Dáil debates

Thursday, 7 February 2019

Children's Rights: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members]

 

The following motion was moved by Deputy Brendan Howlin on Wednesday, 6 February 2019:

Debate resumed on amendment No. 2:

-(Minister for Children and Youth Affairs).

1:30 pm

Photo of Seán Ó FearghaílSeán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I must now deal with a postponed division relating to amendment No. 2 to the motion re a fair start for every child. On Wednesday, 6 February 2019, on the question, "That amendment No. 2 to the motion be agreed to," a division was claimed. In accordance with Standing Order 70(2), that division must be taken now.

Amendment again put:

The Dáil divided: Tá, 46; Níl, 77; Staon, 1.


Tellers: Tá, Deputies Seán Kyne and Tony McLoughlin; Níl, Deputies Brendan Ryan and Jan O'Sullivan.

Maria Bailey, Seán Barrett, Pat Breen, Colm Brophy, Richard Bruton, Seán Canney, Ciarán Cannon, Joe Carey, Marcella Corcoran Kennedy, Michael Creed, Michael D'Arcy, Jim Daly, Pat Deering, Regina Doherty, Paschal Donohoe, Andrew Doyle, Bernard Durkan, Damien English, Alan Farrell, Brendan Griffin, John Halligan, Michael Harty, Michael Healy-Rae, Martin Heydon, Heather Humphreys, Paul Kehoe, Seán Kyne, Michael Lowry, Josepha Madigan, Finian McGrath, Mattie McGrath, Joe McHugh, Tony McLoughlin, Kevin Moran, Hildegarde Naughton, Tom Neville, Carol Nolan, Kate O'Connell, Patrick O'Donovan, Fergus O'Dowd, John Paul Phelan, Michael Ring, Noel Rock, Shane Ross, David Stanton, Katherine Zappone.

Níl

Gerry Adams, Bobby Aylward, Mick Barry, Richard Boyd Barrett, John Brady, John Brassil, Declan Breathnach, Tommy Broughan, James Browne, Pat Buckley, Mary Butler, Thomas Byrne, Dara Calleary, Shane Cassells, Jack Chambers, Joan Collins, Niall Collins, Catherine Connolly, Ruth Coppinger, Barry Cowen, Seán Crowe, David Cullinane, Clare Daly, Pearse Doherty, Stephen Donnelly, Dessie Ellis, Martin Ferris, Michael Fitzmaurice, Peter Fitzpatrick, Seán Fleming, Seán Haughey, Séamus Healy, Brendan Howlin, Billy Kelleher, Alan Kelly, Gino Kenny, Martin Kenny, John Lahart, James Lawless, Marc MacSharry, Catherine Martin, Mary Lou McDonald, Michael McGrath, John McGuinness, Denise Mitchell, Aindrias Moynihan, Imelda Munster, Margaret Murphy O'Mahony, Catherine Murphy, Eugene Murphy, Paul Murphy, Darragh O'Brien, Jonathan O'Brien, Jim O'Callaghan, Willie O'Dea, Kevin O'Keeffe, Fiona O'Loughlin, Louise O'Reilly, Frank O'Rourke, Jan O'Sullivan, Eoin Ó Broin, Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin, Éamon Ó Cuív, Willie Penrose, Thomas Pringle, Maurice Quinlivan, Anne Rabbitte, Brendan Ryan, Eamon Scanlon, Seán Sherlock, Róisín Shortall, Brendan Smith, Bríd Smith, Brian Stanley, Peadar Tóibín, Robert Troy, Mick Wallace.

Staon

Maureen O'Sullivan.

Amendment declared lost.

Photo of Anne RabbitteAnne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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I move amendment No. 1:

To delete all words after “ensure a fair start for every child,” and substitute the following:

“affirms that: — it is the first duty of Government to provide for the wellbeing, education and development of children, regardless of their origins, and to provide them all with an equal opportunity to contribute, to the extent of their abilities, to the economic, social and cultural life of the nation;

— a fair pathway to citizenship should be provided to all children who have been resident in Ireland for three years, regardless of their parents’ citizenship or residency status;

— the accommodation of homeless families with children must be the immediate and urgent priority of housing policy;

— same-sex couples who are parents should have equal parenting rights to those afforded to opposite-sex couples;

— the Government should ensure that quality childcare is genuinely available to all and is affordable;

— all children should be entitled to a prompt assessment of any special needs and the provision of whatever support services they may need;

