Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As we are all aware, the issue was in the media for many days and it did bring attention to the matter. The CEO of the Children's Ombudsman, Niall Muldoon, used the phrase "extremely concerning" and the manager of the autism support organisation, Shine, Kieran Kennedy, referred to cases in recent months. This is not 2014. I accept we cannot talk about individual cases but we must be aware of what was said by the CEO of the advocacy group, Shine. Parents at home listening to the debate this evening will welcome the new protocol. It identifies that there were issues, lack of communication and a possible lack of understanding.

Perhaps that is why we needed the new protocol. We need reassurance from the Minister that she is happy with this new protocol, that it will address concerns and that clear pathways will be found to prevent future discoveries

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