Frances Fitzgerald (Fine Gael)

This is serious, given that we have such critical issues that must be dealt with. Yesterday we discussed the banks, job creation and the critical decisions that need to be taken to ensure credit starts flowing. This morning Fine Gael placed a copy of the report, TF — A Case Review 1983 to 2002, on the Order Paper. I want the Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, with special responsibility for children and youth affairs, Deputy Barry Andrews, to attend the House today to explain why this report was not published by the Government. I, therefore, propose an amendment to the Order of Business that time be allocated today for a debate on the matter. This case review, published by Fine Gael today and laid before both Houses, concerns a young woman who died in care. She had come to the attention of the child protection services at eight months of age. We have heard much about children who die in care, of which there have been 20. We have heard about the Murphy and Ryan reports on historical child abuse. This report effectively documents what is happening in our child protection services today. It is most serious that the Minister has not published this report and it is appalling it has taken eight years from the death of this young woman to have the report made public. It is appalling the Government has not published it but sought to keep this report secret, even though the Minister of State with responsibility for children has said it is in the public interest that reports such as this are published. It is equally disturbing that in this report there are 48 recommendations about child protection. Have these 48 recommendations been implemented and, if not, why not? If it is in the public interest for the author of the report to make these recommendations, surely it is in the public interest to ensure they are published. It is important that Senators and Deputies get an opportunity to debate these recommendations. We have spent much time in this House talking about historical child abuse; this report is about modern child protection and how it is run in this country.