Results 3,721-3,740 of 7,126 for speaker:Alan Farrell

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Governance and Child Safeguarding Issues in Scouting Ireland: Tusla and Scouting Ireland (13 Mar 2019)

Alan Farrell: It was useful to put that on the record from the outset. I invite Senator Noone to commence.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Governance and Child Safeguarding Issues in Scouting Ireland: Tusla and Scouting Ireland (13 Mar 2019)

Alan Farrell: There are two remaining speakers, myself and Senator Warfield. From my perspective, the clarifications and commentary provided by the witnesses today have been very helpful in terms of enabling us to tease out what both organisations need to be doing. Obviously, the emphasis is on Scouting Ireland but I have a few queries relating to the points raised in the letter from Tusla to Scouting...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Governance and Child Safeguarding Issues in Scouting Ireland: Tusla and Scouting Ireland (13 Mar 2019)

Alan Farrell: Was it a specific incident?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Governance and Child Safeguarding Issues in Scouting Ireland: Tusla and Scouting Ireland (13 Mar 2019)

Alan Farrell: Tusla was satisfied with the service that was being provided. That was implied, regardless of any utterances it may have made. The fact that it closed down its own helpline was a tacit acceptance that what Scouting Ireland was doing was acceptable to Tusla, as the child and family agency. We must make it clear that Tusla received a complaint from a member of the public. I presume that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Governance and Child Safeguarding Issues in Scouting Ireland: Tusla and Scouting Ireland (13 Mar 2019)

Alan Farrell: I accept that and thank Mr. Smyth for his response. Recommendation No. 4 relates to the child safeguarding statement. Scouting Ireland has said publicly that it was compliant with the requirement for such a statement and that Tusla had told the organisation that it was compliant. However, the document before us today infers that Scouting Ireland was not compliant. Mr. Smyth has said that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Governance and Child Safeguarding Issues in Scouting Ireland: Tusla and Scouting Ireland (13 Mar 2019)

Alan Farrell: I thank Mr. Gibson for that reply. Scouting Ireland will be appearing before the committee later this morning. There will be an opportunity for the organisation to go through this and to put its position on the public record. We are questioning Tusla now. We are dealing with public perception, as a result of statements that were made in the public domain. As an organisation, Scouting...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Governance and Child Safeguarding Issues in Scouting Ireland: Tusla and Scouting Ireland (13 Mar 2019)

Alan Farrell: Leaving that matter aside, we are dealing with facts.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Governance and Child Safeguarding Issues in Scouting Ireland: Tusla and Scouting Ireland (13 Mar 2019)

Alan Farrell: I am sorry, Deputy-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Governance and Child Safeguarding Issues in Scouting Ireland: Tusla and Scouting Ireland (13 Mar 2019)

Alan Farrell: Go on.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Governance and Child Safeguarding Issues in Scouting Ireland: Tusla and Scouting Ireland (13 Mar 2019)

Alan Farrell: I will ask about the child safeguarding statement and the application of child safeguarding procedures across the organisation. Most of us are confident about the ability of individual units of the organisation to be compliant, insofar as is possible, with child safeguarding procedures to ensure children are not put at risk. How would Tusla recommend that Scouting Ireland, as a movement...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Governance and Child Safeguarding Issues in Scouting Ireland: Tusla and Scouting Ireland (13 Mar 2019)

Alan Farrell: Of course, as Mr. Lee has outlined.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Governance and Child Safeguarding Issues in Scouting Ireland: Tusla and Scouting Ireland (13 Mar 2019)

Alan Farrell: I repeat what Mr. Gibson said about the interactions between Scouting Ireland and Tusla and attempts to improve the voluntary organisation. He has said that we are in a good place and there is evidence that, given Tusla's engagement with Scouting Ireland in the past couple of weeks, that is accurate. We await what Scouting Ireland has to state. Are there implications for other...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Governance and Child Safeguarding Issues in Scouting Ireland: Tusla and Scouting Ireland (13 Mar 2019)

Alan Farrell: My final question before I hand over to Senator Warfield is related to what Tusla has learned from the events of the past two weeks and specifically for Ms Creamer. Does she think it has had a chilling effect on how Tusla will approach any other organisation about which it has concerns in the light of the fact that any document or utterance from it may become public? Has it affected how it...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Governance and Child Safeguarding Issues in Scouting Ireland: Tusla and Scouting Ireland (13 Mar 2019)

Alan Farrell: Let me encapsulate the matter in an important sense. Does it serve the children of Ireland to put something into the public domain to let people make up their own minds, or is it better for Tusla to deal with the organisation with which it is engaged in a constructive and proactive way without unnecessary noise?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Governance and Child Safeguarding Issues in Scouting Ireland: Tusla and Scouting Ireland (13 Mar 2019)

Alan Farrell: I understand and accept that. I call Senator Warfield.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Governance and Child Safeguarding Issues in Scouting Ireland: Tusla and Scouting Ireland (13 Mar 2019)

Alan Farrell: Rather than the Senator's question, what would be best practice in such a scenario?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Governance and Child Safeguarding Issues in Scouting Ireland: Tusla and Scouting Ireland (13 Mar 2019)

Alan Farrell: Everything is in our remit until it is not. I welcome Deputy Ó Laoghaire to the meeting as a non-member of this committee.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Governance and Child Safeguarding Issues in Scouting Ireland: Tusla and Scouting Ireland (13 Mar 2019)

Alan Farrell: I thank Deputy Sherlock and the witnesses from Tusla. We are in the third hour. I have an anecdotal observation based on criticisms that are frequently levelled at Tusla, relating to the public's trust in the organisation in light of recent events, including Mr. Justice Charleton's view on the matter. I am sure the witnesses, and especially their communications team, are aware of it. I...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Governance and Child Safeguarding Issues in Scouting Ireland: Tusla and Scouting Ireland (13 Mar 2019)

Alan Farrell: I thank Ms Creamer, Mr. Gibson, Mr. Smyth and Mr. Lee for their presentation and answering members' questions. I propose that we suspend for 15 minutes, given that we are in our third hour. I am sure that members of the public in the Gallery also wish to take a break.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Governance and Child Safeguarding Issues in Scouting Ireland: Tusla and Scouting Ireland (13 Mar 2019)

Alan Farrell: On behalf of the joint committee, from Scouting Ireland I welcome to our second session Mr. Adrian Tennant, chairman of the board of directors; Dr. John Lawlor, chief executive officer; and Mr. Ian Elliott, interim safeguarding manager. By virtue of section 17(2)(l) of the Defamation Act 2009, witnesses are protected by absolute privilege in respect of their evidence to the committee....