Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

What happened this week to two Roma and their families in Tallaght and Athlone is most disturbing. It is especially disturbing to all in these Houses who have long campaigned for children's rights and protections, and who invested considerable time and effort in realising a child protection system that is fit for purpose and in which we can all have confidence. What happened in these cases is a far cry from what we expect from the State's child services. Against a backdrop of what can only be described as despicable newspaper coverage, children were taken from their homes in what appears to be a naked and blunt case of racial profiling. Under the Child Care Act 1991, gardaí must have reasonable grounds for believing there is an immediate and serious risk to the child. On the basis of the information we have at present, this does not appear to be the case. If such a risk did exist, surely all of the children would have been removed from these families not just those with blonde hair and blue eyes. The speed of the intervention in these cases stands in marked contrast to the response times in many others, as highlighted last week by the Ombudsman for Children.

What were the reasonable grounds to believe that the children in these cases were at risk or in danger? Why were only the children whose physical appearance was difference to that of their parents removed from their family homes? Could the required tests not have been carried out without taking the children from their homes and parents?

It is not appropriate for the HSE and the Garda to be investigating themselves on such an important matter. We should not be waiting for their reports before the Ombudsman for Children takes direct responsibility for investigating these incidents. An independent inquiry from the outset is the best way to get the answers and the Ombudsman, Emily Logan, should be engaged with immediate effect.

See this speech in context