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THE DEPARTMENT OF Employment Affairs and Social Protection (DEASP) has had a rocky year of it.
Ordinarily, if you’re not hearing about a government department, it’s probably going about its business reasonably effectively in the background. It’s when the offices of state are in the headlines ad nauseam that things get a little sticky – from that point of view DEASP and the Department of Justice (which emerged from its most recent scandal, which nearly brought down the government and caused its minister Frances Fitzgerald to become the latest to fall on her own sword, not exactly smelling of roses) have become poster children for how not to handle a media crisis.
Debutante DEASP Minister and Fine Gael TD for Meath East Regina Doherty has only been in office since early June having graduated from the role of chief whip after Enda Kenny stepped aside, her promotion to the ranks sealed with the ascent of Leo Varadkar as Taoiseach.
Many of the department’s bigger controversies (the Public Services Card farrago, a three-month delay for maternity benefits, Varadkar’s own Welfare Cheats Cheat Us All campaign) happened before she took up her role.
That said, she’s still happy to defend her new office to the hilt.
“I can’t speak for Justice, and I think the last few years it speaks for itself, but I don’t think I’ve ever met a bunch of people (her new staff) who are so genuinely committed to what they do,” she tells TheJournal.ie.
“I know I don’t have huge experience so maybe everyone in the Department of Health is the same but the people I have the pleasure of working with are so helpful and so accommodating.”
The main ideology of the department is that we’re here to help people at the times of their lives where they can’t help themselves.
Controversies
Doherty may not have been around for the birth of DEASP’s major controversies this year, but she has still found herself embroiled within them, not the least of which was the Public Services Card (PSC), which until recently was used merely for claiming jobseekers’ benefits, but which has now been expanded to encompass all welfare services, some passport applications, and the driver theory test.
The card is now a prerequisite for all welfare services (the Minister herself holds one she confirms), leading to Doherty’s by-now infamous declaration last August that it is ‘mandatory, but not compulsory’ to hold one. Does she regret the phrase?
“The PSC has caused some concerns for people this year,” she says. “I probably fuelled that with (that) stupid line.”
The Minister repeatedly displays a self-deprecating tone when it comes to discussing her own travails with the media, which you would imagine is endearing to her supporters, and perhaps galling to her detractors. But whether or not she regrets her previous pronouncements, Doherty digs in her heels when it comes to her department’s policies.
The PSC is “doing exactly what it was designed to do – to make accessing public services easier”, while the card is “absolutely” reducing fraud. DEASP has no issues whatsoever with managing the public’s private data (“That (data breaches) has never happened with our department.”). The €500 million figure her department has claimed it saved due to reported welfare fraud in 2016 is “absolutely accurate”, despite indications (including a FactCheck on this site which found the claim to be fundamentally inaccurate) to the contrary. Regarding the latter, when pressed as to its accuracy, she replies that “smarter people in our finance department have come up with those numbers”.
This is something of a recurring theme – Doherty is pleasant and courteous to a fault, but when pressed on policy her answers seem to suggest this government has no bad ones, only miscontrued soundbites or poor phraseology. It’s a relentless barrage of positivity, although some bending of reality also comes into play – when it’s suggested to her that adopted people without an adoption certificate aren’t allowed to register for a PSC, she is insistent that all adopted people have such a document – something which is patently not the case. When asked what the logic is for someone to be able to use a passport in order to register for a PSC, which in future will be needed to apply for a passport renewal, the answer is a bit dizzying:
“Well, first of all, when you come in, you don’t need anything to get anything, the PSC is only an end product of a process, so once you get through the process we issue you with a card. You don’t have to have a card, but what you do have to do is that if you get called in to verify who you are, who you say you are, then you have to come in and you do it, because if you don’t come in and you do it then we can’t be sure that you are who you say you are.”
Loyalty
On other topics, the Minister is more comfortable. Her reporting of the Twitter persona of Northern Irish blogger Catherine Kelly to gardaí over alleged harassment received on the social media platform (which led to Kelly being questioned by officers at Dublin Airport) is a bit off limits, given an investigation is outstanding. We ask if she had the situation over again, would she have done the same thing? “I would,” is the succinct answer.
Her loyalty for Leo Varadkar, before whom she sported a similar level of devotion for Enda Kenny, has gone through the roof – and Frances Fitzgerald being jettisoned (“I don’t think she had any choice”) hasn’t dampened that ardour in any way.
