Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy McDonald for raising this important issue. I had an opportunity to watch the "Prime Time" programme last night. Sexual crimes perpetrated against children are the worst form of crimes - they are abhorrent, unspeakable and unforgivable. It is particularly distressing and shocking that the young women in question were in State care.

I noted some similarities with the Grace case in the south east. I commend the bravery of Sarah, Rachel and Amy in telling their story. In doing so, they will help others. I am sure of that. There is a criminal conviction in the case and the abuser is behind bars where he can do no harm to anyone. I am aware of the concern about the leniency of the sentence in this case. It is, of course, up to the DPP to decide in the coming weeks whether it is appropriate to appeal the sentence to the Court of Criminal Appeal. There will be an independent investigation by the national review panel, which is made up of independent professionals working in the field of child protection. In fact, the investigation is already under way, having commenced at the end of 2016, and is nearing completion. However, it was affected by the fact that a criminal case was in train.

While I realise fully that the victims must relive the abuse they experienced every day, whether it is the smells, sounds or visual flashbacks, it is important to acknowledge that the abuse happened between ten and 15 years ago. Since then, a great deal has been done to improve child protection in the State. For example, the HSE is no longer responsible for child protection or foster care, responsibility for both of which now falls under the remit of a dedicated agency, namely, Tusla. We also have a Department of Children and Youth Affairs with a dedicated Minister at the Cabinet table. We have changed our Constitution to enshrine within it the rights of children and introduced mandatory reporting. All provisions of the Children First Act are now fully in force. We can honestly say that there has been a real change in the way we have prioritised child protection in the State since 2011, although there is always more to be done. We need to do a great deal more in this space in the period ahead.

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