Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for ensuring this issue would be discussed today. It is entirely appropriate that, following on from the publication yesterday of the Vatican's report into the Catholic Church, the issue would get time on the floor of the Dáil. The publication of this report again brings to the fore the issue and the legacy in our country of child abuse in the relatively recent past.

The Vatican report does not add any new insight, as such, or bring much new to the table in regard to the perspective on child protection. It is, by and large, a report in regard to the future of the Catholic Church and how it is looking to rebuild in the country. The fact it does not bring new light from the perspective of the Vatican will be a source of disappointment to many of the victims of crimes of child abuse over the years. We can never apologise enough or be remorseful enough in regard to those people, and the church can never be remorseful enough to its victims of child abuse in the past.

Despite the fact the report does not bring new information to the table, it very much brings to the fore once again the issue of past child abuse and, in particular, how the State is dealing with child protection today. The Vatican report backs the work of its own National Board for Safeguarding Children and highlights the fact it is satisfied that all reports of child abuse have been reported to the civil authorities in the recent past. However, the responsibility for protecting children lies first and foremost with the State. The publication of the Vatican's report yesterday puts this once again on the agenda.

In that regard, I would like the Minster to update the Dáil on certain issues and also to take up the issue of how we, as a country, are dealing with some of the most important issues of the present. Will the Minister indicate when the report of the Health Service Executive's child protection audit of the Catholic Church will be published? When will the heads of the Bill to implement the Children First guidelines be brought before the Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children? Will the Minister clarify when the referendum on children's rights will take place? Will she also clarify how many of the 62 social workers who were to be recruited last year are in post? The recruitment of these additional staff was initiated to ensure the remaining gaps in the child protection system would be filled. Unfortunately, there was too much foot dragging and lethargy in regard to the appointments. Moreover, the Minister announced on the floor of the Dáil during a recent Question Time that social workers taking early retirement would not automatically be replaced. That is a regrettable decision which flies in the face of the Government's stated intention to make progress in this important area.

In addressing the report of the Vatican, I ask the Minister to update Members on the action being taken by the Government in respect of the important issues to which I referred.

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