Joe Flaherty (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Children (Amendment) Bill, which will rightly lift the blanket ban on identifying children who were killed as a result of the perpetration of criminal offences. Only a parent who has suffered the loss of a child can truly comprehend that loss, and it is surely compounded when a child or a young sibling's life is taken in heinous act.

For many, the pursuit of justice is a key part of the grieving process. So often we have seen heartbroken parents and families on the steps of our courthouses desperately clinging to photographs and cherished memories. It is critical that the memory of the life of their loved one is front and centre in any court case. No child should be a footnote. No child should be anonymous. The loss of a life and the harrowing impact of that needs to be clearly visible and identifiable throughout any court case. Justice needs to be seen to be done and no grieving parent can ever be denied the right and opportunity to speak publicly about their deceased child.

This is important legislation and I am pleased to see it advancing at pace through the House. I will be equally pleased to see it come onto the Statute Book while the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, is at the helm. I also acknowledge the role and contribution thus far in the process of my colleague, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan, and that of Senator McDowell, who played a huge role in the formulation of the Bill.

We cannot excuse or countenance any delay with the legislation. No grieving or heartbroken parents can ever be denied the right to speak their child's name, lovingly relive and cherish memories and paint for us all a clear and visible picture of a life brutally stolen. When a heinous and callous brutal crime takes the life of a child it would be deeply regressive if we allowed a situation pertain where parents and families were unable to speak the child's name and remember and celebrate such an intrinsic part of their lives. Parents and siblings need the right to remember loved ones and safeguard their legacies. The legislation before us is about putting that right.

I am pleased that there is cross-party support for the legislation. The latter reflects the House's empathy for the countless families that have been robbed of much loved children, often as a result of callous, vicious or barbaric acts. There is never an excuse for bad or clumsy legislation. Thankfully, the House is today putting right legislation that was flawed.

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