Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. I acknowledge that the Minister for Justice, and the formerly acting Minister for Justice, have done tremendous work in advancing the cause to which I referred.

The position is that in some cases, children are subjected to being screamed at and being told to shut up and sit down. Their mothers, too, are told to shut up and sit down or they might never see their children again. This has happened and is happening under the in camerarule. There is no such concept of parental alienation except in the minds and imagination of a number of people who have a vested interest in it. It was first discovered, as someone said to me recently, 100 years ago by a gentleman in the United States. We have progressed somewhat in those 100 years and this is one area in which we have to progress a little more.

To bring this story to a conclusion, we need to legislate separately and urgently to remove the concept from use altogether, and to ensure it cannot be used again in any other shape or form or under any pretence to bring it back or legislate for it in future.

There are situations at the moment where up to €500,000 has been requested as a means of bargaining, in order that the parent might be allowed to see the children who had been transported outside of the jurisdiction. This kind of thing cannot go on. I thought we had dealt with this many years ago when we talked about women's rights, equality and the legislation we refer to in this debate. I wish to bring to the attention of the House that this continues regardless. There is no intention on the part of the perpetrators to deviate one iota from what they have been doing and continue to do. The reason is, simply, that it is lucrative. I ask that the intervention be serious, relevant and early.

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