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

I could not agree more. However, it is also important that we have domestic legislation which ensures the right process is in place. We have made commitments in that regard. We take our international agreements very seriously. That is why, under the stewardship of the Minister, the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) (Amendment) Act 2022 was introduced. Under that legislation, we completely outlawed the archaic wardships system. In August 2023, we started the scoping exercise to which I referred, once the remit of certain issues was moved from another Department to the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. Again, this was done under the stewardship of the Minister. We are taking the ratification of the optional protocol very seriously. We are working at pace to achieve it. As I said, we are just awaiting the outcomes of the scoping exercise.

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