“I would have more support for him now than I ever did for a number of reasons,” she says of Ireland’s newest leader. “There’s something very endearing about a man who, even though he’s the head honcho of the entire country and government, still asks for advice, still is persuadable when you have a good idea and he tells you no, but he’ll actually sit down and listen to you and argue with you as to why you’re wrong and he’s right.”
The loyalty that he showed Frances Fitzgerald is something that you don’t often see in politics, and it makes me even prouder to be part of his team.
So, that was loyalty, as opposed to a case of arrogantly facing down Fianna Fáil until both leaders suddenly found themselves facing into a senseless general election that nobody wanted?
“Not a chance. He believes that she’s a good woman.”
She insists, despite suggestions to the contrary, that the government “do take Maurice (McCabe) extremely seriously”, but that Fitzgerald had no choice but to ignore the now infamous 2015 email which informed the then minister that Garda Commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan was attempting to cast doubt on McCabe’s integrity at the O’Higgins Commission.
“Tell me what she didn’t do that you would have done,” she says. “You can’t do that (question the Commissioner’s approach). You cannot interfere, that’s like saying for argument’s sake that Maurice McCabe was going to make a part representation at the tribunal and the Tanaiste didn’t like it, so she should have interfered with his testimony. The reason commissions are established and enshrined in law is so that it’s taken out of the political sphere.”
Sexism
Back to Leo. His Strategic Communications Unit isn’t anything to be concerned about she says (“I sometimes think the media thinks we’re cleverer than we really are”).
Meanwhile, she insists that Varadkar was “taken out of context” recently when he compared Ireland’s inauspicious record on homelessness favourably with the figures seen on the continent, and rather surprisingly suggests she’s “surprised the situation isn’t worse given we haven’t built social houses in 10 years”. Well yes, you might think, apart from Doherty’s party has been in power for nigh-on seven of those 10 years.
What about sexism in Irish politics in the wake of member of the Fine Gael executive council Barry Walsh being forced to step aside over his social media profferings concerning women (including some TDs from his own party), a situation that Doherty was particularly strident about at the time?
“(Being on the executive council) doesn’t make him senior,” she says for starters. “There is sexism in Irish society, it isn’t unique to Irish politics, because it exists unfortunately in every single industry that I seem to know.”
What is good about what is happening at the moment is that for the ones… I’m a middle aged woman, for the first time in my life I am no longer embarrassed or ashamed of having conversations with people about experiences that might or might not have happened me or other women, whereas beforehand for some reason women had inherent guilt built into them that somehow they must have done something wrong.
“What’s happened in the last couple of months has actually empowered women to not only just be able to talk to each other and share, but to actually talk out and say we’ve had enough, we’re not going to put up with it any more.”
There are 15 ministers in Cabinet. Four of them are women. Good enough?
“No. It won’t be high enough until we get to 50-50.”
Finally, is the whole experience of being a minister all that it’s cracked up to be?
“I love it. Absolutely love it. I’m not stressed anymore. There’s a huge volume of of opportunities and things to do in this department,” she says.
It’s deadly. I’m not going to be giving out about it.
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There is something sickening about this. He has decimated mental health funding but shows up to support suicide prevention. kenny has also created a hierarchy of abuse victims, slashing funding to rape crisis centers and sealing files on institutional abuse for 75 years, while at the same time putting 5 hours of Dail time aside to debate a single abuse case which happened in another jurisdiction, because there political hay to be made.
Anyone paying attention will realise after a few seconds that governments rely on announcements for key issues that completely ignore the overall situation that creates the issue. It’s textbook Irish politics. There’s also no real point in a politician stating a child has the right to be born, if that politician also doesn’t vote accordingly for the right of a child not to live in consistent poverty with inadequate childcare, related public services, etc. and most of all the right of a child to live in a country where politicians actually display commitment to anything beyond getting elected, getting into government, getting a ministry and getting re-elected. There are reasons for the suicide levels we have in this country and governments have had a very significant role in creating the economic and societal reasons that lead to so many suicides.
Great comment David and For Connolly. hit the nail on the head there.
As someone who recently lost a family member to depression, I urge anyone who is thinking about suicide to please talk to a friend, a family member, a colleague or a help line. Suicide is never the answer.
Samaritans 18 50 60 90 90
1 life Freephone (24hrs) 1800 247 100 or text the word HELP to 51444
http://www.yspi.eu/
fair play Dave. sorry to hear about your family member. cant speak any highly of Samaritans. was involved for a few years
The promotion of lonliness within a society has political roots – this initiative by the Government is welcome but in light of the attack on single parents earning potential yesterday in the Dail then it appears to be somewhat rooted in the “let’s pretend we are human , pretend we care ” bracket.
