Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)

I raise the case of Daniel Aruebose as well and the fact that his remains have been found in north Dublin. It is incredible that a three-year-old boy would go missing from State care. I want to express my deepest sympathies to the relatives of this small boy. Daniel has been failed by the State. It is horrific and damning that we have a situation where the State was searching for the remains of two boys who were either in State care or known to State care and were no longer being tracked by State care. Daniel is among 254 children who have died in the past ten years either in State care or known to State care. Until yesterday, he was among dozens of children who are missing currently from State care.

The children's ombudsman has blasted the lack of structures the State has provided to properly investigate the deaths of vulnerable children. He stated there were no statutory powers to investigate these deaths and no powers to compel information from public bodies and services. We also have had the news that Tusla will conduct well-being checks into 42,000 children whose cases were closed during the Taoiseach's Government's Covid restrictions. That is a very serious situation about that Government's handling of the Covid crisis.

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