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

The reports on how and why the Garda removed two children from their families in Tallaght and Athlone are disturbing on a number of levels. The fact that the children have been returned to their families has to be welcomed but we must also acknowledge the extreme distress the families experienced over the past several days. While the gardaí involved acted in good faith under section 12(1) of the Child Care Act 1991, which states "where a member of the Garda Síochána has reasonable grounds for believing that - (a) there is an immediate and serious risk to the health or welfare of a child", following press coverage of a child in Greece, there was obviously an increase in the number of anonymous calls to the Garda concentrating on Roma families. Questions need to be answered regarding why actions were taken against this minority group in particular. Would these extreme actions be acceptable if the families concerned were Irish nationals? Children should only be removed in extreme circumstances and normally applications are made and private hearings take place beforehand. We need to know why these did not happen in this case. More than 9,000 applications were made last year alone but, as hearings are held in private, there was little media coverage.

The Minister for Justice and Equality has requested an internal report from the Garda Commissioner so that lessons can be learned and the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs is commissioning an independent report on the cases. If there were genuine and legitimate concerns on the part of the Garda, serious questions need to be answered. Why were the remaining children left in the families and why was it that one of the parents was not allowed to remain with the children while the DNA tests were being conducted? Why was the HSE not asked to make an assessment on the families prior to the removal of the children from their homes?

See this speech in context