Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I would like to congratulate Dr. Niall Muldoon, on behalf of Sinn Féin, on his nomination as the new Ombudsman for Children. Given the large number of applications for the post, which numbered 97, it is a huge achievement and an endorsement of his obvious capabilities. His commitment to child protection, having worked in the area for nearly 20 years and having operated as director of investigations at the Office of the Ombudsman for Children in his most recent post, is abundantly clear. The work of the Office of the Ombudsman for Children is crucial in providing a voice to children within this State and ensuring their protection.

In the past ten years the office has dealt with 10,000 complaints from children and families. It has engaged with numerous public bodies and service providers and has achieved numerous positive outcomes from investigations. It has commented on and influenced significant pieces of legislation relating to children and has delivered a human rights education programme to thousands of children and postgraduate students. In 2013, the reporting period for its recent annual report, 1,677 complaints were dealt with by the office, an increase of 16% since 2012. The vast majority of complainants were parents contacting the Ombudsman for Children’s office on behalf of their children. Complaints about education and family support and care and protection, at 43% and 26%, respectively, were the two main categories.

The Ombudsman for Children has a statutory obligation to raise awareness of children’s rights among the public, including with children directly. It runs dedicated human rights education programmes aimed at schools and targeted postgraduate institutions. During 2013, almost 1,500 children and young people from schools in 17 counties visited the Ombudsman for Children, and 150 students from eight third-level institutions participated in the programme.

I would also like to pay homage to the previous Ombudsman for Children, Ms Emily Logan, who took up the role of chief commissioner of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission in October last year. Work carried out under her tenure has been seismic in terms of the progressive steps taken to create the change that is needed to adapt to the changes in Irish society and, as she has said, "to make real progress in the way children and families are treated by the State."

In addition to its role in investigating complaints, the Ombudsman for Children has authority under section 7 of the Ombudsman for Children Act 2002 to advise on the probable effect of legislation on children. In 2013 the Ombudsman for Children gave advice to Government Ministers on substantial pieces of legislation, including advice on the general scheme of the Education (Admission to Schools) Bill, thescheme of the Gender Recognition Bill 2013 and the Courts Bill 2013.

In her first annual report to the Oireachtas, Ms Logan raised concerns about the exclusion from the ombudsman's remit of the administration of laws relating to asylum, immigration, naturalisation and citizenship, including children in direct provision. This exclusion was the subject of significant debate during the passage of the Ombudsman for Children Bill through the Houses of the Oireachtas.

The provision of services for children in care has also formed a significant part of the office’s work. Children in the care of the State and how they are looked after by the HSE has been a regular source of complaints to the office. As outlined by the office, it is clear that many problems identified are manifestations of recurring and systemic difficulties. Due to the establishment of the new Child and Family Agency, the office submitted to the Oireachtas a meta-analysis of a number of investigations in the area of children in care. The aim of the report was to highlight recurring and systemic issues. It is hoped that the findings of this report and the recommendations it contains will contribute positively to the ongoing reform of Ireland’s child and family support services. I fully commend and support this work.

The work of the Ombudsman for Children and the office at large cannot be emphasised enough. I wish Dr. Muldoon well on the many challenges ahead and very much look forward to working with him in future.

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