Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)

With regard to the guardian ad litem, the amendments I committed to bringing forward will remove the discretion of the judge as to whether a guardian ad litem is legally represented and provide that the guardian ad litem may instruct a solicitor and, having regard to the circumstances of the case, may instruct counsel. The effect of the amendment is to continue the practice for the guardian ad litem to be in a position to appoint legal representation in care cases and special care cases, and the judge has discretion regarding the appointment of the guardian ad litem in the proceedings.

I thank Senators for supporting the amendments. I appreciate the support of the House for this Bill and the very constructive comments from Members. I am sure I will return to the House to discuss the detail of some of these areas when we establish the new child and family support agency and as work progresses on putting the Children First guidance for the protection and welfare of children on a statutory basis. Undoubtedly, some of these issues will arise again, particularly after-care services. I note how strongly people feel about those services. As I said previously, we will gather information on the current practice in this country and examine what is being done, where there are gaps and how we can best deal with them.