Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am keen to identify some of the issues highlighted in the review. Six items have not been not implemented at all, six have been partially implemented and four have not been satisfactorily addressed. The Garda Inspectorate has said this is disappointing and has had a negative impact on the services currently delivered to victims.

A total of 66% of all sex crimes reported to the Garda involve child victims. This is a significant and serious category. The inspectorate found that victims were being dealt with by untrained gardaí; gardaí assigned to specialist child protection units had not received any child protection safety training; convicted offenders were not being properly supervised upon release; and there were communication failures between the Garda and Tusla. Of most particular concern is the fact that technology is available to the Garda to provide real-time intelligence on those accessing child abuse material. However, this technology is not being activated because of the additional demands it would produce and the difficulty in allocating time to assess it. Does the Minister agree that is clearly not a satisfactory state of affairs and needs to be addressed urgently?

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