Carol Nolan (Offaly, Independent)

In June 2023, a scoping report on the sexual exploitation of children in State care by UCD academics, Dr. Mary Canning, Dr. Marie Keenan and Ms Ruth Breslin was published. The Sexual Exploitation Research and Policy, SERP, Institute report clearly outlined in horrifying detail the predatory behaviour that these young people, mainly young girls, were being subjected to on an ongoing basis, which was totally disturbing. We were told how some of the most vulnerable children in this State were going missing or running away from home or a care placement, despite the fact that some had an intellectual disability or had suffered prior sexual abuse or neglect. I raised this issue in this Chamber in November 2023 with the then Tánaiste, Deputy Micheál Martin. We had a constructive engagement and agreement on this issue.

Since then, I have tabled numerous parliamentary questions on the issue, the most recent in the past few days. I have been informed in response to one of these questions that while a final draft of the commissioned report on a systematic review to examine institutional, organisational and organised child abuse, including trafficking and exploitation of children and young people, has been received by the Department of children, it is still being assessed for final consideration and observations.

It has been two years since the SERP report was published, with some serious concerns, and 21 months since I raised it on the floor of this House. I fully understand that there is a need to generate a robust evidence base to inform the State's policy and practice responses to institutional and organised abuse and its prevention. My fear is that this issue has fallen out of the spotlight and the sense of urgency, that we so badly need, is not appropriate to the level of the emergency that these vulnerable children are facing.

The State may move slowly, but unfortunately predators do not. They are relentless in their poisonous pursuit of these children. We must be equally determined and relentless in our efforts to stop them and we need to do it urgently. We have seen from the UK's experience what happens when the State appears to deprioritise these concerns. I am not saying that is happening here to the same extent, but the Tánaiste will agree with me that we cannot even allow the perception to take hold that these vulnerable children are not on the State's priority list.

Will he do what he can to speed up the introduction of robust protections for the children identified in the SERP report and elsewhere? It is clear that the current system is failing children if they continue to be targeted by such vicious and violent predators. Unfortunately, that continues.

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