.

How many children have died over the past decade while in the care of the State? The Taoiseach couldn’t say.

Ballpark figure, perhaps? Nope.

We know it’s more than 23 and possibly as many as 200, although that figure is from a Sunday newspaper. Don’t ask Brian Cowen how they came up with it – he hasn’t the foggiest.

Maybe his Government should ask the HSE.

What’s that? They have? Oh, right. And what happened? The HSE didn’t feel inclined to hand over the information.

The Taoiseach is annoyed over this. “I do not suggest that is something with which I am happy,” he mumbled effusively to the Dáil.

A bit more passion would have been nice, but that hasn’t happened since he nearly burst into tears when Eamon Gilmore called him an economic traitor.

Still. He expressed an opinion, in a roundabout way.

The HSE should have a final tally by the end of June, he told the House. This nugget of information was greeted by a stunned silence.

You see, first, they have to “validate their numbers” and it’s not as easy as one might think, totting up the number of tots, tweens and teenagers who have died while in the State’s care, through natural causes or otherwise.

Then, of course, there are the “legal constraints”: the Childcare Act, court orders, risk of identification – that sort of thing.

“There are issues,” said Cowen, who must surely win the prize as the leader of the most legally constrained administration in the history of the State.

He’s a martyr to the legals.

It’s as if the Attorney General has a strange sort of Medusa effect on him – the AG needs only to look sideways at the Taoiseach for his resolve to turn to stone.

All Enda Kenny and Eamon Gilmore wanted was a number. How many children? How difficult can that be? Somebody must have been keeping a record?

Some children have died while not in State care, but the authorities may have been monitoring them, mumbled the new communicative Biffo (yet another short-lived makeover).

Some children, formerly in State care, may have reached the age of majority before dying.

Some children may have been in and out of State care.

It’s very complicated.

Then there’s the regional variations.

Enda Kenny declared himself “astounded” at the lack of information.

His colleague Alan Shatter had looked for and been promised the information over a year ago, to no avail.

Eamon Gilmore said the situation was “incredible”. Brian Cowen reiterated that the HSE was hoping to have its figures “firmed up” over the coming weeks.

The HSE is “dysfunctional”, said Enda.

“Negligent” said Eamon.

Minister for Health Mary Harney remained expressionless as the Opposition leaders accused the HSE of walking all over her and her department.

As for Barry Andrews, the Minister for Children, Enda Kenny said he was no more than “a decoration” at the Cabinet table.

Labour’s Kathleen Lynch became exasperated at what she was hearing about the HSE.

“Taoiseach, would you please let them know who is in charge of this country.”

Quite what the delegation of Saudi Arabian politicians in the Distinguished Visitors’ Gallery made of the discussion is anybody’s guess.

They didn’t hang around for much of it. Just as well. It was a depressing afternoon.

The Taoiseach said emergency legislation would be enacted to make sure that the files could be handed over by the HSE to his Review Group.

All Enda and Eamon wanted was an overall number. No names.

Couldn’t be done.

Then, when the dispiriting exchanges had concluded, Labour’s Liz McManus reminded everyone that it was Missing Children’s Day 2010.

Later in the day, the chamber returned to the more usual knockabout fun, highlight of which was Green Minister John Gormley’s convoluted explanation as to why his party would not be supporting Fine Gael’s Bill that byelections be held within six months of a vacancy.

John pointed out that such a restriction would cause major difficulty in the event of a national emergency, such as swine flu and foot and mouth disease.

As excuses go, it’s up there with the Chief Whip’s assertion that holding the byelections would prove a distraction too far, possibility precipitating Greek-style riots on the streets.