Mary Fitzpatrick (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for attending, albeit virtually. I congratulate him on his appointment to his Ministry.

Like others, I will start out with the mother and baby homes and the commission of investigation because these have rightly dominated in the past couple of weeks. The commission was working for five years. That the Oireachtas collectively dealt with such a sensitive and important issue in such a ham-fisted way was always going to be a recipe for distrust and distress. It caused an enormous amount of both. I welcome the Minister's acknowledgement that the matter was mishandled and his commitment to having us work more constructively and responsibly in the future.

I voted for the legislation. I voted to protect the database so survivors could have access to their own information and so the report for which they have all waited so long can be published. I did so very deliberately. I heard all the arguments but, for me, the survivors are paramount. It is paramount that their voices be heard and that their needs be met. That must be the Government's priority and the priority of us all.

The protection of the database is the route by which survivors can reclaim their own identities. There has been a lot of debate about various legislative measures, including those on GDPR, but we need to keep this simple. Every individual should have access to her or his own information. I want that to be the Government's first priority. This committee needs a copy of the report early. It will be asked to do work so it needs a copy early. The survivors need a copy as early as possible. I am looking for confirmation from the Minister that everybody who contributed to the report, including every survivor, will get a copy as soon as it is available for release. It should be available online and a copy should be put into every library in the country so it will be widely available and so there will be no secrecy or concealing of the facts contained in it.

With regard to the personal data and GDPR, there have been requests to have the data impact statement. Could members have that as early as possible? Giving adopted people access to their own birth certificates should not be an impossible task, and it should be prioritised by the Government.

I welcome the Government's commitment to create a national archive. I have been pushing for the designation of the Sean MacDermott Street site. Members of this committee should visit the site at an early stage so they can appreciate how suitable it is.

With regard to the rest of the Minister's portfolio, there are three points on which I want to touch. He mentioned childcare. The childcare sector was in crisis before the Covid-19 pandemic hit. Childcare workers were the first to go back to work. They have allowed parents to go back to work. I welcome the Government's commitment to championing better childcare solutions but it has to be a priority. I would welcome it if the Minister could advise us when he will be reverting to the committee with proposals on childcare.

I am a founding director of a youth service in Cabra, Cabra for Youth. It has been in operation for about 11 years. Since 2013, it has suffered cuts of 20%. I welcome the funding that the Government has recently made available but it is capital funding. We need our operational funding to be restored so our service can be returned to a full service. We are operating on the basis of a four-day week and we are targeting youth at risk. We are the only dedicated youth service in the area. There are many others in the city operating in a similar fashion. I would like the Minister to revert to the committee members and work with us on sustainable funding for the provision of youth services.

I would like the Minister to come back to the committee and work with us on sustainable funding for the provision of youth services.

I welcome the commitment of the Minister and the Government to end direct provision and have it as a human rights-centred service. I would appreciate if the Minister worked with the Minister with responsibility for housing because the Government has committed to a referendum on the right to housing. It is very important in making a commitment to end direct provision that in parallel we ensure there will be sufficient supply of housing for people. There is no point in speaking about one without the other. They have to be done in tandem. I thank the Minister.