Ivana Bacik (Independent)

I enjoin other colleagues from yesterday who called for a debate on children's rights in light of the report, which has generated a great deal of controversy and discussion, on the deaths of children in care who were known to the HSE. Some 196 children died in the course of a decade. Senators van Turnhout, O'Keeffe and others stated yesterday that it is imperative that we debate the report and the measures that must be taken to ensure these appalling deaths can be prevented in future. One of the issues debated was the need for a promised new body to take over responsibility for children. There has been a concern that the HSE has been too fragmented at one level but not sufficiently close to the issues at another level and this has been part of the problem as well.

I acknowledge that the Leader has indicated that he will get the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs into the House to debate children's rights generally in the context of the report. It is imperative that we hold the debate before the end of the session. The Criminal Justice (Withholding of Information on Offences Against Children and Vulnerable Persons) Bill is before us today on Report and Final Stages. The Bill started in the Seanad and it is one of several important measures taken by the Government to protect children's rights. A more comprehensive debate in this area is important and is certainly of more direct importance to the lives of ordinary people than the debate on Seanad reform and all the heat that it generated yesterday. We need to examine this issue, especially since we are facing a children's rights referendum in the autumn.

I call on the Leader to arrange a debate on a report published today by the Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality, of which I and other colleagues in the House are members. The report is on hearings on the heads of the mediation Bill. The committee heard some interesting and important contributions. Like so many other justice Bills, the mediation Bill will be started in the Seanad but it might be worth our debating the observations made by the justice committee.

Senator O'Brien made some remarks on policing. It is worth noting that the justice committee has set up a sub-committee on policing which, I hope, will report later this year. We might hold a debate on policing when that report comes out to examine the recommendations made by the sub-committee.

Today is not the best day to be a cyclist. I know this because I cycled here in the rain but I urge colleagues to take up cycling during Bike Week 2012. I will e-mail all Deputies and Senators today to invite them to take part in an all-party Oireachtas cycling group.