Marie Moloney (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the House. I will not regurgitate what previous speakers said because they have laid out clearly what the Bill entails. As Senator Conway said, we are lucky to have in our midst someone who has fought long and hard for children's rights as a Member, but we are also lucky to have someone at the helm in the Minister who has the same commitment and wants to protect the rights of children. With someone like her in office, we will not go wrong when it comes to the care of children. It was her commitment that got the children's rights referendum over the line, as people respect her authority when it comes to children's rights.

The Bill is a reflection of someone thinking on her feet and using common sense and joined up thinking to reduce bureaucracy and administration by eliminating the need to run to court every eight days to renew interim care orders. This is important legislation for children and their families. It is my understanding that if the social services believe the welfare of the child is secure and he or she is not in danger, they can return him or her to the family within the 29 day period and, therefore, they are not obliged to keep the child in care for the duration if everything is in order. Will the Minister clarify this? I commend her on her work, which we all support.