Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Ach an oiread le mo chomhghleacaí, ba mhaith liom ár gcomhbhrón a chur in iúl do mhuintir John Carty, a bhí mar Bhall den Teach seo. Labhróidh muid faoi sin a thuilleadh amach anseo. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

Ba mhaith liom tacú leis an méid a bhí le rá ag an Seanadóir Labhrás Ó Murchú maidir leis An gCoimisinéir Teanga, ach théinn i bhfad níos faide. Sílim go bhfuil faillí iomlán á dhéanamh ag an Rialtas. Tá sé ráite go mbeidh fiosrúchán maidir le cás an Choimisinéara Teanga agus an Straitéis 20 Bliain don Ghaeilge.

The judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in favour of Ms Louise O'Keeffe has a significant implication for the State. The Government now needs to make a full apology for its failure and that of its predecessor to deal compassionately with Ms O'Keeffe and other victims and survivors. Having forced Ms O'Keeffe to go through a long and difficult judicial process for 15 years, the Government should not add to her ordeal by delaying in making an apology. Given the importance of the court's decision for the State, the Minister for Education and Skills should make an early statement in the Dáil and Seanad setting out the Government's response to the decision and indicating the steps it intends to take to ensure full compliance with the judgment and protect children.

In response to a question from my party leader, Deputy Gerry Adams, last Tuesday, the Taoiseach acknowledged that the O'Keeffe case indicated clearly the State's failure to protect children. He went on to state protection of children was absolutely a priority for the Government. As has been mentioned, today he will launch the Child and Family Agency, on which the jury will be out until Members ascertain how it will function. However, Members have learned today that at least 200 social work posts are vacant, despite significant increases in the numbers of reports of children at risk of abuse or neglect. This is despite the fact that approximately 40,000 referrals were made to child protection teams in each of the past two years, which constitutes an increase of almost one quarter on the 2011 figures, thereby placing strain on services already under pressure. The Ryan report, published five years ago, recommended the recruitment of an additional 270 social workers. However, there now are fewer social workers employed than when the report was issued. I have raised many times in this House my concerns about children in direct provision accommodation. In addition, there have been recent reports on the welfare of Traveller children. While Sinn Féin welcomes the launch of the Child and Family Agency, the Government's record on these issues is to be questioned. I seek a debate on the provision of social worker posts and what the Government intends to do about the issue, rather than engaging in these big public relations stunts involving great press conferences to launch new initiatives without putting in place the resources required to facilitate work on the ground and ensure all children in the State are supported equally.