Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

Yesterday I asked the Taoiseach to schedule at an early opportunity a Dáil debate to address the report of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse. The report published yesterday contains what can only be described as a sickening litany of abuse and exploitation. It is an indictment of not only the religious orders, but also the State through successive Governments. The Department of Education failed to have any oversight or inspection that truly acted in the interests and needs of these innocent and vulnerable young children. At the Whips' meeting, the Whips sought to follow through on what the Taoiseach indicated was a sympathetic position towards the proposition for early address of this report, given that it was the Houses of the Oireachtas that commissioned the report in the first place. That needs to be made patently clear. This was commissioned by the Houses of the Oireachtas and it is imperative that the report is addressed here at the earliest opportunity. However, there was no commitment from the Whips' meeting to have early address of the detail of the report and all the scandalous situations it exposes.

In tandem with other voices, I again ask that we be afforded an opportunity on the floor of Dáil Chamber to address the report and its recommendations in the coming week given that at the end of next week the Dáil is proposing to rise for the following week in advance of the impending local and European Parliament elections. On our return in the week after those elections of 5 June, there will be a limited number of weeks before we arrive at the summer recess. This report is of great importance and probably addresses the most profound issues ever inquired into by the institutions of the State carried out by Ms Justice Laffoy and by Mr. Justice Ryan in the period since her departure. It is imperative that this request is accommodated and I join the other voices in demanding that be done.

We must recognise that within the recommendations there is a need to couple recommendations from other recently published reports, including that into the events at Monageer, because child abuse is not confined to decades past and in institutions overseen by religious orders. Child abuse continues today in this society and we have a bounden responsibility to face up that fact and take the appropriate measures, including the recommendations from the Monageer report for an out of hours social work service. It was the very first recommendation of that report and unfortunately has been rejected by the Minister. No other approach will suffice to ensure the necessary supports are available at the critical times in the evenings and at weekends when instances can and all too sadly do present.

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