Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

There is room for improvement in the Bill and, as is the case with most other legislation, it could go further. The reality is, however, that it represents a significant step forward into the light and away from the very dark days of our past. In recent years we have all been convulsed with shame and anger at the appalling treatment meted out to our most precious resource, namely, our children. The low standards which obtained in high places horrified society to its very core. Legislation and Governments can only go so far in providing a better and brighter future for our children. The key dominant factor in the context of the opposition to the recent referendum on children's rights was an objection to interference by Government in the family unit. Neglect and abuse of children are all too often associated with the State and with church institutions. The reality is far more difficult and uncomfortable, with much serious abuse taking place in family homes.

The reports into recent horrific episodes of child abuse highlight the difficulties and challenges posed in the area of child protection by disjointed and fragmented responsibility shared across a range of Government Departments. The onus is clearly on this Parliament to create a coherent and streamlined organisation which will dedicate all of its resources and attention to developing a comprehensive range of services for children who are vulnerable and at risk. I welcome the Government's commitment to children since entering office. I am particularly proud to be a member of the Government which, for the first time in the history of the State, deemed children worthy of a senior Ministry. Its commitment and focus in this regard were followed up by a referendum aimed at firmly enshrining the rights of children in our Constitution, to give children a voice and to recognise that their views and needs are equal to those of their parents. I await the implementation of the relevant legislation required in the aftermath of that referendum because it will allow thousands of children in State care to exit the current legal limbo in which they find themselves. It will also bestow on these children the same right enjoyed by the remainder of the citizenry of Ireland, namely, to belong to and to be part of a loving and caring family. I am aware that a court challenge has delayed the introduction of the legislation to which I refer. I hope the courts will adjudicate on this issue without further ado in order that we might grant these children access to one of the most basic rights of all - the right to belong.

I wholeheartedly welcome the legislation and commend the Minister for addressing the need for cohesive and collective organisation and delivery of services for vulnerable children. I also welcome the establishment of the child and family agency and the renewed emphasis of the provision of services for children. One of the more necessary aspects of the legislation is the fact that the agency will be answerable to the Houses of the Oireachtas and the Minister. It has long been believed that when a job is everyone's job, it quickly becomes no one's job. I commend the Bill to the House and I look forward to the speedy and successful establishment of the agency, which will hopefully allow us to begin to put our darkest days behind us and which will lead us to a brighter tomorrow.

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