Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of the Minister, Deputy McEntee, I thank Deputy Durkan. I also thank the Deputy because the voice he raises here every week on the issue of parental alienation is reflective of what a lot of us receive in our offices weekly or monthly. Having been a spokesperson for children and youth affairs, I know the voice of the child is sometimes forgotten. We can write all the legislation in the world and all the rules and regulations but we must put the child at the centre and listen to the voice of that child. This is why we have legislation to protect the right of the child.

The Deputy will be aware the Minister, Deputy McEntee, published the first family justice strategy in November 2022 that sets out a vision for the family justice system of the future. This will be a system that focuses on the needs and rights of children. It will be a system that assists their parents in making decisions that affect all of the family, and a system that makes it easier for vulnerable parents and families to get support and make informed decisions.

The strategy is foundational in nature recognising the many issues that currently exist within the system and outlining the steps needed to move towards a family justice system that is streamlined and user friendly and which supports and protects children and their families. The family justice strategy is an ambitious and wide-reaching strategy that aims to achieve reforms through the implementation of more than 50 actions across nine goals. As I mentioned, these include an examination of the role of expert reports, including section 47 and section 32 reports, in the family law process and commissioning the availability of these reports and their content and use.

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