— the Government should strive to drive down the cost of education for families, reverse cuts to the funding of schools and eliminate the need for mandatory contributions to be paid by parents to national schools;

— over 8 per cent of children consistently experience poverty and that almost one in four children are experiencing deprivation in modern Ireland; and

— the percentage of lone-parent households that are at risk of poverty has increased since 2016; and calls on the Government to: — facilitate the swift passage of the Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2017, which will 358 increase the amount of leave that a parent can take to care for their child and extend the period during which the leave can be taken to the first 12 years of the child’s life;

— allow for the swift passage of the Shared Maternity Benefit and Leave Bill 2018, which was introduced by Fianna Fáil to allow parents to share maternity leave;

— immediately commence sections 2 and 3 of the Child and Family Relationships Act 2015;

— immediately implement actions to ensure no children remain in homelessness;

— immediately implement the Affordable Childcare Scheme, as announced in Budget 2019;

— address the extremely lengthy waiting periods that are faced by children awaiting a disability assessment;

— increase the availability of vital disability services for children, including occupational therapy and speech and language therapy;

— increase capitation funding to schools around the country, thus reducing the need for parental contributions;

— immediately establish a register in order to facilitate adopted persons’ access to information surrounding their birth and to enable mutually agreed upon exchanges between birth parents and adopted people;

— prepare and implement a comprehensive strategy to eliminate consistent child poverty and material deprivation, with clear timeframes for its implementation; and

— report to the Dáil no less than quarterly upon the implementation of this strategy and in particular to report on current numbers of children in consistent poverty or deprivation.”

Amendment put:

The Dáil divided: Tá, 40; Níl, 34; Staon, 42.


Tellers: Tá, Deputies John Brassil and John Lahart; Níl, Deputies Brendan Ryan and Jan O'Sullivan.

Bobby Aylward, John Brassil, Declan Breathnach, James Browne, Mary Butler, Thomas Byrne, Dara Calleary, Shane Cassells, Jack Chambers, Niall Collins, Barry Cowen, Stephen Donnelly, Michael Fitzmaurice, Peter Fitzpatrick, Seán Fleming, Michael Harty, Seán Haughey, Michael Healy-Rae, Billy Kelleher, John Lahart, James Lawless, Michael Lowry, Marc MacSharry, Mattie McGrath, Michael McGrath, John McGuinness, Aindrias Moynihan, Margaret Murphy O'Mahony, Eugene Murphy, Carol Nolan, Jim O'Callaghan, Willie O'Dea, Kevin O'Keeffe, Fiona O'Loughlin, Frank O'Rourke, Éamon Ó Cuív, Anne Rabbitte, Eamon Scanlon, Brendan Smith, Robert Troy.

Níl

Mick Barry, Richard Boyd Barrett, John Brady, Pat Buckley, Joan Collins, Catherine Connolly, Ruth Coppinger, Seán Crowe, David Cullinane, Clare Daly, Dessie Ellis, Martin Ferris, Séamus Healy, Brendan Howlin, Alan Kelly, Gino Kenny, Martin Kenny, Catherine Martin, Mary Lou McDonald, Denise Mitchell, Imelda Munster, Catherine Murphy, Paul Murphy, Jonathan O'Brien, Louise O'Reilly, Eoin Ó Broin, Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin, Willie Penrose, Thomas Pringle, Brendan Ryan, Róisín Shortall, Bríd Smith, Brian Stanley, Mick Wallace.

Staon

Maria Bailey, Seán Barrett, Pat Breen, Colm Brophy, Tommy Broughan, Richard Bruton, Seán Canney, Ciarán Cannon, Joe Carey, Marcella Corcoran Kennedy, Michael Creed, Michael D'Arcy, Jim Daly, Pat Deering, Regina Doherty, Paschal Donohoe, Andrew Doyle, Bernard Durkan, Alan Farrell, Brendan Griffin, John Halligan, Martin Heydon, Heather Humphreys, Paul Kehoe, Seán Kyne, Josepha Madigan, Finian McGrath, Joe McHugh, Tony McLoughlin, Kevin Moran, Hildegarde Naughton, Tom Neville, Kate O'Connell, Patrick O'Donovan, Fergus O'Dowd, Maureen O'Sullivan, John Paul Phelan, Michael Ring, Noel Rock, Shane Ross, David Stanton, Katherine Zappone.

Amendment declared carried.

Motion, as amended, agreed to.

Sitting suspended at 1.45 p.m. and resumed at 2.25 p.m.