Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Shane McEntee. From my experience of being in Departments and taking many Adjournment debates I appreciate that the new Minister for Children may have difficulty in being in the House tonight, but I hope she will have an opportunity to outline the situation to the House in greater detail in the near future.

I raise the issue of the need for the Minister for Children to outline the progress regarding the Government's proposed wording for a referendum on the constitutional protection of children and her views on the amendment to strengthen children's rights as outlined in the final report of February 2010 of the Joint Committee on the Constitutional Amendment on Children. The committee was chaired by former Deputy Mary O'Rourke. Current members of the Cabinet also participated in the committee, the Vice Chairman being Deputy Michael Noonan, the Minister for Finance. Other members included Senator Thomas Byrne, former Deputies Margaret Conlan, Olwyn Enright, Paul Gogarty; Deputy Brendan Howlin, Deputy Dan Neville; former Deputy Tom Kitt, Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin, Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl, Deputy Alan Shatter, now a Minister, former Deputy Michael Woods, former Senator, now Deputy Alex White, former Senator and now the Minister for Children, Deputy Frances Fitzgerald. I am much encouraged because Deputy Fitzgerald is very familiar with the work of the committee. Other members included former Senator Geraldine Feeney and former Senator Maria Corrigan. Former Minister and Deputy, Mr. Dermot Ahern was an ex officio member of the committee. Former Deputy and Minister of State, Mr. Barry Andrews, was also involved. I note the number of Deputies and Senators who are no longer Members of the Oireachtas. It could be a sign that they devoted a great deal of their time to this committee and its work for which they are to be commended. The 2010 report of the Ombudsman for Children, Ms Logan, was published this morning. She is very anxious that this amendment be made to the Constitution.

I am the Fianna Fáil Seanad spokesperson on children and European affairs. Will the Minister of State convey to the Minister for Children the unanimous support to hold this referendum sooner rather than later and ask him to consider holding it in conjunction with the presidential election in November? This is a very important amendment to the Constitution. We owe it to children and future children to include this amendment in the Constitution. Very detailed research has been undertaken and it is an all-party agreed report which was submitted to the Oireachtas. The Minister is currently discussing the wording with the Attorney General. Different views were expressed on the wording of the amendment. Will the Minister publish the wording as soon as possible for consideration? We certainly did not live up to the 1916 Proclamation to cherish all the children of the nation equally. They were neglected in the institutions and the reports prove this. We all indirectly share in the neglect of children in the past. I hope the constitutional amendment will go a long way towards ensuring the mistakes of the past are rectified.