Feargal Quinn (Independent)

I support Senator Bacik's amendment. I was unaware of this issue but the main objective of this legislation is the welfare and benefit of the child. The amendment identifies many of the issues in the field such as the category of person allowed to apply for special guardianship being a local authority foster parent with whom the child has lived for at least one year immediately preceding the application. The amendment tackles the various challenges we are not yet handling. If the Minister of State has a problem with the general theme of this, it may well be that he has to make some changes to some detail of which we are unaware.