Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)

I am sure everybody in the House and beyond shares the Taoiseach's expression of sympathy to the families of the children involved. I have to say, however, that expressions of sympathy are not enough. It is not obvious why the State cannot guarantee the security and safety of children in its care. The Taoiseach has established the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and expressed his well known concerns about the HSE's child protection performance. However, it strikes me that he is not at all forthcoming in reassuring the House and families and children across the country that the State takes seriously its responsibilities regarding the care of children. If the Government is not working to an agenda to ensures every child in care is safe and secure, I wonder what the HSE guidelines and the new Department are all about. I ask the Taoiseach to make a commitment to set out what needs to happen to ensure children in care are safe and will not die in such enormous numbers.

See this speech in context