Sir, – I am a parent of a child (age 12) who attends St Raphael's special school in Celbridge, Co Kildare. I have been waiting for the last year to see what would happen since the revelations regarding St John of God executives, secret payments and top-ups emerged ("Topped-up St John of God pensions 'costing taxpayers'", July 4th). It has upset me greatly. The HSE has now said that St John of God must recoup the money and ensure it is directed into services. Of course that sounds wonderful, but honestly none of us imagine that this will actually happen. In light of the lack of candour, lack of accountability and transparency, how are families supposed to believe that it would ever give back the money? Our children and adults with intellectual disability are among the most vulnerable in society. They should not have to rely on charity in the first place, but for the charity that claims to care for them to deny them services is a crying shame.
The cutbacks that the service users have endured over the past few years are shameful, and when we hear of top-ups for executives, it really makes us sick. We have registered our concerns with the charity regulator. I was among a group of parents who met the Minister of State for Disability Issues Finian McGrath last August to ask him to do something about all this. We want the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee and the Committee on Health to ask questions of the St John of God executives. We have asked numerous local TDs to help, and still nothing has happened. I also met a member of the HSE to ask why there is not a member of the HSE on the board of St John of God keeping an eye on where the funds are going, as the HSE gives it a sum of €132 million and up to 85 per cent of that goes on wages. Front-line staff are fantastic, but they are not the ones getting astronomical wages and secret payments.
Why is it always the most vulnerable in Ireland who have to suffer? It’s about time that this was sorted out once and for all! – Yours, etc,
AISLING McNIFFE,
Ardclough, Co Kildare.