Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)

It was my skill and determination, I hope. I always remember that interview because they were selecting people who were suitable to work with children. The interview was important as well as academic qualifications.

According to a HSE report, one child in ten in foster care has no allocated social worker. Last year, 120 children with mental health difficulties were admitted to adult psychiatric units. Since 2000, 500 children have disappeared from State care and 90% of those have never been found. We must monitor disadvantaged children in particular. Children remain virtually invisible in the Irish Constitution. They continue to be seen and not heard, even though the ISPCC has been vocal in its call for reform as far back as 1989. Up to 2,000 children remain in legal limbo because the Constitution makes it impossible for them to be adopted into long-term foster families, even after years of little or no contact with their birth parents. There are proposals on the table to deal with the issue and I will support them when they come on the pitch.

If we want to lay the ghost of past failures to rest and learn from the mistakes highlighted in the Ryan, Murphy and Cloyne reports, children need to be listened to and provided with a safe environment in which to grow up. I commend and thank the foster parents of this country for their magnificent work. The vast majority do an excellent job, provide safety for children and a public service for many families. They also prevent children getting into difficulty later in life by providing stability in the home. I thank all foster parents in the country on behalf of all Oireachtas Members. They do an excellent job but that does not mean we do not have to be vigilant in respect of that issue.

There is a sense in Ireland that something is not right with the system dealing with our children. A series of traumatic headlines and reports have driven home the message that the State and society has been guilty of turning its back on children in this country. We must face reality. The general acknowledgement is accompanied by a sense of confusion about the issues at play. People are immediately suspicious of overly legalistic language and there is a general sense that the sins of the past are in the past. This reflects a worrying trend that the people of Ireland do not recognise children's rights as an immediate priority in light of the current economic crisis.

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