IF GOVERNMENT Ministers and State officials have a duty of care to vulnerable citizens, it was well disguised in the treatment of a report into the tragic deaths of the Dunne family at Monageer, Co Wexford, two years ago. Thirteen of the report’s 30 conclusions were blacked out, along with seven of its 21 recommendations. And the “fundamental problem” identified as underlying this unfortunate familicide – a lack of out-of-hours social service – remains unchanged.
Once again, nobody will be held accountable for a gross and lethal failure by State agencies. Not officials in the Department of Health and Children or its Ministers; not the HSE executive or its servants; not the Minister for Justice or members of the Garda Síochána. And it is deliberate policy. As Minister of State Barry Andrews said at yesterday’s press conference: “It was never intended to blame people”. How can you introduce ethical change, disciplinary structures and administrative reform in such circumstances?
It may be that these deaths, which caused such public indignation, were unavoidable. But it is not certain. The report found it “unlikely” that the tragedy would have been averted if members of the Garda or social services had called to the house. But other steps might have been taken. And because so much of the report has been blacked out, we do not know what other conclusions the inquiry may have reached. What has been published, after threats of legal action by those criticised, is a travesty. It adds little to public knowledge. And it may worsen a culture of official complacency.
Terms of reference required the inquiry team to examine the services provided, rather than the performance of individuals. In spite of that, they found it necessary to record adverse comment about certain individuals. This criticism involved the provision of services and was included in an effort to prevent a possible recurrence. All such comments were excised.
This was an unusual occurrence, in that the authorities were alerted when the parents of two young children formally arranged for a family funeral. And, while their deaths might not have been preventable at that stage, failure by the Garda to alert Mr Dunne’s family about his visit to the undertaker was identified as an issue. In the same way, failure by the social services to regard the family as requiring special attention was raised.
The principal recommendation of the report that an out-of-hours social service be provided by the HSE was shelved last year because of cost considerations. Instead, an emergency foster care service to provide accommodation for children at risk was proposed. Ten parents have been recruited to date. And gardaí remain responsible for placements, in spite of their concerns and reservations. It is a totally dysfunctional system and does not reflect the duty of care owed by the State to children at risk. We should not be surprised. After all, Mr Andrews suggested this filleted report might improve the responses of service providers. That is a forlorn hope.