Ms Nuala Ward:

The child death review is a very important report for us. We have met with a great many parents over recent years who are simply devastated at the loss of their child. All they want is answers. They want to know what happened and, most importantly, whether the deaths of further children can be prevented as a result. That is to be lauded, especially when these parents are in their deepest grief. As the Senator may know, since publishing the report, we have called on the Department of the Taoiseach to nominate a lead Department to set up this new statutory review mechanism. We have engaged with the Department of the Taoiseach on two occasions since. We hope that the Department that is to take the lead will be announced very soon. We are also continuing to engage with the agencies, the HSE and Tusla, to ensure that, where any child dies tragically, there is a transparent, fair and clear process for families to get the answers they seek in a timely manner. That timeliness is critical because the longer they wait for answers, the more they are locked in their grief. We are adamant that we will continue to push for this for the well-being of all children.