Frances Fitzgerald (Fine Gael)

Yesterday I asked the Leader to accept a motion from Members on this side of the House to debate the results of the recent elections and the implications thereof for Government. Has he considered my request and, if so, will he indicate the decision he has reached on it?

Later today hundreds of people are due to march on the Dáil. They will do so as part of a march of solidarity with the victims of institutional abuse in this country. As a result of the Ryan report, it is clear that many thousands of people have been deeply scarred and hurt by their experiences while in institutional care. The House debated the Ryan report but not everyone who wished to make a contribution had an opportunity to do so. In that context, I ask the Leader to make further time available to allow us to continue our debate on the report. This is an extremely important matter, particularly in the context of how this House and the Dáil will deal with the findings of the report in the months and years ahead. There should be not just a one-off debate but, in light of the enormity of the report's findings and the range of issues it addresses, a series of debates. The Ryan report gives rise to many matters, not merely regarding the past but also in respect of the current state of child protection laws.

I wish to make a point that has not been brought to the fore to date. Many people who were abused in institutions emigrated. We have an obligation to reach out to the Irish communities in England, America and Australia, by means of the various hostels and the societies which work with people who were so scarred by what happened to them in this country. I ask the Leader to raise this matter with the Minister for Foreign Affairs because the time is right to do so. Every Irish embassy abroad should be given a copy of the report and should reach out, in the most appropriate way, to the people to whom I refer.

To return to current issues, there is a need for the House to address the protection of children. I previously referred to the 200 children who are being held in psychiatric hospitals - that is, adult mental health facilities - this year. This figure represents an increase on that which obtained last year. I also previously referred to the 20 children who died while in care in recent years and the fact that, to date, a report has not been published in respect of them. In the recently published Monageer report, the recommendations were blacked out. There are a number of very serious child protection issues that must be addressed in the House. In that context, I wish to ensure that time is made available before the end of the current term to discuss these issues, to which priority must be given. If the House engages in a debate in the coming weeks on the issues to which I refer, it will show solidarity with those who intend to take part in today's march.