Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)

We do not know how many reports are still sitting with the HSE, the contents of which the Minister of State is unaware. That is unclear. I am greatly concerned that if we do not have true transparency and accountability in our child care services, we will never implement properly the required reforms to ensure children are truly protected.

We have paid lip service to child protection. We talk about a child-centred protection and welfare service and we have some amazing dedicated people in the social work and other areas providing that service but who are usually frustrated because they have to offer far too frequently a fire brigade service in protecting children. When they make recommendations on the steps to protect children, the resources and facilities are not there and children remain at risk. There are children walking our streets who continue to be at risk because of the failure of this Minister of State, his predecessors and the Government to ensure that children are properly protected.

The Minister of State participated in a television programme, "Prime Time", in early September. The mothers of DF and the late TF appeared on the same programme and were identified, and the Minister of State discussed matters relating to child protection. He said that we had a new and exciting period in child protection, and the process was going extremely well. The truth is that a large part of the recommendations contained in the report published yesterday remain to be implemented and the entire plan following the publication of the Ryan commission report has a very long timeframe for implementation. Most seriously, I have been arguing for a decade that we must give statutory force to our child protection guidelines but it took until July 2009 for the Government to acknowledge the necessity to do so.

The truth is there is a difficulty with credibility between what the Minister of State says and what happens on the ground. We have a profound obligation to ensure children are protected and it is entirely wrong to criticise the hierarchy for concealing incidence of sexual abuse while the State conceals incidence of children dying in the care of the State. We should not look for scapegoats and we must acknowledge the work done by social workers but if mistakes are being made how can those who work with children know what needs to be corrected if they are unaware of recommendations for change that are put in place?

I welcome the fact we have had this brief exchange but I want an absolute commitment from the Minister of State that we will put in place a transparent inquiry or investigative system guaranteeing that when a child dies in care or a child reported to be at risk is not given the protection to which the child is entitled and winds up as a victim of abuse again, there will be an independent and speedy inquiry conducted. There should be transparency and the reports and recommendations should be published. There should be a system to monitor the proper implementation of those recommendations. We must ensure, most of all, that no more children in the protection of the State die as a consequence of the State failing him or her.

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