Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

The Government will create a new independent position of special rapporteur for child protection. It is envisaged the independent legal expert will be appointed to that position. The rapporteur's functions will be to keep under review, and audit, legal developments for the protection of children; to assess what impact, if any, litigation in national and international courts will have on child protection since the introduction of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child; and to prepare annually a report setting out the results of the previous year's work to be submitted to the Dáil and Seanad. The special rapporteur will be entitled to consult the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform and the Ombudsman for Children on initiatives regarding child protection legislation and on developing protocols to enhance that protection. It is not exclusive of the work of the Ombudsman for Children.

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