Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)

Ba mhaith liom mo chuid ama a roinnt leis an Teachta Michael D. Higgins. Ba mhaith liom chomh maith mo bhuíochas a ghabháil leo siúd ar fad a ghlac páirt sa díospóireacht go dtí seo. Ba mhaith liom freisin mo náire a lua i dtaca an méid atá ráite ag Teachtaí an Rialtais go dtí seo, go háirithe an fudge a bhí soiléir ón méid adúirt an tAire Stáit, Deputy Finneran, where he kicked to touch the issue and the need for legislation. Since 2008 and 2009 when the first and second reports of the committee were issued, the need for legislation has been recognised and there is no need at this stage to continue to delay a referendum which is required now. The main issue is the tabling of a motion by Sinn Féin and the Labour Party to try to ensure the Government holds a referendum to vindicate the rights of children. We need a constitutional amendment to ensure the Government, its successors and we as a society take far more seriously our responsibility to protect children. How many reports does the Government want to see before it realises there needs to be a radical overhaul of child protection services in this State?

The report on the tragic life and death of Tracey Fay in State care caused great concern. There were statements in the Dáil on the matter on 4 March. We have now seen the murder of Daniel McAnaspie who was in HSE care. This is not a new concern but has been pointed out repeatedly over many years, with thousands of children who are vulnerable and at risk still being denied access even to initial assessments of their plight. The Ryan report and the report on abuse in the Catholic archdiocese of Dublin exposed the widespread and systematic abuse of children up to the end of the 1980s at the latest. We need to focus on neglect and abuse in more recent times and, above all, to address the systematic failures that allow children to be victimised or neglected today in 2010. Such abuse and neglect may have proved fatal in at least 24 cases, the latest being Daniel McAnaspie.

The State does not even know if the figure of 24 dead children is correct. It could be much higher, given that more than 500 children have gone missing from State care in the past ten years and this State has no idea where the majority of those children ended up. They could be dead for all this State cares. Until a week ago, the Minister of State, Deputy Barry Andrews, acknowledged that 23 children had died in the care of the State, but the HSE told everyone the figure was only 20. Who is right and who is wrong?

The report issued last week by Emily Logan, the Ombudsman for Children, on the implementation of the Children First child protection guidelines was yet another damning indictment of the pitiful state of the child protection system, with 11 findings of unsound administration made against public bodies and 22 recommendations made to improve the system. Níos mó ná riamh, cruthaíonn an tuairisc úr ón Ombudsman do Pháistí, Emily Logan, chomh luachmhar agus atá a hobair siúd agus an gá cur i gcoinne aon chinneadh chun an oifig sin a chur an treo céanna leis an tÚdarás Chomhionnanais.

The Minister of State, Deputy Andrews, yesterday and the Taoiseach again today tried to excuse the lack of a firm Government commitment to holding a referendum. Their excuse was that the report of the joint committee was being examined by 15 Departments and the Attorney General. It is another delay. Deputy Ó Caoláin asked the Taoiseach when those Departments and the Attorney General received the report. He did not receive a clear answer but if they received it in February when it was published, they should have had adequate time to examine it. The time is up for the Government to examine the reports. It knew what was in them and it was part of the consultation and committee. The referendum needs to be held now.

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