Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)

I want to ensure that there is accountability to the extent that persons in managerial positions while supposed to be running a service, co-ordinating a service and protecting our children, first, have the resources to carry out their duties and, second, have the expertise to do so, but where they fail to the extent that young persons lose their lives, or are left in circumstances in which they remain seriously at risk and, ultimately, are the victims of abuse, those persons who take the responsibility for managing the system must be accountable when the system fails.

I welcome the fact that this report has been complete. I thank Deputy O'Rourke for putting up with some of the vigorous debate and exchanges that took place. I thank Deputy Howlin, his colleague, my colleague in Dublin South, Senator Alex White, who was a member of the committee also, and indeed, Deputy Ó Caoláin. We all, I hope, have made some contribution to achieving what I believe to be a very important constitutional proposal, which is balanced and which seeks to ensure that the rights of children are protected while at the same time recognising that the most important people in the lives of any child are the child's parents, and the parents are the ones who have the primary duty to ensure children are properly cared for and looked after.

However, where there is a parental failure, this amendment ensures that there is proportionate intervention by the State to support families where required, to avoid taking children into care where it can be avoided and to try to ensure that where matters are going wrong they are rectified within the family. Nevertheless, it ultimately recognises that the State has a duty that where children are totally failed by parents and need to be protected, the State will intervene.

I await a response from the Cabinet to accept this proposal. I would hope, if there is not a referendum on this issue in June of this year, that by the very latest we have it in October next. I ask the Minister of State with responsibility for children and youth affairs, when he speaks on this debate, to advise this House where matters stand with the Government, and whether we can expect that the referendum will take place this year and whether it will take place with the wording proposed by the committee being put to the people.

See this speech in context