Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witness for coming in. He is probably bored of being told how wonderful his report is, but if I do not compliment it, he will be giving out about me. It is incredibly comprehensive and covers so much that is relevant. Hopefully, it will not suffer the fate of many of the reports which are prepared in this country and then allowed to collect dust without being acted upon. Given that Deputy Clare Daly and I have spent over five years complaining about An Garda Síochána, it is great to hear that the rank and file on the ground have had such a positive attitude in this area. They deserve even more credit when one takes into account the fact that training leaves so much to be desired and that the lack of resources is an ongoing issue. On top of that, the rank and file have had to deal with very poor management, which issue has been very much at the core of our policing problems.

The report is eight months old. Dr. Shannon says gardaí have accepted it lock, stock and barrel but what is happening? Eight months is a long time when we are discussing children who are at risk. Dr. Shannon highlights the need for proper data collection and management through a proper PULSE system or an alternative. He says that would introduce transparency and accountability. The fact that nothing has really been done about PULSE for a long time is very worrying. It is two years since the Garda Inspectorate told the State in 2015 that the PULSE system was not fit for purpose and should be stood down but nothing has happened. It is eight months since Dr. Shannon's report came out and I wonder if he is getting any feedback. There are so many problems with the PULSE system across the board that it beggars belief that it is still in place. It has been poorly updated. It was invented by Accenture which currently has 11 contracts with An Garda Síochána and is taking in serious money. Nevertheless, it is standing over a failed system. Has Dr. Shannon received a real response about where PULSE is going and what is being done about the lack of proper data collection and management around information relating to section 12?

Dr. Shannon said the audit found evidence of the repeated removal under section 12 of some children from the same family circumstances. While it is great that children are being rescued when they need to be rescued, is Dr. Shannon saying that not much is changing thereafter and that there are not enough positive results in what happens for those children who need help? We are now into the area of Tusla. While section 12 is very much linked to policing, we cannot unlink it from the role of Tusla given that these children are very often transferred to its care. Is Dr. Shannon happy with the performance of Tusla? He might think it is a bit strong, but is Tusla fit for purpose?

I do not want to bore Dr. Shannon with my questions, but he made the point that the out-of-hours service was still pathetic and a big problem. He also pointed out that in a lot of cases, particularly having regard to the out-of-hours service, the only option is a private provider. His report points out that the private provider tends to be selective and is probably becoming more so about the children it takes into its care. In other words, the private operator may see a child it has seen before and decide the child is too much hardship for it and that there are better things it could do with its time.

Given that it is a private entity, we cannot really tell it what to do. The State entity has responsibilities for every child but it is probably difficult to say to private sector providers that they have no choice but to take the child. They are able to say that they do not have to take the child. What happens the child then? Would one not think that State reliance on the private sector to deal with children with problems and in difficulty is not good enough?

I will leave it at that. There are so many answers in Dr. Shannon's reports and there is so much there for us. He really has answered most of the questions on the area. I hope he gets the credit he deserves for this wonderful report.