Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 11 March 2015

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions

Role and Remit: Office of the Ombudsman for Children

4:00 pm

Photo of Michael Healy-RaeMichael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate Dr. Muldoon on his warrant of appointment given by the President last month and wish him every good luck in the future. I welcome his officials to this meeting.

Dr. Muldoon is charged with a very important role. In terms of young children and their futures, issues need to be addressed. We are discussing child poverty. It is a particular hang-up of mine that young, beautiful children get up in the morning and, because their parents are experiencing problems with poverty, alcohol abuse, drug abuse or so on, leave home with empty bellies and maybe without clothing that is adequate for wet days, etc. This is a serious concern for us all. I have no doubt that Dr. Muldoon is well competent and capable of fulfilling his responsible role and I have every confidence in him and his officials. Whatever it takes and costs to ensure that young children are taken care of and protected, which are important tasks for which we are responsible, I wish Dr. Muldoon well in his role. As public representatives, we can urge the Government to ensure that budgets are put in place.

The Chairman made an important point about homes that are under threat of repossession and how that affects children. Of course it will have an effect on them. From zero to 90 or 100 years of age, childhood is a short length of time, but zero to 11, 12 or 13 years of age is a terribly important period. Young children will never get those years back. As adults, public representatives, the Ombudsman and his officials, we are charged with doing everything we can to make those 13 years protected, special and important for children. If we can support the Ombudsman in any way, our job is to back him and his officials. It would be no problem.

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