John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)

I welcome the provisions of this legislation and the amendments. Amendment No. 5 which will amend section 29 of the Child Care Act 1991 is very welcome. We require accurate data if we are to deal with the situation. Even in other sectors of the health service, we do not have accurate data. We do not have accurate data in regard to stepdown facilities, as I discovered recently. Therefore, this is very welcome.

I wish to take up some of the points made by previous speakers. It is clear we are living in a very different era in regard to children's matters. The Minister of State and I grew up in an era when we had corporal punishment in our schools. It was widely accepted as a way of reprimanding children. It varied from school to school but it was dished out rather liberally in some of the schools I attended. Some individuals still feel the effects of that. In worst case scenarios, children were sent off to so-called "reformatory schools" in Daingean and beyond and, of course, the State paid a very heavy price, as did the individuals and their families.

We have moved from that era but we are now living in an era of consumerism, materialism and secularism, if one wishes to call it that, which has other consequences for, and effects on, children. I do not know if this Parliament is addressing those pressures in a meaningful way. This is also the era of individualisation where more and more mothers are going out into the workforce and, in many cases, they are being forced into it to help a depleted labour market. I do not know if we have addressed those issues properly. I believe the consequences of all these sudden changes will be felt later on.

We are living in an era where children lead more sedentary lifestyles. Children do not walk or cycle to school and spend time in front of Game Boy or listening to iPods. Will we have to face up to this later on? There is no question but that there is an obesity epidemic. I do not believe we are looking after our children in that regard. These issues are not being properly addressed. Alcohol consumption by parents is not being addressed by this House. There is a 40% increase in consumption. There are effects on children who learn about alcohol consumption from their parents. None of these issues have been properly addressed in our so-called "care for children". We are missing an opportunity. The amendments before the House make sense but there have been many missed opportunities. At some future stage, perhaps in the next Dáil, we should have a major debate on these matters.

I was surprised to note the proposed legislation on people considered unsafe to work with children had been dropped from the legislative programme and I raised the matter with the Taoiseach. As I understand it, the Taoiseach is now saying it will be considered in the context of a referendum. The matter was subsequently raised by Deputy Ó Caoláin. It is strange that such important legislation can fall by the wayside so easily. I would like to hear a proper explanation from the Minister of State with responsibility for children as to why this occurred.

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