Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I have been greatly impressed by the Minister, Deputy Fitzgerald, who has been so proactive not only in ensuring that very high standards are set by this State in terms of how we care for vulnerable children when they come to us to seek support and have their issues addressed, but also that we give them every possible chance of succeeding in life. It is important, first, that we set very high standards but second, and equally if not more important, that we ensure we have a sufficient and effective inspection regime in place to ensure those high standards are being met.

If this first inspection under the new regime shows anything it shows we now have that very robust and forensic inspection regime in place and that it produces results which can be acted upon immediately. It is very encouraging to see that the weaknesses which were identified in the Carlow-Kilkenny region are now being proactively addressed. One hopes that as similar inspections roll out nationally they will be equally proactive in addressing the shortcomings in service to these most vulnerable children.

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