Michael D'Arcy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Minister is welcome back to the House. Today is a landmark day following the decision in the Louise O'Keeffe case at the European Court of Human Rights, with the State being found liable for its inaction to prevent abuse. I am very glad the pretence there was no link to the State has been broken. This was with regard to the State providing all of the funding to build schools and pay teachers but in some way the boards of management are the employer. There is a potential unforeseen liability for the State, the extent of which nobody yet knows. I am sure the Minister's officials are only going over the decision now.

Similar to Senator Wilson, I believe more can be done and more should come under the Minister's banner. During my time on a local authority I was the chairman of a VEC. Much more can be done through the Youthreach programme. Perhaps too many children are square pegs in the round hole of standard education and are probably not ready for the discipline measures in second level education. Youthreach brings a more informal presence through which they can be educated further.

The Garda juvenile diversion programme is important. Unfortunately too much time is spent trying to put in place a junior liaison officer in some areas where it is badly required. This should be a no-brainer and done immediately.

I came here to speak about an issue which I have raised with the Minister privately regarding the fostering by people in the State of wards of court, particularly those with disabilities. The parents of some of these children are neglected and left behind. I do not state this lightly. I state it having fought the good fight on behalf of one particular couple and child. I will not go into the details on the record of the House but the Minister is aware of the case. It has taken so long and been so hard for the couple on behalf of the child that the conversation we had previously is irrelevant because the child has grown up and moved beyond that point, and the battle has now reached a new point with regard to funding, facilities and parents doing their very best for the child on behalf of the State. I am not here to beat up on the Minister over this. I am raising it on the record of the House because I have been frustrated, angered, disappointed and vexed over the inaction. The inaction was not on the Minister's part. I know and believe she has done her very best in the case I brought to her. However, the inaction of the Department and other Government agencies has been scandalous. I am disappointed to have to state this. I hope my intervention today in highlighting this inaction may get some movement in the Department and the other Departments. It is not good enough for officials to choose to put their head in the sand with regard to this type of issue.

I do not ever come here to criticise lightly. I always try to bring matters to a head in the way it should be done and I have tried to do today but to date I have failed.