Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)

I agree that there needs to be a specific review of this case, but we are not ruling out a wider review of all aspects of how we protect children. We use language like "children in care". That is used in a formal legal sense where a child is in care. However, this child was not necessarily in statutory care because there is an age limit in terms of that. These are important points because the Act is clear in the context of the age at which a child can be formally put into care. All these issues need to be reviewed. They are complex and important, and the legislation governing this area needs to be reviewed as well. I do not want to pre-empt anything here because a review is going to take place. However, my initial sense is that the agencies and authorities need maximum flexibility within the legal framework to do the right thing, namely what is right for a child at a given time.

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