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

I join the Chairman in welcoming the Minister and her departmental colleagues.

I reconfirm my support for the passage of the Child and Family Agency Bill 2013. I welcome its publication and the opportunity to bring it through Committee, Report and Final Stages. I acknowledge that this is an important step forward, one that I absolutely support.

Let me use my opening words to reflect a concern I have. It was not a concern I had in approaching the Bill on Second Stage but is one that has arisen in the intervening period. I am interested in hearing the Minister elaborate on matters pertaining to Ráth na nÓg, the open high support unit that has been in situ in Castleblayney in my constituency for some years. I am concerned on a number of levels because it is very important that the new Child and Family Agency is launched on the best basis possible. We need to ensure the high standards we, as elected spokespersons, expect are adhered to across the board and that the new agency will guarantee a significant advance in the provision of supports and care for children as problems arise.

I am deeply concerned about the remarks attributed to the HSE's national director of children's services. I must record this because if I did not so, I would be remiss in my duty as national spokesperson on health and children's issues. I refer to the advent of the directive to close Ráth na nÓg following presentation of HIQA's report. The Minister mentioned the role of HIQA in the ongoing assessment of the suitability, or otherwise, of various facilities.

This all hinges on the issue of locking down the facility from 9 p.m. until 7.30 a.m. While there are other issues relating to the individual residents, this lock-down is unacceptable, irrespective of any difficulty arising from the inappropriateness of placing some of the children there. This is an open facility, yet, without any court or criminal justice system directive, the liberty of the children involved was taken from them. The direction came from the national office and Mr. Gordon Jeyes has indicated in an interview that he supports the measure, although he denies having issued the directive. He goes on to say any reasonable parent in the country would do the same. I do not believe reasonable parents across the country are locking up their children, irrespective of the difficulties or issues that present.