Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

Given the Minister for Health and Children is seated beside the Minister of State today, I note that we were at that time endeavouring to extract the full facts in regard to the statistics of child deaths in State care. As the Minister of State will recall, getting to the final figure proved to be a very vexatious process. In the context of establishing the statistics - the numbers, rather than any particular analysis of the facts that led to any and all of these tragic outcomes - this was the argument of the Children's Rights Alliance and a view with which I would have concurred. It is clear from the Minister of State's reply that no consideration was given to this means or method of acquiring the stated information, which is regrettable. The information subsequently did become available but I highlight that this is an area offering a means and method of address of problems such as this that might present in the future.

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