James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I can inform the Deputy that preparations for Ireland's examination by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child on 14 January 2016 are a priority for my Department. I am actively engaged in these preparations and looking forward to leading Ireland's delegation and engaging positively with the UN committee on developments in Ireland in the observance of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child since the last such examination took place in 2006. In the meantime, I intend to advance a number of key issues. In particular, I want to maximise the progress I can make on a number of legislative measures that are nearing completion. Parliamentary time is already scheduled to complete all Stages of the Child Care (Amendment) Bill in December to provide for a statutory right to an aftercare plan. The Bill has passed Second Stage in the House and we will take Committee and Report Stages tomorrow.

Following completion of all Stages of the Children First Bill, I want to progress towards commencement of particular sections of the Bill at the earliest opportunity. In particular, I want to consider the provisions that remove the common law defence of reasonable chastisement in cases of corporal punishment.

I have a received the report from the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health and Children on its pre-legislative scrutiny of the general scheme and heads of the Adoption (Information and Tracing) Bill 2015. I want to examine the report in detail and use it to inform the draft Bill.

I hope to finalise and sign the early years (pre-school) regulations and my Department is working closely with the Office of Parliamentary Counsel in this regard.

I intend to consult stakeholders on matters relating to the Gender Recognition Act, while regulations are also being prepared on entries in the register of inter-country adoptions.

The Deputy will be aware that a considerable number of child-related issues are being addressed, not only by the Department but also across government, in the context of the national policy framework for children and young people 2014 to 2020, Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures. The framework involves a whole-of-government approach. My Department is actively leading in the implementation of this ambitious framework. In this context, we are working in close collaboration with the better outcomes advisory council in the identification and advancement of its work programme. This will inform consideration of cross-sectoral priorities for 2016 which will be proposed by the high level sponsors group that will meet later this week, on 4 December.

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