Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

When we raised the matter of the Ferns report yesterday I had only been handed it a brief time before the Dáil met. Having read the report last night and as a father of young children, the words we used in this House yesterday barely do justice to the horror suffered by so many people, the victims of the abuse outlined.

There is clearly a national consensus that we must deal with this type of suffering and institutional failure and ensure it never happens again. I believe that is accepted across the board. However, we must be particularly careful to guard against this report and its consequences being forgotten about when the next big headline comes along.

One of my abiding impressions from this report is that many of the victims were not believed when they were children but were only believed when they were adults. It is evident throughout the report that a climate existed in this country where it was not safe for children to disclose abuse and where adults would be empowered to respond. We would be wrong and failing in our duties today for today's children and tomorrow's children if we did not admit or acknowledge that abuse can happen anywhere and not only in the institutions examined in this report. Therefore, there is a heavy responsibility upon this Legislature to respond promptly and appropriately to this very clear report.

I would like to ask the Taoiseach three questions about it. The Government indicated an intention to set up an inquiry into the allegations of abuse in the Dublin diocese. Is there a case for extending that inquiry and audit across the country? Second, I suggest that a comprehensive audit be carried out of all State agencies which deal with child abuse issues to ensure this country adopts best international practice in order to ensure children and young people are afforded the same respect, value and rights as adults. Third, the legislative changes recommended by the report, particularly relating to the creating of the offence of reckless endangerment and expanding of the remit of the Health Service Executive need to be clarified and should be brought forward with the greatest urgency. The Taoiseach might respond to those three matters.

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