Results 5,841-5,860 of 13,254 for speaker:Seán Sherlock

Period Poverty: Motion (13 Mar 2019)

Seán Sherlock: I thank my colleague, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, for sharing her time with me. I, too, congratulate Deirdre Kingston, Rebecca Moynihan and people such as George Lawlor - I speak for my own party in this regard - for raising awareness of this issue and certainly building my consciousness of period poverty. It is an issue I would have typically shied away from previously, saying it was very much...

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

Seán Sherlock: I will start with the helpline, as we are on that theme and to follow-on from Deputy Mitchell. There seems to be, if I am interpreting it correctly, common ground emerging between Scouting Ireland and Tusla in respect of the helpline. Will Mr. Gibson help me to understand what the independent review will mean in real terms? If they go to an academic institution, what will it be tasked with...

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

Seán Sherlock: On that, Scouting Ireland will tell us that it has a team of professional staff who have listened and engaged and it would have notified Tusla to that effect. Personally, as one member of the committee, I take in good faith that a process is under way in respect of the historical cases, notwithstanding the fact that Mr. Elliott, who has a strong track record on this, is also involved in that...

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

Seán Sherlock: With respect, the letter came into the public domain via the Minister herself on foot of a Topical Issue matter which Deputy Rabbitte and I put down. I will not go into the modalities of that now. The fact is that the letter is in the public domain and was put there by the Minister herself. Notwithstanding the child safeguarding statement and the Safety First legislation, Tusla is stating...

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

Seán Sherlock: It is not subtle. It is obvious.

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

Seán Sherlock: The bottom line is that, as a layperson, I interpreted the letter from 18 February as stating there were to be certain actions to be carried out by the person in charge of safeguarding within the organisation. It is clear from the letter that certain matters were not dealt with. Again, that is at the professional staff level. I reiterate there is a difference between that level of...

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

Seán Sherlock: When is Tusla meeting Scouting Ireland next?

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

Seán Sherlock: I am sorry to interrupt but I must ask Mr. Gibson to repeat what he has just said as I could not hear him.

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

Seán Sherlock: Chairman-----

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

Seán Sherlock: I am helping the Chairman. It is on his point.

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

Seán Sherlock: The Chairman has raised a pertinent issue. To follow on from what he said about Scouting Ireland's update on its action plan, it acknowledged issues related to structural policy monitoring and what else?

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

Seán Sherlock: Scouting Ireland is acknowledging they are on hold. I deduce from that that they are being actively worked on.

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

Seán Sherlock: On point 4 of that, relating to historical cases and the agreed action plan, if there is some articulation back to us about how the historical cases are being dealt with, that would be very helpful. My last question relates to the interaction between Tusla and the Department. Tusla issued a letter on 18 February which clearly outlined specific issues about the adherence to Children First,...

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

Seán Sherlock: Had Deputy Rabbitte and I not raised this as a Topical Issue matter and if Mr. Elliott had not put the correspondence from Tusla in front of the Minister, which she then put on the public record, we would not be sitting here today.

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

Seán Sherlock: The Minister would have been none the wiser and would have continued in good faith to restore the funding and make funding available.

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

Seán Sherlock: Specific funding, some €220,000, was made available for safeguarding and that is the question here. We are trying to understand this. I speak as a former Minister. Protocols relating to letters of this nature, that relate to a public issue which affects thousands of people, are a key component of Tusla's statutory work. Tusla is a statutory agency with the power of legislation...

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

Seán Sherlock: Is it Mr. Elliott?

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

Seán Sherlock: There is much to try to internalise and understand from the contributions. My earlier intervention was based on the idea that there needs to be progress while we are all moving forward, which means the State agencies, the statutory bodies, Scouting Ireland, as a voluntary organisation, and we, as Members of the Oireachtas, are all on a journey to ensure that an organisation that is cherished...

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

Seán Sherlock: By whom?

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

Seán Sherlock: From the Department.