Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I assure the Deputies that children, young people and volunteers are at the centre of my attention, which is part of the reason for this decision. I will listen to what Scouting Ireland has to say this evening and then decide on the next step with the Secretary General of my Department. It is mid-April and Scouting Ireland has funding until the end of June, which gives it two and a half months to provide me with assurances that proper governance standards and practices are in place. That is a reasonable amount of time in which to do so.

Deputies will not be surprised to hear that since the news broke I have received other confidential correspondence from individuals in Scouting Ireland about additional matters of grave and serious concern. I will raise those issues with Scouting Ireland as part of the process. To address the sentiment expressed by both Deputies, I will conclude by saying that it was with a heavy heart that I made this decision but it is something that I had to do.

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