Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)

Cuirim fáilte roimh an deis labhairt ar an tuairisc seo. Crith talún atá i gceist maidir le héigniú agus brúidiúlacht a rinneadh ar pháistí i gceantar Ferns, Loch Garman. Tá súil agam, cé nach gcreidim go bhfuil an ceart agam, nach mbeidh na tuairiscí atá le teacht chomh dona céanna is atá an ceann seo. Beidh orainn ar fad díriú isteach ar na ceisteanna móra agus na freagraí ar ghá dúinne a thabhairt. D'ardaigh an tuairisc seo a lán ceisteanna faoi mhí-úsáid chumhachta agus mí-úsáid an tseasaimh a bhí agus atá ag daoine áirithe in eagrais laistigh agus lasmuigh den eaglais. D'ardaigh sé ceisteanna móra maidir le teip an Stáit iad siúd atá i mbaol a chosaint. Tá sé ríthábhachtach go bhfoghlaimeoimid na ceachtanna a thagann ón tuairisc seo agus go ndéanfaimid beart dá réir. Ní fiú na ceachtanna a fhoghlaim muna bhfuil muid sásta beart a dhéanamh dá réir.

I join my colleagues in paying tribute to the courage and strength of the many victims of child abuse on this island and, in particular, to those who helped Mr. Justice Murphy ensure that the truth emerged in the Ferns Report. I hope that other victims will have the same courage when they receive opportunities, whether in Dublin or elsewhere in Ireland, to expose the systematic abuse of young children perpetrated over a number of decades within the church and other institutions.

Both the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Child Care Act 1991 enshrine the principle that the welfare of the child must be the paramount consideration in all decisions and interventions. If the Government is to deliver on this moral duty and legal obligation, a number of issues must be addressed. My colleague, Deputy Ó Caoláin, identified a number of measures and Deputy Crowe made the case for providing resources for Children First. Funding should also be made available directly to the youth work sector to enable it to deliver appropriate child protection training specific to the needs identified by that sector. This might be rolled out under the aegis of the child protection unit of the National Youth Council of Ireland and would encourage sectors which work directly with children to take on extra responsibilities. However, if they do so, we will have to fund them.

The upholding by the State of its special responsibility to protect children must be underpinned by prevention and response. As Sinn Féin spokesperson for justice, equality and human rights, I will elaborate further on recommendations made by Deputy Ó Caoláin on Garda vetting and training.

For every employee working with children in this State, there are at least 20 volunteers. In September 2004, the Minister of State with special responsibility for children, Deputy Brian Lenihan, announced that the Garda Síochána's vetting services would be extended to cover volunteers who work with children, a declaration which was widely welcomed. More than one year later, there is still no sign of this being delivered. Yesterday, in the wake of the Ferns Report, the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Hanafin, indicated that volunteers will not be vetted in order, she claimed, to protect volunteerism. This notion is at stark odds with the reality that the main source of demand for the vetting of volunteers is the voluntary sector itself. The Government's ongoing failure to deliver this essential element in the prevention of child abuse is unacceptable.

The Garda Síochána is the only agency in the State with statutory responsibility for the investigation of child abuse. As such, it is imperative that every garda receives comprehensive child protection training to a level adequate to equip him or her to address child protection issues. Only a select few gardaí have received such training. I urge the Minister of State, Deputy Lenihan, and the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to ensure this training is made compulsory for all new and existing gardaí. It should be developed, resourced and rolled out as a matter of urgency.

It is scandalous that we must address a report such as this, that these events occurred in the first instance and that the complete facts of the matter took so long to come before this House. Those involved in the Murphy inquiry did tremendous work in bringing forward these findings and should not be slighted. However, these events were covered up for many years.

Other Deputies referred to files that went missing. Every inquiry this House initiates seems to involve missing files. That in itself is a scandal and I expect that charges will be laid by the Director of Public Prosecutions against those who were involved in cover-ups, interfering with the work of the inquiry or the destruction of files. Every Member of this House would welcome charges which send the message that the State will do its utmost to ensure events such as these will never be repeated and that anybody who contributes to cover-ups involving the abuse of children will face the full rigours of the law.

A number of the priests who abused children in Ferns also committed similar deeds in other dioceses. Further reports on these matters will reveal the full extent of this horrific scandal, the consequences of which this society will have to address. Members of this House must give their full backing to measures that will ensure such a scandal will never happen again.

The definition of physical abuse, as outlined by Children First, includes injuries resulting from neglectful failure to protect a child. The Government, Garda and those who hold positions of power and respect have the duty to protect children with whom they come in contact or who may be put in danger. I put it to the Government that the demands made by Sinn Féin and others must be met if the next generation of children is to be protected from abuse. Abuse should not be inflicted on a child by the Catholic Church, State institutions, schools, sporting organisations or in any situation where children are in the care of adults.

We must put in place the best possible protections and preventative measures and, should abuse occur, we should not wait decades but respond as quickly as possible. This is not a party political issue but a societal one. Child abusers should be dealt with effectively. I hope the DPP will bring charges against those who violated the trust of children and society.

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