Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)

Having listened to Deputy Twomey, I find it amazing that everyone has a different view on children and that one always believes one's own advice is the best and should be followed. I would not disagree with 90% of what the Deputy said, but I would disagree with some points. For example, I believe our current position on rights, scrutiny and inspectorates has been informed by our historical position. We were in a terribly dark place in Ireland from the 1930s to the 1970s. Some of the reports on institutional abuse cover incidents dating right up to the early 1970s. We regarded certain groups in society as untouchable, beyond reproach and like Caesar's wife. They were not then and are not now. If we again believe that social workers, general practitioners, politicians, nuns and priests are perfect, it will not be long until we are back in a terribly dark place.

Following on my point that everyone believes one's own prescription for the future is correct, some 5% of individuals in positions that fall under the remit of this Bill are not good enough at what they do. They are corrupt and in the wrong profession. If we always bear this in mind, we will always be conscious that we may be placing our trust in an individual who is not capable of doing his or her job. We must be very careful about this. I had an experience with social workers that Stephen King could have written as a horror story. A situation was brought to my attention by very concerned people, whom I consider neither right nor left but sober individuals, who witnessed a situation developing in which a child was at risk. They felt that they could not stand by and allow it to continue. I went to the health board and said that I thought the child required additional support and that the board should ensure that it was protected. I was acting not as a family member but as a member of the public. The very senior social worker involved arrived at the house, and the first thing that she did was tell the family who had made the complaint.

I inquired about her name, which I will not give here, since I do not do that sort of thing. Naturally, the family was very upset, and I do not blame them. However, it turned out that the social worker had been assigned to the family and had not done her job. The reason that she was so upset was that she had been found out, although I could not have known that at the time. The upshot was that she was promoted.

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