Thomas Pringle (Donegal South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

One of the most important issues following the passing of the referendum and the subsequent legislation is to ensure resources are made available for the proper implementation and vindication of children's rights and I have no doubt that the Minister is fully committed to that. However, I wonder whether the Government is as committed to that, particularly considering that in the past week we had the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Bill. The proposal in that regard was to defer revetting because of the lack of resources. This is a worrying trend and I hope it is something that will not continue when the children's referendum is passed.

Funding needs to be made available in the immediate aftermath of the referendum for the Judiciary and for the Judicial Studies Institute to ensure the Judiciary is fully up to speed on what is intended and what we want to see happen with regard to the courts' interpretations of the amendment so as to ensure children's rights are vindicated as we want them to be. It is also vital that the child and family support agency is fully and properly funded. We must ensure this happens. Placing children's rights in the Constitution is only half the battle. We must ensure funding is there to ensure agencies can work to vindicate the rights of children.

In conclusion, as the Minister pointed out, we have failed miserably in the past. When we look at the legacy of child abuse, the children affected by the Magdalene laundries and at what went on in the Bethany homes, we see a record of failure. This amendment shows that can and will change. However, the amendment is only the halfway stage and we must ensure the legislation and resources are put in place to sure it is enacted properly. The amendment is a good start and it shows we have some commitment to children. We need to demonstrate we are fully committed to making it work for all the children in the country.

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