Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)

Does the Minister of State not regard it as slightly odd, both in this House and in a statement he issued on the publication of the ombudsman's report, to welcome the publication of a report which makes two findings of maladministration or unsound administration against the Department in the area of child protection and nine findings of maladministration or unsound administration against the HSE with regard to implementation of the Children First guidelines? Can the Minister of State explain, in the context of the first finding of unsound administration against his Department why, despite all the public statements made, for almost eight years little was done that mattered to ensure the uniform application of the Children First guidelines across the country?

In respect of the second finding of unsound administration, can the Minister of State explain why he, the Minister, Deputy Harney, who is sitting beside him, and his predecessors as Ministers for children, either concealed and-or did nothing about an ongoing dispute involving the IMPACT trade union, originally the health boards in 2002 all the way up to today's date with the Health Service Executive, in which IMPACT directed social workers in various local health offices across the eastern region not to apply various parts of the Children First guidelines, to the detriment of children? Why was that kept secret? Why had there been no intervention of any description to resolve that dispute to ensure children are properly protected?

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