Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I also wish to note that at no stage did I interrupt the previous speaker.

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill. The establishment of the child and family agency is one of the hallmarks of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs. For too long the protection of children has been the poor relation in this State. The litany of reports that have been commissioned show that children at all levels have been neglected, and in some cases that neglect has been covered up and institutionalised. The Minister is the first Minister at Cabinet level to have responsibility for children, and I compliment her on taking this initiative forward. It follows the very successful children's referendum.

The people who signed the Proclamation in 1916 signed a commitment to cherish the children of the nation equally, so it is a shame and an indictment of our country that in 2013 we are establishing this agency but until now children's issues and the protection of children were farmed out to a multitude of different agencies. This is a first step. I hope that in the debate on this and later Stages of the Bill the Minister will look at other issues that are not currently covered by the Bill and perhaps consider if there might be room to include them. I am speaking in my capacity as a former teacher, albeit for a short but very important period in my life. I am sure other Members have had the same experience as me, where parents come to them with regard to orthodontic care, speech and language therapy, physiotherapy or occupational therapy. From the time children come into this world there are too many different agencies dealing with the problems they encounter in life.

All too often, it falls back on the teacher, particularly at primary school level, to try to sort out the problems, be they social, health, educational, physical, disability or even income within the family home. For the first time we have an opportunity to examine children's care, the neglect of children and the protection of children in a more holistic way. There is often a temptation to farm the issue of children to the Department of Education and Skills, because we expect our children to be minded, for want of a better word, inside the primary school classroom. However, that should not be the case. All the reports that have been produced in the last number of years have shown there has been a catalogue of failures. In many cases, teachers and the National Educational Welfare Board are powerless. Children are missing from school for many days more than what would be considered the norm and they are powerless to do anything. There are even situations where truancy in some schools is almost accepted, because that is the way it has always been.

I do not wish to see this agency become a type of modern HSE stooge but an agency that is stand alone, independent and, most importantly, accountable. We should not be here two or three years hence putting parliamentary questions to this or another Minister and receiving replies like those we get at present from the Department of Health - although I am aware that this is due to change - stating that it is a matter for the HSE, which will revert to the Deputy. We must have real accountability, because children cannot speak for themselves. In many cases these are the most marginalised children, as 99% of the children in this State will probably never need the child and family support agency. However, for the children that do, the Members of the Oireachtas, who are elected on behalf of the people, and the members of the committee on health and children must know they will be able to ask the pertinent questions and get real answers from the people ultimately charged with delivering services to children. One of my concerns, and it is something that should be included in the legislation, is that there be a reporting mechanism whereby Members of the Oireachtas can hold the agency, the board, the chief executive and others to account. This should be done not through a committee once every couple of months but through us being able to hold the Minister accountable on a weekly or daily basis by parliamentary questions, Topical Issues or whatever means are available in the House.

Often it is far too easy to compartmentalise this issue as an issue of education, and I am concerned about that. I agree with what Deputy Conway said. Reports have been published recently, including in my own constituency, and it is important to point out that the vast majority of early child care, preschool and child care providers are doing a fantastic job. Undoubtedly, however, there is room for improvement. As previous speakers have said, I hope there will be a continuation in the establishment of standards and in setting a curriculum and that preschool will be built into the educational curriculum with minimum standards, proper training and, ultimately, a desired outcome, which is, as is contained in the Proclamation hanging in the lobby of these Houses, that we cherish all the children of this State equally.

That must be our guiding principle. In the context of all the sideshows and name-calling that occurred earlier, the people in the Visitors Gallery are probably disgusted by the fact that parliamentary privilege has been so badly abused. I ask the Minister, as a representative of the Cabinet, take this issue very seriously. Two people have been defamed during this debate and they have a right to have their good names restored.

I commend the Minister on the work she is doing. She and her staff are very accommodating and many of her Cabinet and junior ministerial colleagues could do worse than to consider the work they are doing. I commend the Bill to the House.

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