Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Minister for her reply. This is the first occasion since publication of the report of the Independent Child Death Review Group that I have had an opportunity to discuss it with the Minister on the floor of the House. I commend the authors of the report, Dr. Geoffrey Shannon and Ms Norah Gibbons, on their dedication over the past 18 months in teasing through the detail of each child's case with a fine-tooth comb and highlighting what went wrong with the State services. Tragically in the cases of the 196 children who died in the care of the State, including 112 who died of unnatural causes, much went wrong. That makes it all the more important that each of the recommendations in the report is implemented with no dilution. I specifically refer to the recommendations to change the in camera rule, having mandatory after-care for children leaving the care of the State at the age of 18 and the establishment of a death review panel entirely independent of the HSE. When can we expect to see that implementation plan? Will the Minister state that she will accept nothing less than the full implementation of all the recommendations in the report?

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