Jillian van Turnhout (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I support the motion and welcome the appointment of Dr. Niall Muldoon as Ombudsman for Children. I congratulate him and wish him every success. Like others, I take this opportunity to thank and commend Emily Logan, who over her ten-year tenure had to fight to build and protect the Office of the Ombudsman for Children. She built it up and ensured it had a strong role.

This is a critical year for the Ombudsman for Children and for children's rights in Ireland, as we go before the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. The Ombudsman for Children will appear before the committee in June and the State in January 2016. It is important we have somebody of the calibre of Dr. Niall Muldoon to ensure we have a strong voice representing us in Geneva on behalf of children and children's rights.

There are some issues in regard to the Office of the Ombudsman for Children and a role for the Government to provide support. The first issue I would like to raise is the issue of direct provision. I urge the Minister to consider using the Office of the Ombudsman for Children as an independent oversight and complaints mechanism in this regard. It is doing that role for the Child and Family Agency and I believe it could do it also for direct provision. This is an issue we have often raised in this House. Another issue arises on reading the annual reports. We see from the report on last year that 43% of complaints came from the education sector. Many administrative decisions are made across government, particularly those made through Department of Education and Skills circulars, which directly affect children and their families, but these decisions do not have to go through any scrutiny in the Houses or by government. We need to address and examine this issue.

Another issue concerns the voice of the child. Children's voices have been absent in many investigations in cases brought to the Office of the Ombudsman for Children. Therefore, the office must strive harder to ensure these voices are heard. Besides producing reports that are aimed at the Oireachtas or the Minister, the office should also direct its reports towards children so that they know what the ombudsman is saying on their behalf.

Senator Leyden mentioned corporal punishment. As the Minister knows, several months ago, I alerted him to an amendment I proposed to submit on the Children First Bill because I believe there is a way we can deal with this issue. It is shameful we have not yet dealt with this issue. Just 100 years ago, people could beat their wives, their dogs and their children. We still allow the beating of children. This says a lot about our society.

I would like to wish Dr. Niall Muldoon every success in the office. He can be assured of my full staff. The office has an outstanding staff who do incredible work. The office is very small, but has tremendous impact. The scope it has to affect the lives of children here is critical. I endorse and support fully the appointment of Dr. Muldoon.