James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The child safety statement relates to an obligation on somebody who provides services and who employs one or more people to have a child safety statement. It is not about asking grannies, sisters, aunts or a single childminder to provide these statements, because that is considered to be excessive. From a practical point of view, it does not make sense for somebody to write their own statement, with nobody else to monitor what is happening. Where there is an employee, the statement is clearly there for the employee to observe. Equally, employees could tell the employer if they did not think the statement is appropriate and suggest improvements. Where would it end if a single person were required to do that?

I accept what Deputy Ó Caoláin was saying about how a childminder could mind a number of different children, but I do not think a child safety statement addresses that issue. We will consider the matter further. We can certainly look at the mandated people, which is a separate issue. I hope that clarifies matters. The Bill is about ensuring more safety for children and that their rights are observed. The Children First guidance applies to all individuals and organisations. The Children First Bill places additional legal requirements on certain specified individuals and organisations.