Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle's office for giving me the opportunity to raise this important issue. First, I acknowledge the Children's Rights Alliance gave the Government an "A" grade for the passage of the children's rights referendum. However, I wish to point out that the referendum was not just a Government initiative, but had the support of 165 of the 166 Deputies in this House, as well as the support of the Senators and many children's organisations. Furthermore, given the debacle over the Department's referendum website and leaflets, it could legitimately be argued that the Minister could have jeopardised the passage of this much-needed measure. However, it has passed and I welcome this development. I also note the Government gets a good mark in respect of education.

Nonetheless, there are areas for concern and in responding to the concerns I intend to raise, the Minister should concentrate his reply on them. Despite the "A" grade on the referendum, the overall grade for the Government has slipped and if ever a Government were to receive a high grade, it should be in the direct aftermath of the passage of this referendum. This is the first full year of a full Cabinet Minister for Children and Youth Affairs but it has seen a reduced overall rating, which hardly constitutes an endorsement of the Department and indicates to me that the Department is not working.

The key failing concerns child poverty, with budget 2013 continuing on the progressive social policies of the current Administration. Child protection was discussed at great length during the course of the referendum debate and surely protection from poverty is a key form of child protection. As the foreword to the report card states:

[the] Government’s successful – or unsuccessful – implementation of the Programme for Government fundamentally alters the climate in which children live and prosper. It plays an integral role as to whether a child thrives or wanes. The Government has the power to turn a series of events into a crisis, to escalate or de-escalate a problem. Budget 2013 is a good example of this. The Rollercoaster Budget ... including [the] cuts to the Child Benefit payment and the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance, devastated families. Consequently, [the alliance] had no choice but to award the Government a FAIL – an ‘F’ grade on this issue.

This is the lowest grade given.

In her introduction, the alliance's chief executive, Tanya Ward, goes on to state "cutting supports and services to vulnerable children and their families without any other reforms is short-sighted and will impact negatively on the lives of many vulnerable children and families". The blanket cuts across the board had a severe negative impact and it is worth noting that this blanket cut was carried out despite the fact that prior to the introduction of the Government's first budget, the Mangan progress report of November 2011 stated it "considers that the consequences of an uncompensated reduction in child benefit rates would be significant in terms of child poverty". The Mangan progress report made this point before the Government introduced such a cut in its first budget and in its second budget.

Health also is downgraded this year from a "C" grade to a "D" grade. In respect of primary care, there was an ongoing political debacle during 2012, slow progress in establishing primary care teams and the funding for GP care was reallocated to make up for other financial deficits in HSE. The positive steps in mental health were overshadowed by the fact that of the €35 million allocated, only approximately €6 million was spent. In respect of children with special education needs, that category also saw a downgrade from "C" to "D". This was to reflect the lack of action on the commitment to further the implementation of the EPSEN Act. This is despite the commitment in the programme for Government to publish a plan for the aforementioned Act's implementation. Moreover, the Government scored a grade of "E+" in respect of the right to equality and non-discrimination. This was as a result of the delayed reform of family law and a failure to address the inequalities faced by children of unmarried parents, children with single fathers, etc. In addition, little has been done to vindicate the rights of the Traveller communities and of migrant children.

In conclusion, it is true that many of the failings identified in this report fall outside the immediate departmental remit of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs. Nonetheless, there is a case to be made that she is lacking in influence, that the failings identified in this report show her advocacy for children to have been inadequate and that were it not for the passage of the referendum with the unanimous support of political parties and the children's rights agencies, the grade for this report would have been a great deal worse. I wish to hear the Minister outline how the Government will address the failings identified in this report with specific reference to the Government's failure to honour its own commitments in the programme for Government.

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