Niall Ó Brolcháin (Green Party)

I welcome the Minister of State. This is the first time I have had the pleasure of debating child care. It is fantastic that there is a Minister of State with responsibility for children. It is very progressive and the present Minister of State is doing a very good job.

Overall, I agree with the Bill. It is good legislation that will help children and in particular cases it will provide a better framework for those children who fall on difficult times or for whom special provisions need to be made. Special care orders are a very important part of the legislation. There is a section in the programme for Government that deals with achieving a more caring and just society:

The mentally ill, the disabled and the marginalised should not fear isolation. Our society should and must respect the right of our citizens equally while continuing to recognise their individual differences.

From the introduction of the Constitution to the present day, this country has a proud record for its prioritisation of child care. I am a father and can see the difficulties faced by children across the board, in schools, in homes where relationships break down and in situations where people have special needs or where there are illnesses, particularly mental illnesses. Various events can happen. Our society is not perfect, unfortunately, and we must cater equally for all our people. I am very much a believer in a rights-based society.

I look at the criticism of this Bill. My understanding is that it will not cost a large amount to implement the measures outlined in it. However, the main criticism coming from the Opposition appears to relate to aftercare, especially for people aged over 18 years of age. I will not be prescriptive but I believe that in general the aftercare of children is very important. I have seen too many instances happen across the board in issues of aftercare - not only of children but of adults - where a certain point is reached in that care and suddenly the situation is returned to families or others and may not be dealt with completely. Aftercare is extremely important in all such cases. We must ensure that when people are looked after for a certain period that the job is completed and therefore the provision in the Bill for aftercare is important. I urge the Minister of State to look at this.

The Opposition proposes an amendment to replace "may" with "shall". I am not clear on the cost implications of it but from a rights-based point of view there is merit in considering that provision. That is my main point-----