Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation
Dail Éireann — 2026-04-23
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Mark Wall (LAB), Kildare South

I too want to raise last night's horrific programme. Like the Tánaiste, I thank Barry O'Kelly and "RTÉ Investigates" for bringing this in front of us. As has been said in this House already, it is not the first time that I and others have brought up this concern. Three weeks ago, Independent Ireland raised concerns we have on Private Members' business about Tusla services, SEAs and problems concerning them. It is simply not good enough that the most vulnerable in society are put at risk by these arrangements.
The State seems to be more concerned about bringing these vulnerable children to court rather than dealing adequately with their complex needs. The fact remains that Tusla has handed out €240 million to 93 unregulated providers of SEAs. This includes one company to which it paid over €41 million. Questions remains. Will an investigation be launched by the Government into last night's findings? Are there any financial penalties for SEA providers? Does the Government have a timeline to get rid of SEAs?

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-04-23/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-27T06:54:48+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-04-23