Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

On the legislative programme, I understand the priority for the spring term is the childcare (amendment) Bill, which is to revise the Child Care Act 1991 to reflect best practice developments in the sphere of child welfare and protection services that have evolved in the 30 years since enactment and in light of the constitutional recognition of children as individual rights holders. It will also amend elements of Tusla's early years inspectorate. Can the Minister of State tell me any more about that Bill?

I raise it because of the alarming story today about private residential childcare facilities where it has been discovered that proper vetting was not done and there was possibly even fabricated vetting of people looking after vulnerable children. It immediately struck me that I had come across a similar allegation in my clinic recently made by somebody who had worked in a private residential care facility and who had made a protected disclosure as far back as 2022 containing a series of alarming allegations about goings-on in another private provider of residential care to young people. I will not go through all the details but there were some alarming allegations about the CEO acting inappropriately in the care of children, some suggestions of inappropriate sexual activity, staff working ridiculous hours, funds for clothing that were provided for children not being passed on to the children, or far less being passed on, and a series of other allegations.

A protected disclosure was made and the person who made it told me the person in Tusla dealing with the protected disclosure is also the person responsible for the inspectorate of that care facility. There is a serious conflict of interest and she have never received a proper response, as she sees it. I underline this has all been reported to me but it raises serious issues, if we look at the story today and these allegations, about how we are overseeing these care facilities and providing independent inspections to ensure that everything is above board, that there are no conflicts or interest in Tusla and so on.

Does the Minister of State think the Bill will address some of these issues or whether it should? Who can I contact about a case like this, where somebody makes a protected disclosure about protection of vulnerable children, and get a proper response? The person who made the allegations, who is historically a victim of abuse, is very worried about her failure to get a proper response from the relevant authorities.

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