Frances Fitzgerald (Fine Gael)

There is no doubt that the major concern for families is the appalling job losses which are affecting almost every family in the State. However, there are other issues of concern with regard to children and I wish to raise three of those issues. I wish to table an amendment to the Order of Business, that the Minister for Health and Children should come to the House today to discuss these issues which are of huge concern to families. The first issue is the situation regarding international adoptions; the second issue is the suspension of the investigation by the Ombudsman for Children because, despite having the powers to do so, she is not getting co-operation from the HSE on the investigation into child abuse in the Catholic church Dublin diocese, and third, the absolute confusion surrounding the introduction of the Government's plans to provide child care places for three year olds.

I will deal with these issues individually. The Government appointed a Minister of State with responsibility for children and there is a National Children's Office, yet there are three areas in regard to children which are mired in confusion as far as the person in the street is concerned who is worried about these issues. Why is this the case and what is happening?

I will deal first with the international adoption situation. As every Senator knows, there is great concern about the bilateral agreement with Vietnam, which expired on 1 May 2009. We have had no clarity from the Minister of State with responsibility for children on this. Families are deeply concerned about it. I quote from one e-mail I received:

We write to you to express our utter disappointment and heartache following the closure of Vietnamese adoptions from 1 May. [This also applies to the lack of a bilateral agreement with the Russian Federation] Our lives have been on hold for the past five years on waiting lists for assessment by the HSE, then waiting for social workers, and now, when our waiting was almost over, we are left in limbo because this was not sorted out in time. Why did the Minister let this go to the wire? Why was the bilateral agreement not concluded before the last one expired?

That is a very serious question and I want the Minister of State in here to explain to the hundreds of families affected by this what he will do and the problems and barriers to concluding this agreement.

I quote from another person:

This means that at least 1,000 children will, at best, spend longer in institutions and may be condemned to a lifetime in institutional care. No matter how good it may be, institutional care is not a substitute for a loving family life.

That is the first issue which, as I said, is mired in confusion. The second is the Ombudsman for Children suspending a serious investigation into the handling of child abuse cases by the Roman Catholic Church dioceses and the lack of information she appears to be receiving. The Department of Health and Children has co-operated with her but the Health Service Executive, HSE, has not given her information on this. Who is the HSE trying to satisfy? Why is this information not being given to the ombudsman who says she has the power to get this information?