Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Dr. Shannon for his comprehensive report. In respect of care orders and the birth of the child, is there any analysis as to the number of children being born where there is clear evidence that the mother is using drugs? I remember how in the 1990s, the figures I got from one hospital showed that in any one day, ten babies were suffering from withdrawal symptoms. That did not mean there were ten babies being born every day but that the number of days a person has withdrawal symptoms goes on for a period of time. Have we any up-to-date data on the numbers we are talking about?

Dr. Shannon talks about a pre-birth order. If we are going down that road, there should be serious consultation with the medical profession. I recently spoke to three or four medical consultants who deal with this area. They spoke to me about cases involving people involved in substance misuse who failed to attend clinics, which makes the work that much more difficult from the consultants' perspective. In one case, there was a co-ordinated effort between social services, the medical profession and the Garda where the Garda brought the person to the clinic each week or month. It was a co-ordinated effort to make sure the person and the baby were looked after. After the baby was born, an application for a care order had to be made. If care orders are applied for before the birth, that may have consequences regarding how to get the person to attend clinics and all the work that must be done before the birth. If we are going down that road, before we decide on that issue, there should be serious consultation with the people working in the medical services on this issue.

One frightening aspect is that previously this was very much a Dublin problem. Now it is a problem in all 19 public maternity units around the country. It is a growing problem that is not going away.

That is why I am asking about the need for research and more up-to-date data in this area, so that we can see the extent of the problem.

Another issue also arises. If the person expecting the child already has children who appear to be coping well, is there not a difficulty for a care order to be justified in that situation? Those are some of the issues that will arise, so perhaps Dr. Shannon could deal with them in light of his own experience. We have not faced up to this issue in recent years, but it is now coming more and more to the fore so we need to start planning for it.