Responding to the revelations arising from Tusla’s review of its operations in Kerry, Sinn Féin TD Pa Daly has today expressed concern at the need for such a review.

Teachta Daly said:
 
“The audit of the Kerry area seems to have been undertaken due to specific concerns not found in the rest of the country, and it has revealed some disturbing statistics.
 
“According to the Irish Times report, out of a total of 365 cases which were not referred to the Gardaí, 122 of the cases related to children currently under the age of 18, while 243 cases were adults disclosing alleged abuse that happened to them as children.
 
“Tusla have now claimed to have addressed the issues which led to these incidents not be referred, which I welcome, but I have written to them to ascertain the full details of how this occurred. Children in vulnerable situations must be protected, and any complaints must be investigated expeditiously and if needs be, referred to other agencies.
 
“The audit did identify a lack of staff as being one of the major causes of the issue. We have seen a rise in domestic abuse cases during the pandemic period, and this is an area we must not see further cuts in, or further instances of abuse will go undetected and unpunished.

“Like so many issues, such as the challenges we see in our health service, the shortage of directly employed staff will continue to cause problems.”