Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

As I said last week in the Dáil when these statements was called for, they represent brinkmanship and showmanship from the Government trying to get one over on Sinn Féin. It was as naked and blatant as that. When there are children in State care, children who have gone missing and children who have been failed by Tusla and by the Government, the Government should be ashamed of itself for trying to score points. Whenever children are abused or there is wrongdoing, it should be condemned. I heard Deputy McDonald and I compliment her on her statements on the issue. I want an investigation into Tusla's involvement, or lack of involvement, in many issues but particularly in the family court in the case of a four-year-old boy whose custody was given to his father. That man was sentenced last Friday to seven years in prison after he pleaded guilty to neglect and impeding the apprehension of the person he knew to have murdered the child. Think about it; it is shocking. If we had any moral compass in here, we would not be allowing this to go on. The Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, is protecting Tusla at all costs. It is a shocking situation.

Mr. Justice McDermott said he was satisfied that there was a clear and disturbing pattern of abuse of the child who was isolated by members of his family and was subjected to frightening forms of assault. As a separate issue, Roderic O'Gorman has failed to renew the tender of the Child Law Project that has been reporting for the last decade goings on in Tusla and the family court. It was only costing €200,000 a year. He cannot fund this and yet he can give €1.1 million extra to Tusla, which is failing and failing. I know about the blackguarding it is giving families in this State. Vindictive people are working in that organisation and the Minister for children turns a blind eye.

The President of the District Court wrote to Roderic O'Gorman telling him that the suspension of the reporting project was a most unwelcome development. Only that project would report it. For some reason the media would not report it. Some 70 children have gone missing in State care in the last five or six years. We saw the investigation in Cork where they were being taken out of care and brought into hotels, used in a brothel. It is shocking and disgusting behaviour. We have children's rights and everything else. That is going on. Every day of the week in family courts children are being taken from their mothers and the rights of birth mothers are denied. They cannot raise it in this Parliament. It is a sickening cover-up. That is what we should be talking about and not allegations over and back over who scored two and who scored more.

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