Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 107: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the implications for her Department arising from the recent publication of the Ferns Report; the steps she intends to take in regard to these implications; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32949/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Ferns Report made for some very disturbing reading because it detailed the stark reality of the abuse suffered by children and young people and the lack of support and assistance they received at their time of greatest need. The witnesses who came forward to help the inquiry showed the strength of character and courage which has also been evident to all of us who have met survivors of abuse over the years. I register my sincere thanks and appreciation to them for without their bearing witness, the report could not have reached its findings.

It is clear from the report of the Ferns inquiry that there was a general failure to recognise the terrible hurt and damage that child sexual abuse can and does cause to the victims and their families, and that prompt and effective action was not taken for many years to protect vulnerable children. As a society, we must learn from the mistakes of the past and never allow such events happen again.

In addition to increasing public awareness and understanding of the horror of child sexual abuse, the Ferns Report provides practical and far-reaching recommendations to strengthen child protection measures in organisations working with children and to ensure a speedy and effective response to allegations of abuse. The Government has accepted the report's recommendations in principle and is committed to their implementation by Departments and relevant agencies. My Department will participate fully in the implementation process which is being driven by the National Children's Office under the leadership of the Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children with special responsibility for children, Deputy Brian Lenihan.

Protecting the child is the fundamental imperative of this process, and ensuring this requires the full engagement of Government, church and the community. Our educational institutions and policies have a key role to play. Our approach to child abuse has changed significantly over the past 15 years. In education, we have brought in child protection guidelines for primary and post-primary schools and clearly defined procedures for reporting allegations or suspicions of child abuse. We have also sought to raise awareness of the issue in the curriculum through social, personal and health education and the Stay Safe programme. The commitment to implement the recommendations of the Ferns Report will contribute to the further strengthening of child protection measures.

Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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One of the main points in the report, on page 260, was that some priests appear to have abused their positions as managers of boards of management to gain access to children in school. Does the Minister intend to make any changes to the procedures for appointing people to boards of management?

I hope the Minister is aware that Fine Gael published proposals on vetting that would apply to teachers and people working with children in any capacity. When will the Minister come forward with her proposals and legislation in this area? Does she have any intention of bringing that forward to include people on boards of management as well?

The Ferns Report acknowledged the necessity to use soft information to stop abuse of children. In Northern Ireland this type of information is frequently used in child protection procedures. Does the Minister have any proposals to use soft information? A recent newspaper article outlined the possibilities it offers as well as its potential risks.

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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A school needs to ensure that anybody who has unsupervised access to children is suitable to have that access. Clear guidelines have been sent to all schools to cover working with and protecting children, which is foremost in everybody's mind. The vetting unit recently moved to Thurles and its numbers are being substantially increased. That will enable it to do more vetting than it does. In the context of formal education, vetting is carried out in respect of special needs assistants, bus escorts and people who work with children in detention schools. We intend with our new resources to ensure that vetting is extended to all persons working with children and vulnerable adults. This will include teachers, caretakers, bus drivers and others working with children. We will be able to start that immediately once the extra resources and staffing are put in place, which I understand will be in the middle of this month.

Vetting of boards of management is a wider issue because it raises the question of whether one vets people working in a voluntary capacity. Many parents and other adults help out in schools, on school tours and so on, but it is crucial to see to what extent people have unsupervised access to children. In consultation with the partners and others, we will see how best to progress this. We will be asking everyone to be vigilant. If people and schools follow the Children First guidelines, it will be clear what type of procedures they should adopt. While protecting children, we do not want to destroy volunteerism. In the first instance, the vetting will be extended to cover teachers, caretakers and bus drivers.

Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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I do not think there is any danger that volunteerism will die because of vetting. Most youth organisations, the GAA, the National Youth Council and others have called for vetting of volunteers.

The Minister used the phrase "Schools need to ensure". I accept that, but when will the necessary legislative back-up be given to schools? Guidelines are not enough in this area. We need strong legislation which is not currently provided.

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy asked about a non-Garda employment related register, so to speak. We are looking at this from a cross-departmental point of view, with the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform and the Department of Health and Children, to see what is the best way forward. We are considering a register which would provide information on people who had been previously dismissed, suspended, removed or made redundant from posts for harming children or vulnerable adults in the health or education sectors.