Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)

I move:

That Dáil Éireann:

expressing its serious concern at:

the shocking and disturbing revelations of neglect and physical and sexual abuse suffered by six children in Roscommon; and

the failure of the Western Health Board to appropriately intervene at an early stage;

calls on the Government to:

appoint an independent commission pursuant to the Commissions of Investigation Act 2004 to examine all of the family circumstances relating to the six Roscommon children whose mother was convicted of incest and other offences of child abuse and neglect in Roscommon Circuit Court on Wednesday, 19th January, 2009;

ensure that such investigation has specific regard to the actions and child protection practices and procedures of:

the former Western Health Board and the Health Service Executive;

all school and religious authorities and personnel who had contact with the children;

doctors and nurses who had contact with the children; and in addition

has regard to the actions, if any, of other relevant persons and organisations which affected the approach taken by the Western Health Board or who were in a position to report child neglect or abuse;

ensure that the terms of reference of the commission also require it to investigate the action taken by Government and more particularly by successive Ministers for Health and Children and Ministers for Children to ensure the effective implementation of the Children First Child Protection Guidelines of 1999, and to implement the outstanding relevant recommendations contained in the Report of the Committee of Inquiry into the death of Kelly Fitzgerald, published by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on the Family in April 1996; and

ensure that the Minister for Health and Children and the Minister for Children both take all necessary and immediate action to ensure that all children at risk receive the protection to which they are entitled under our current law and that our Child Protection Guidelines are effectively and uniformly implemented throughout the State."

I propose to share time with Deputies Bannon and Crawford.

See this speech in context