Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

No. We have not dealt at all with the disclosure to third parties. This is my only opportunity to do so. I am quite happy to have it out with he Chair but, under Standing Orders, I am within my remit to raise this at this point,. If the Chair gives me a couple of minutes, I will finish with it before long. It is a key issue.

I am talking about legislation that passed Second Stage and that was accepted by the then Minister, Alan Shatter. It was referred to this committee. It did not progress from the committee on the basis that the legislation before us now was coming forward. The general scheme was published subsequently, in 2018, and dealt with by the committee, which has led to the legislation before us now. Reference is made in this legislation to third parties but in very limited terms. We have already had the conversation about notifying the perpetrator in advance of notifying any potential victim. We need to go that step further and provide a mechanism for parents and guardians to make proactive contact with the Garda to express a reservation or concern because that may end up bringing to the attention of the Garda a risk to which a child or vulnerable adult is exposed but which is not active at the given moment.

I have put on the Dáil record on a number of occasions incidents where children have been approached at playgrounds or on streets in the city of Dublin, and those incidents were never reported to the Garda or were reported to the Garda only three or four days later. A cultural change needs to take place such that anything untoward is immediately reported to the Garda. I do not think the level of disclosure will change, but changing that culture in this legislation and providing a proactive avenue for people to make contact with the Garda if they have concerns such that that route is open to them and a disclosure may be made to the Garda could end up protecting many more children and vulnerable adults. I ask the Minister to contemplate the matter again in advance of Report Stage.