Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of the Labour Party, it is my pleasure to support the nomination of Deputy Charles Flanagan as a member of Government and the appointment of Deputy Fitzgerald as Minister for Justice and Equality. Before doing so, I briefly want to speak about Deputy Shatter’s record as a Member of this House for almost 30 years and as Minister for Justice and Equality and Minister for Defence for the past three years. As one of the few Members of this House to have been elected prior to 1981, I have had the first-hand opportunity to witness his commitment to public service and his tenacity and determination to change Ireland for the better. As others have noted, Deputy Shatter published more legislation during his time on the Opposition benches than any other Deputy. Among other areas, this legislative record included considerable work on the liberalisation of family law in Ireland, an area of work I was delighted to support and that I believe will be long remembered. As Minister, he has continued his work in this area, and the children and family relationships Bill is an important item of legislation currently undergoing pre-legislative scrutiny. It will now fall to the Minister, Deputy Fitzgerald, to ensure the enactment of that legislation, and I look forward to working closely with her in securing the best interests of all children in our society.

When this Government took office, we were faced by a number of crises in our society. Issues around bank debt and regaining our economic sovereignty have deservedly received enormous attention over the past three years but, at an individual level, unsustainable mortgage debt and rising unemployment were the two factors we have constantly had to grapple with. The personal insolvency legislation introduced by Deputy Shatter as Minister is our most significant policy response to the issue of unsustainable personal debt. In the first quarter of this year, more than 500 cases were being processed by the Insolvency Service of Ireland. That represents a lifeline and a chance for more than 500 families to find long-term debt solutions, but the reforms of the former Minister, Deputy Shatter, stretch way beyond this. The Legal Services Regulation Bill is a far-reaching item of legislation which will bring long-overdue reforms to the regulation of the legal professions. The establishment of a Court of Appeal in Ireland was also long overdue. Increased powers to support the Garda Síochána in combating white-collar crime, legislation to create the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, and mandatory vetting for adults working with children are other notable achievements.

It seems a cliché at this stage to refer to the long hours and commitment Deputy Shatter showed in his roles as Minister for Justice and Equality and Minister for Defence, but the fact that it has been said repeatedly does not make it any less true. He was a reforming Minister and his record of reform will stand for many years to come. I look forward to continuing to work with him as a Member of this House to ensure the legislation he initiated can be enacted during the lifetime of this Government.

As the first dedicated Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Frances Fitzgerald has an equally impressive record over the past three years. I worked very closely with Deputy Fitzgerald during the establishment of her Department. Areas such as school completion programmes and the National Educational Welfare Board were transferred from the Department of Education and Skills to the new Department of Children and Youth Affairs.

I was personally committed to doing that, although the Department had some reservations in regard to losing some territory. This was completed without any diminution in the level of service provided to children on the margins of our society. Clearly, the enactment of a constitutional amendment enshrining the rights of children is one of Deputy Fitzgerald's greatest achievements, but I would like to particularly thank her for her co-operation in beginning to tackle the scourge of bullying in our schools and our communities. We co-hosted a forum on anti-bullying in 2012, and within a year, the action plan on bullying had been published. She was an enormously valuable colleague throughout that process in ensuring progress was made. Her reward for all that work is an entirely new set of challenges.

Having shared a constituency with the Deputy Fitzgerald for over a decade, I know better than many how capable she is. No doubt, she will make a very fine Minister for Justice and Equality. I look forward to working with her, as I did with the former Minister, Deputy Shatter, in enacting legislation in a couple of areas that affect schools, particularly legislation around the vetting of adults who work with children and legislation to put an end to any discrimination against gay and lesbian teachers in our schools.

Finally, it is my pleasure, on behalf of the Labour Party, to support the nomination of Deputy Charlie Flanagan for appointment by the President as Minister for Children and Youth Affairs. As I have already mentioned, this is an area where Deputy Fitzgerald has made enormous progress over the last three years, but there is much work left to be done. Working together, I believe that we can make real and measurable improvements to the quality of early years education in Ireland. The development of an early years strategy this year will be essential to achieving that aim. Meanwhile, the continuing implementation of Children First is essential to ensure all of our citizens enjoy safe and happy childhoods.

Deputy Flanagan entered this House in 1987, succeeding his father Oliver as a representative for the Laois-Offaly constituency. Deputy Flanagan has served in the recent past as his party’s spokesperson on justice, equality and law reform, and more recently as spokesperson on children. Therefore, he is familiar with many of the policy issues which need to be dealt with when he takes over as Minister for Children and Youth Affairs. Having served with him for many years in this House, I believe he will discharge his duties with wisdom and maturity. I, and all of my colleagues in the Labour Party, support his nomination, and look forward to working with him in his capacity as Minister for Children and Youth Affairs over the next two years.

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