Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Ombudsman has the terms of reference as far as the inquiry into the HSE is concerned and she can clearly get on with that element of the report. That is covered by the Ombudsman for Children Act 2002, so there should be no delay with it. I am merely quoting from the Minister for Justice and Equality that on receipt of the report from the Garda Commissioner, he wanted to draw up the terms of reference to ensure that they were appropriate and that he had the opportunity to study the reports which had been submitted to him. He said the terms of reference would be finalised within the coming days. There is absolutely no delay. Both reports have been submitted within the two week timeframe that was agreed. My report has gone to the Ombudsman for Children and I have no doubt she will receive the report from the Garda Commissioner very shortly, as well as the terms of reference from the Minister for Justice and Equality.

For many decades in this country there was a denial about the suffering of children. Many people turned a blind eye and it can be difficult to get the balance right for the front-line workers when they are in these situations. We certainly do not want the community, gardaí, social workers or anybody else turning a blind eye to concerns about children. I am sure the Deputy agrees that we do not want to return to that situation, but it is important that we examine precisely what happened in these two cases. We will have an independent investigation by the Ombudsman for Children, which is the right thing to do.

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