Keira Keogh (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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No apologies have been received. The meeting will start with the declaration by the Cathaoirleach. In accordance with Standing Orders, I wish to make the following declaration:

I do solemnly declare that I will duly and faithfully and to the best of my knowledge and ability execute the office of Cathaoirleach of the Joint Committee on Children and Equality without fear or favour, apply the rules as laid down the by House, and in an impartial and fair manner, maintain order and uphold the rights and privileges of members in accordance with the Constitution and Standing Orders.

I remind members of the constitutional requirement that in order to participate in public meetings, members must be physically present within the confines of the Leinster House complex. Members of the committee attending remotely must do so from within the precincts of Leinster House. This is due to the constitutional requirement that in order to participate in public meetings, members must be physically present within the confines of the place where Parliament has chosen to sit and that is Leinster House in this regard. I ask any members participating via Microsoft Teams that prior to making their contribution in any public meeting, he or she confirms that they are on the grounds of the Leinster House campus. Members are also reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice that they should not criticise or make charges against any person or entity by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it identifiable or otherwise engage in speech that might be regarded as damaging to the good name of the person or entity. Therefore, if their statement is potentially defamatory in relation to an identifiable person or entity, I will direct them to discontinue their remarks. It is imperative that they comply with any such direction.

Our next item is my introductory remarks as Cathaoirleach. It was an honour to be appointed as Chair of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Children and Equality. I am privileged to welcome members to our first meeting. Many of us, including myself, are newly elected Members of the Houses of the Oireachtas. I look forward to working with committee members in a genuine spirit of partnership and co-operation. The committee will give oversight and scrutiny to policies that affect some of the most vulnerable communities and groups in society and all of those affected by inequality and exclusion. An important part of the committee's remit is a commitment to the well-being, protection and rights of children, who are the youngest and most vulnerable members of our society. It is fitting that our first sitting coincides with the publication of the Ombudsman for Children's Office annual report 2024 entitled Tomorrow Starts with Us. The report marks 20 years since the OCO was established and outlines 1,700 complaints that highlight key challenges facing children. Issues highlighted include access to healthcare, a safe place to sleep, experiences with bullying and feelings of loneliness, among many others. I know that all of the members are passionate about these issues and most likely many of them requested to be on this committee. I, too, share their passion as prior to my election as Teachta Dála for Mayo, I was a behaviour consultant for 19 years specialising in supporting children who are neurodiverse, along with their families and schools.

The remit of this committee is broader than childhood alone. We are also tasked with championing equality for all, including LGBTQI+ individuals who still face significant barriers, discrimination and marginalisation across many parts of society. Today is the tenth anniversary of the historic marriage equality referendum and a reminder that with increasing intimidation facing the community, we must remain steadfast in protecting rights that we won and not allow fear and intimidation to creep in. We have an opportunity through its work to effect change and influence legislation that will help to ensure that our systems of care, support and protection are effective, compassionate and grounded in the rights and dignity of every individual.

Over this term, it is my sincere hope that we will operate as a cohesive and collaborative body, open in our deliberations and committed to listening to the voices of those we serve. I look forward to working with every member to advance this important mandate. Do anyone wish to comment?

Aidan Farrelly (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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I congratulate the Cathaoirleach and wish her the very best. It is a huge honour to chair this committee. I would like to introduce myself to colleagues on the committee. I am honoured to be a member alongside them. I have been a very proud youth and community worker for approximately 15 years. I relish the opportunity to get into some of the important issues relating to children's rights and specifically childcare and early years education. The opportunity to discuss that issue at length over the coming term is a real privilege this committee has been afforded. From a community worker's perspective, I look forward to discussing rights, discrimination, oppression and some of the structural inequalities that are facing many groups in our society. I will not labour members with my hopes for the work plan just yet, but I wish the Chair and colleagues the best in our collective endeavours over the next couple of years.

Keira Keogh (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Thank you, Deputy Farrelly.

Aisling Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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I congratulate the Chair on her role. I was delighted to see a first-time female TD getting the chair. With the Chair's background, I am sure she will be an excellent ambassador for the committee. Members do not often get the opportunity to say it in these Houses but there appears to be a bit of a gender imbalance on this committee, which I am glad to see. It is important in this age of equality. We are all equal. Men often do as much as women in the home but women are still the main caregivers in the home for our elderly, and even professionally, and it is very important that our voices are here.

Having said that, the committee will focus on children and equality. We need to listen to children and needs to have groups like Youth Work Ireland in before us. We are celebrating ten years of marriage equality. That was a fantastic achievement but the children of those families still do not have equality. The assisted human reproduction legislation has been delayed. I have met people in my constituency who used a surrogate eight or ten years ago and their mother is not officially recognised. From an equality point of view, I want to seriously look into that. The people working in the early years childcare sector are so precious to me and many people here who drop our children to them every day. We trust in them. Sometimes they spend more time with our children than we do. They should be paid appropriately. We should retain, promote and look after them. The committee needs to ensure that it listens to people in the industry. I wish the Chair all the best and I hope we will do a lot of good work.

Nessa Cosgrove (Labour)
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I wish the Chair well. It is great to see a female in the position of Cathaoirleach. There are more females on this committee than males, which is probably indicative of the workforce in the early years sector. The caring sectors are predominantly female. Part of our work will be to examine the gender pay gap. It is important that the committee discusses that.

Ten years after the marriage equality referendum, there is still a lot of work to do. We had a big celebration of it last night but there is a bit of concern, particularly in regard to trans people, that some of those rights are being rowed back on, not just in Ireland but across the world. The committee has an important role to play in this matter. I look forward to working with everyone. Best of luck to the Chairman.

Nikki Bradley (Fine Gael)
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I have known the Cathaoirleach for a very long time. I congratulate her formally. I have seen her grow and seen the work that she has done for a long time. I want to reassure everyone that the absolute best person is in the seat and I wish the Cathaoirleach the best of luck. I feel strongly about discrimination, and it is something that I am looking forward to working with everybody on. I have worked with people with disabilities and trans people. The discrimination they face on a daily basis is horrifying.

We are all very aware of that, so I am very much looking forward to working on this and a number of other issues and learning from people in the room in the weeks and months ahead.

Sharon Keogan (Independent)
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I congratulate the Cathaoirleach and welcome fellow members to this very important committee. I look forward to working with everyone. It is always encouraging to see more women in these Houses and in politics. The gender balance has been won by the women on this committee. The committee plays a vital role in shaping policies that affect the most vulnerable people - children, young people, carers and families. I am optimistic that, together, we can make real progress.

Will we get time later on to discuss our work programme this year?

Keira Keogh (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Yes. We will do that in private session.

Sharon Keogan (Independent)
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I will come back in later.

Charles Ward (Donegal, 100% Redress Party)
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I congratulate the Cathaoirleach on her appointment. In 2007, I became a father for the first time. I have four children. My wife is a deputy principal, so I assume the role of daddy day care. As the only male going to the coffee mornings and meet-ups in 2007, I am used to this. With my last child, there is more of a balance now at the coffee mornings. I look forward to working with members.

Keira Keogh (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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We do have five males on the committee, so we are not too bad.

Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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I had better speak or I will be the odd one out. I congratulate the Cathaoirleach on her appointment and wish her well. The clerk and those in the background of the committee do an awful lot of work, so I wish Anita and her team well. I look forward to working with members, whose number include lots of first-time Members. Committees are a good forum and way in which we can all progress matters of real importance to the public and the people we represent.

Keira Keogh (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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It is a pleasure to take over the reins from Deputy Kerrane. I know she was the last person in this seat.