Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The remarks made by the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Zappone, yesterday in respect of Scouting Ireland have caused a great deal of anxiety and concern, particularly among scouting families. It is not clear whether she was informing us of a new problem or simply opening a window into a process of review and improvement within Scouting Ireland of which we are aware and which has been ongoing for many months.

Let us be clear that the first and foremost issue here is child protection. Since the scandals of child abuse in this country, the State has built up a range of invaluable safeguarding procedures and processes. Child abuse is a dreadful stain on our history. The State and all voluntary organisations must work together with parents and families to protect all our children.

However, we must also take great care in what we say, especially if it impacts on volunteers in any sector. From the responses of the Minister, Deputy Zappone, to date, it is still not clear to me what is new about the letter from Tusla to Scouting Ireland. Scouting Ireland and other major national organisations such as the GAA, the FAI and all the others have instituted detailed child protection policies in recent years. The Minister's comments yesterday suggested that parents need to be wary of sending their children to overnight scouting events, while some media commentary today suggested that scouting itself could be undermined. These are very serious matters. The letter from Tusla states, "we are concerned about the apparent lack of progress in reviewing the policies, procedures, training and culture which underpin the [Scouting Ireland] service, and we are of the view that these concerns should be escalated to you as CEO." Is this a new issue or is it simply a letter to the CEO asking him to accelerate an ongoing process?

The letter is dated 18 February. I understand that last Monday Tusla met the board of Scouting Ireland but none of the eight items in the letter were raised. Is this true? Has Tusla previously met the board? I understand that some of the actions being sought by Tusla have been ongoing for some time. In July 2017, Scouting Ireland commissioned a review of the handling of child protection cases. This review and the implementation of changes have been led by a safeguarding specialist who is beyond reproach on this issue. Scouting Ireland staff have engaged with Tusla and the Garda since then.

This House and the families involved need to know whether there is a new problem in Scouting Ireland. I ask the Tánaiste to provide a timeline of events and explain exactly what are the concerns of the Government or the Minister regarding Scouting Ireland that have come to light this week. We need to give assurances and support to the many parents and thousands of scouting volunteers who are deeply worried about what the Minister had to say yesterday.

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