Stress kills in so many ways and Austerity is European designed and politically party delivered depression to so many families …
Direct provision
Emigration coupled with immigration
Poor childcare provision
The list is endless and we having voted for a Children’s referendum ..
And of course For Connolly’s comment below ….
Bit late for those who couldn’t survive your austerity policies Enda.
Two suicides in Clare last week Ennis acute psychiatric hspt being downsized in Sept/ Oct st Michaels in Tipperary closed down people with drug and alcohol problems admitted to psychiatric wards because there’s no dual diagnosis services people at risk and have been assaulted in psychiatric hspt because people all thrown in together no specialised units end a you are a smug uncaring man
How many people committed suicide due to their hopes and dreams being ruined by Greed and 2 corrupt governments.
Election next year everybody…
Knob Enda is simply launching a propaganda vehicle to pretend that he actually cares about ordinary citizens. (He doesn’t, never has beyond some photocall PR)
Don’t be fooled, mental health services (under which drug issues should come, when we’ve stopped brutally criminalising the afflicted) are systematically abysmally resourced.
Absolutely nothing of substance will be done by Enda (or any of the main stream parties).
Why am I so sure?
1. The record of mental health support resourcing, which anyone working in the sector will tell you (except of course ambitious manager classes keen to please their political masters & be suitably rewarded etc.)
2. The fact that by the very nature of mental (ill) health, the people who know the truth about Authorities’ neglect and malfeasance – the patients – are unlikely to articulate it, or be believed if they do.
3. Consider what we now know of how Authorities (Civil, Legal, Church etc. – all the same ‘club’) behaved in (similar in many ways) child services & helped to cover up decades upon decades of abuse, torture and murder.
Think those attitudes have gone away among the Authorities? (Ha!)
Has there been ANY meaningful accountability of ANYTHING gone wrong under the ‘system’ control of the Authorities (incorporating the the top few percent in income and wealth)… EVER ??
Until we get meaningful democracy – which will never happen when we positively invite the just-line-your-own-and-mates’-pockets-retire-early-and-wealthy motivation, and promise not to look! – what people like Kenny is doing is just running the propaganda dept. for the interests he really serves.
Time to wake up….
Maybe we should start by looking for public representatives who are not simply motivated by grabbing as much wealth for themselves as possible?
I think we all know that very capable people, not motivated by money, but you know, actually doing a good job for their community, certainly exist.
But, the way we run our sham-ocracy (effectively still plutocracy, even after a century of pretending otherwise), we positively exclude such people from office.
There really is only one reason why majority citizens keep voting against their own interests…. mass propaganda control, best done of course, and perfected by the techniques developed from Edward Bernays onward, when people don’t realise such control is being exerted.
The age of the Internet is already loosening the power of mass (media) control…. don’t leave it too long before making the effort to discover the truth about how society continued to be controlled by the same elites, even after the introduction of universal suffrage this last century.
If you don’t take this opportunity soon to instigate real democracy – society actually functioning in the interests of the majority – well, you only need to look at what’s already happening to the most vulnerable (and least resonsible for the mess) in Greece… or those desparate refugees drowing in the Med…
Think the ruling classes care about YOU any more than them? (Think again!)
Election a bit earlier than that Mike – Labour have started with their circulars already !
The vital cuts to mental health services don’t help. Does Enda expect charities to pick up his incompetence in this area? The number of people who’ve taken their own lives in the lifetime of this government has gradually increased. Depression et al is not something you put an economic value on, otherwise you’re putting a figure on a life
To test your sincerity Enda, reverse attacks on mental health facilities, posts and funding. Go further by restoring guidance counsellors to ex quota school positions and put in extra counsellors in primary and secondary schools to undo the harm of the last 5 years.
You’ll be waiting. This is lip service.
Cuts to single parents allowance yesterday, Yeah right.
The only way i can see a mass prevention is by the Government resigning. And some sort of caring Government reversing all the cuts to mental health, frontline medical staff and stop taxing the most vulnerable in our society which is only adding to their worries, pushing some over the edge.
Great move forward , the glaring omission over the past fifteen years of the effects of sexual abuse and its weight on Irish society is a key to understanding why some people take their lives..
