Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left) | Oireachtas source

I agree with Deputy Pringle that this is an important amendment. It seeks to preserve the assumption that an individual is a minor if he or she self declares thus. That is hugely important and is in keeping with international best practice which suggests that the law should automatically assume that a person is a minor if he or she is self declared as such rather than a self declared minor being forced to prove that he or she is a minor. It is up to the State or the law to prove otherwise and we should preserve that principle. It is hugely important, particularly because children can often look older than they actually are. If we declare that we believe in the best interests of the child, then we must listen to and respect what children are saying to us. If we have information to the contrary, we can use it but if not, we should accept their word. As Deputy Pringle said, the potential exists for unaccompanied minors to be assessed as adults, which would be detrimental to them. While this amendment is relatively minor, it is important.

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