Frances Fitzgerald (Fine Gael)

Has the Leader received a commitment from Government that legislation will be introduced in the House on a more frequent basis than has been the case to date this term?

The report of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse, which has been sitting for ten years, will be available this afternoon. The commission examined the abuse suffered by hundreds of children in institutions throughout the country run over a long period mostly by religious orders. The interim report about the experiences of these children is painful to read. No doubt later today and tomorrow, by which time we will have seen the detail of the ten years of work of the commission, the country will be horrified.

Before we see the report I wish to put on record that abuse of children continues in present day Ireland. I refer to the report issued within the past week from the Mental Health Commission. It states that more than 247 children in the country who needed mental health care and treatment were admitted to adult wards in adult institutions in the past year, an increase from 2007. It is an appalling outrage that in 2009 there are some 200 children needing the best that the country can offer in terms of care and treatment, but are being admitted into adult mental health facilities. Not long ago I was given a commitment in a committee that this would not continue. I was told by members of the HSE and Ministers that this would change. The House and the Dáil were told this would change. However, the report of the Mental Health Commission outlines that 247 of the most vulnerable children in need of care, protection and mental health treatment were treated in adult wards. What commission will be inquiring into this in ten years time? Today will be the report of the commission which has examined abuse up to the 1990s. However this is also abuse of children, some 247 of which are receiving such care. This is the best we can do. Who will be accountable for this? What Minister will come before the House and explain why this is the situation?