We need to remove the gender blaming and say abuse is abuse is abuse …
Like the gp’s and the under 6s this is another political stunt, remember we’re heading into a general election, expect more of this kind of cynical dishonesty from these dreadful people in the coming months
Kenny would lock his sick granny in a coal she’d if he thought it would get him reelected….. He has no shame. His deceits and lies since coming into government is the no1 aggravating factor in increased suicide figures
Having witnessed how the system works I am surprised it is not higher. Someone presenting them to a Dr about depression/suicidal ideations will be referred to hospital (this can take over a month), unless they have actually gotten to the stage where suicide has been attempted. Even if they present themselves to A&E for assessment (which is not an appropriate place for a person who is suicidal to be) they almost have to be stabbing themselves in front of all in A&E to be admitted, usually discharged with follow up appointment.
I do not blame the people in the mental health services who have seen their budgets/services slashed by this government over the past number of years.
Some of these “negative life events” as has been described could be helped with counselling but getting that service (unless rolling in money) is a very long process.
The best organisation is Pieta House, they do excellent work where the Govt should be providing to our citizens. The Samaritans advice was a cup of tea.
SO Edna along with all the other tripe you have served up over the past few years (and more so in run up to election year) your words are just that, words!
Are most suicides preventable? I’m not sure they are. I also think that too many suicides are attributed to depression.
It is estimated that 90% (US) of suicides are caused by depression but I don’t know how that figure is arrived at. Some explanations are suggested that certain life events trigger undiagnosed depression and subsequent suicide. Perhaps it is simply those life events themselves which drives people to suicide and that makes it much more difficult to prevent.
It would be fair to say that the people who are left carrying the can of the years of austerity are Irish males. 80% of the total social welfare receipt are Irish and the vast amount of welfare precipitants are Irish male. the working class has being totally f..c.ked over by the political elite for years.
Kenny’s assault on the Irish people, on behalf of his Euro-bosses has caused innumerable suicides, And now the worm has the audacity to pretend to care.
Don’t fool yourself Kenny, We know what you’re up to, you shameless liar.
I know they mean well, but I am really tired of seeing basic kindness and relaxation dressed up as “healthcare”. While real mental illnesses are ignored. The “scarier” illnesses like schizophrenia and bipolar are downright ignored, what we need is knowledge, understanding, and resources. How does a young person to about getting assessed for depression and accessing treatment ? For example.
Why don’t we have suicide crisis centres where people feeling sting urges can keep themselves safe and be supervised and seek a professional , haters of sending them to our already overcrowded emergency departments? When will ur schools teach teens how to recognise symptoms of depression and help work through it. When will we actually take young people’s pain seriously instead telling then they are ‘just stressed” or “its horemonal”
Well said claire
How many people have committed suicide because of Mr. Kenny’s reported allegiance to Jean Claude Trichet during the Bailout ?
Too many is the answer !
a good start would be actually caring for the well being of men in this country. would reduced it by well over 10% in the 5 years. sadly this wont be the case.
“The CSO confirmed figures for 2012 indicate that 541 people lost their lives by suicide. Provisional figures for 2013 (475 deaths) and 2014 (459 deaths) indicate a decrease in the numbers of deaths by suicide.”
…So by doing nothing suicide figures are down 15% is the last 3 years, and they’re announcing an ambitious strategy to reduce it by 10% by 2020, they’re some fcuking heroes alright…
Was just listening to kathleen lynch on the radio. What is it with our sub standard politicians and gov that they just cannot admit responsibility or even share responsibity for anything. Lynch was saying all people with mental health problems have a long history of mental health problems before they reach the stage of needing pro help. The woman from pieta house says that over 70 percent of people they treat have no previous mental health issues, that their problems arise as a result of a life event. Who do you believe, the professional from pieta house or the politician?
Article today about people with psychosis on trolleys in a+ e depts for hours nurses illequpped to deal with this sometimes people sent home.why don’t the acute psychiatric hspts have an a+ e depths. Why do people have to go to a+ e it doesn’t make sense
A good start for this would be a serious discussion about our binge drinking culture. Getting hammered all the time because it’s considered normal can really push vulnerable people over the edge. Just because the $hit’s legal doesn’t mean it’s safe. As a country we need to f****g wake up.
Sad about the distraction on political issues even though austerity is a factor.
I see that 30,000 people completed ASIST training (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training). I highly recommend it. I did it 4 years ago and have done the refresher course every 2 years.
http://www.hse.ie/portal/eng/services/list/4/Mental_Health_Services/NOSP/Training/training.html
While our mental health system revolves around the biomedical model ie drugs progress in this area will be difficult.
have your say