Fine Gael TD John Deasy has told the Dáil that he and Fianna Fáil's John McGuinness have discovered the first casualty was always the truth when dealing with the Health Service Executive on the 'Grace' case.

According to Mr Deasy, the legal advice to the HSE from day one was to make 'Grace' a ward of court to protect her, but he said the HSE refused to do so due to concerns about a judge asking awkward questions about HSE failings in this regard.

He said in June 2008 at a HSE vulnerable adults committee, three options were discussed. 

One - do nothing, two - make 'Grace' a ward of court and three - give the birth mother information under freedom of information and make her a ward of court.

The Waterford TD said it was noted at the meeting that the last point, would lead to a disastrous day in court as it would appear the HSE had done nothing.

It chose option one, according to Mr Deasy.

He said the agency caring for Grace was refused information, medical or otherwise because he said the HSE didn't want the agency to discover their failings.

The agency then went about making her a ward of court themselves he said, which would legally mandate information to be imparted and allow a solicitor to instruct for 'Grace' but the agency was told by the HSE not to do it.

The HSE reminded the agency it was its sole funder and when the whistleblower told the HSE they were going ahead with wardship, Mr Deasy said the HSE contacted her manager and board of directors and pressured them not to proceed.

He said the HSE wrote to her line manager fabricating information alleging poor professional conduct.

The High Court then chose the whistleblower as the legal committee for 'Grace', but when she asked for information regarding medical and psychological care the HSE again refused.

Describing the next aspect as "his favourite part", Mr Deasy said the HSE wrote to the High Court to say the whistleblower wasn't fulfilling her duties because she didn't have the proper assessments and information, even though the HSE were the ones holding the information.

"Pretty twisted stuff almost Kafkaesque", he said.

He pointed out that for five years the Devine Report sat on a shelf and he claimed the HSE refused to give it to anyone.

On 5 March 2015, the Public Accounts Committee announced it received a disclosure on non-publication of the report, which resulted in the HSE writing to gardaí the next day to seek the go ahead to publish.

"That's some coincidence", he said.

He cited many topics raised during the PAC meeting when representatives of the HSE were before it which he indicated weren't answered truthfully.

"Was it a cover up", he questioned, "yes it was".

There was a concerted and organised attempt to try to conceal the truth by a clique of HSE managers, he claimed.

It was an attempt to protect officials and an organisation that failed people in State care in a catastrophic manner on a number of levels, he added.