Pringle questions Government on funding for safeguarding officer for St John Ambulance

By Thomas Pringle
Updated: 28th February 2024

Independent TD for Donegal, Thomas Pringle, has questioned Government on funding for a safeguarding officer for St John Ambulance, more than a year after the role was recommended, as he commended abuse survivors for their tireless work and bravery.

Addressing the Dáil on Tuesday, Deputy Pringle said: “It has been nearly a year since the publication of the damning report into St John Ambulance, which included findings such as: the organisation’s structure and culture left the organisation vulnerable to grooming and sexual abuse of children within the organisational context, the hierarchical structure facilitated predatory behaviour within the organisation in the past and there was a significant degree of organisational awareness of serious threats to children, with the organisation failing to undertake any meaningful investigation into known or suspected threats to children prior to 2000. These are just some of the many shocking findings in the 333-page report.

“Unfortunately, for survivors, this report was far from shocking, and I would like to take this time to commend survivors for their tireless work and bravery. The fact that they were forced to experience such abuse as children is horrific, but the way they were treated by St John Ambulance following this is truly appalling. The organisation completed failed survivors,” he said.

The deputy said: “The lengthy process that survivors had to go through to ensure this report was completed was unacceptable. Not only that, but once completed they had to fight to actually get it published. It was only published after daily protests outside the headquarters of St John Ambulance.”

The deputy raised the issue on Tuesday during Leaders’ Questions.

Deputy Pringle said: “The report made a series of recommendations, one of which was the employment of a full-time safeguarding officer, independent of St John Ambulance. However, over a year after the organisation were given these recommendations, this has yet to be implemented, with the organisation now saying that it doesn’t have the funding to employ a safeguarding officer. The fact that this hasn’t been a priority for the organisation is extremely disappointing. Nothing should be more important to St John Ambulance than ensuring sufficient child protection, especially in light of their many failures, spanning decades.

“I know that Minister O’Gorman said last week that the Government will ‘make a contribution for the first year towards the cost of the safeguarding officer and link that to an agreement with the organisation in terms of a service level agreement.’

“But my question is, Minister, can you justify and outline the rationale for the payment of the role of the safeguarding officer in St John Ambulance and explain if this will be a mechanism available to other organisations in financial distress as well?” he said.

In his response, Minister Paschal Donohoe said the role of safeguarding officer will be funded by Minister O’Gorman’s department because Government believe the role is a very important element in how they can secure the continued safety of those who work in that organisation or may be using its services and said Minister O’Gorman and the Government believe it is an intervention they have to make quickly.

Deputy Pringle said: “I think it’s completely unacceptable that St John Ambulance sat on these recommendations for a year,” adding, “It seems to me that St John Ambulance are not taking the recommendations of this extremely damning report into their organisation seriously enough. It is a major slap in the face for survivors of abuse that the organisation is now receiving €100,000 from the government after sitting on their hands for over a year.”