Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)

I do not propose to take up the 15 minutes allotted to me. This is a net point in respect of providing the necessary statutory time to enable the commission to complete its report. I endorse the comments made by my colleague, Deputy Brian Hayes. While I do not propose to repeat them, anyone who reads the Official Report should note that I endorsed fully his remarks.

As recently as two days ago, I received an e-mail from a principal of a primary school in the inner city area of my constituency. She had been informed by a suicidal parent that the parent was of a mind to kill both herself and her three children. The principal had reported this to the relevant section of the HSE, which is akin to throwing a ball into a haystack. Effectively, this bewildered principal, who has 25 years' experience, who I know personally and who I regard as a professional in every respect, had sent out a cry for help on the basis that she did not receive the required response. If the Minister of State wishes, I can provide him with the details. While this obviously constitutes sensitive information, I wish to bring this matter to his attention formally because I have formed the impression that the Department of Education and Science and the HSE do not even know their respective locations. I have formed the impression that the Department of Education and Science has no proper connection with what used to be the health boards and what is now the impenetrable HSE, the operation of which makes the KGB look like a transparent organisation.

Although the motion under discussion is concerned with the past, one must have regard for what is taking place at present. I refer in particular to those issues to which Deputy Hayes referred in respect of newcomers and different standards. I no longer support the view of multiculturalism which I did in what may have been more benevolent or tolerant ways. People who come to live in our society must live by our mores with all the diversity that allows. However, I do not find acceptable the abuse of women and children as being part of the culture of those who have come from another part of the world and who have chosen to settle in our society. Such abuse, masked as some sort of cultural mores within a sub-group is not acceptable, regardless of whether it occurs in traveller communities indigenous to this society or among people who come from outside this society. Children are highly vulnerable in this regard.

While supporting the motion and expressing the hope the report will be published as quickly as possible, I wish to notify the Minister of State that while this motion pertains to looking into the past in respect of historic abuse, the present also must be examined. I will be happy to make the information to which I referred earlier available to the Minister of State.

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