Ivana Bacik (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Like Senator Darragh O'Brien, I condemn the shooting that took place today outside a primary school in Ballymun in broad daylight. It is shocking to see another shooting carried out in such a brazen fashion. It deserves condemnation. We may seek a debate on crime and criminal justice, while recognising that legislation alone cannot prevent that kind of shooting from occurring. It would be good to have a broader debate on the criminal justice system after Easter.

I thank the Leader for scheduling a debate this week on the situation in Ukraine, which is of considerable concern and is further deteriorating, with Russia still claiming no responsibility for the outbreak of opposition to the Kiev Government across the eastern Ukraine. I also thank the Leader for scheduling debates on the terms of reference of the commission of investigation, which was a late addition to the schedule. The debate will take place tomorrow evening.

I seek a debate on children's rights to examine how far we have progressed in improving the protection of children's rights in our law since the passing of the referendum. It would be timely to do so next month, after the welcome publication of the Children First Bill. It is part of a package of measures that have already been implemented, including the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act and the Criminal Justice (Withholding of Information on Offences against Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act. We have held hearings at the Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality on the child and family relationships Bill. We had a series of meetings last week with a range of NGOs and different groups working on the front line in service provision, along with academics, who gave us the benefit of their expertise and experience. They offered some important insights into how the Bill could be improved. It is an historic opportunity to reform our law on family relationships. Some of the comments offered by academics and others centred on the change of language and some of the concepts under which we have been running our family courts and care systems for far too long. We should move away from the language of custody and access and towards parental responsibility. It would be timely to have a debate on child protection and children's rights in the month of May or June.