Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Psychological services have been referred to by various other speakers and it is very important for us to consider them. I have not had an experience with those people providing psychological services to young adults or children that would suggest any lack of professional competence. Nevertheless, I am sure I and everybody else has experienced the lack of seamless follow-up services in the event of a problem being brought to the attention to the powers that be. There should be an ability or willingness to follow up. There can be a bit of a rejection for the interfering public representative in such matters but when an issue is brought to the attention of relevant individuals, there is usually a satisfactory response. We should not have to go through an altercation in order to resolve such matters.

We hope that as a result of adopting this directive in legislation, there will be an improvement and we will not see questions raised about incidents that should not have happened. Very often, these cases affect vulnerable people, including children, those with special needs and people in the care of professionals, whether they are young, old or middle aged. Such people are vulnerable by virtue of being in that care. The State has a duty of care in such instances and I hope it will recognise that it has a responsibility to protect all citizens - young, old and middle aged - in the course of that duty of care. I hope that as a result it will provide a better society as we proceed.

See this speech in context