Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

-----and gave me a great start in life. I then went on to the Christian Brothers, who were extremely good but they used physical violence. A famous leather was made especially for the Christian Brothers and we got ten of the best. It was not easy. My granddaughter is now attending school and she adores it. She goes in to learn with joy and the attitude has changed. We have come a long way but we needed to come a long way. I will never forgive those in Letterfrack and other institutions who abused the children of this country and treated them with such contempt. We are only now catching up. In the 1950s and 1960s, this was a cold Ireland for children. We have come a long way and it is good that we have an Ombudsman for Children. The appointment was made by a Fianna Fáil Administration. Sometimes I get the impression that Fianna Fáil has been written out of the work it did. It was a very progressive Fianna Fáil Party that brought forward the Children Act. My party introduced the Act and recommended the appointment of an Ombudsman for Children. That should be noted.

With regard to the recent statement by Pope Francis, he has long been regarded as the most lovable pontiff but his statement was not made under the aegis of infallibility.

He made the statement as a human being. It was an off the cuff comment to which the former President of Ireland, Dr. Mary McAleese, responded strongly. I believe she responded in a positive way. In regard to the pontiff, I would not like to take the comment out of context, because he is a kind, gentle person. However, he is quite an age and probably slapping was regarded as acceptable in his youth.

This is not acceptable conduct, but I am not sure the Minister can bring about a situation where it is eliminated. It is very difficult to bring forward legislation on the slapping of children within a family. However, I believe slapping in public could be controlled. It should be made illegal for any parent to slap their children in public and this should be something that is reportable to the Office of the Ombudsman for Children. There is no excuse for this, but there are different situations to be considered, such as the fact that children can wear people out, that people have other commitments, the number of children in a family, etc. Perhaps the Minister will take account of this point of view. Members who are parents know the situation. This is a difficult issue. If we bring in legislation that makes it illegal to slap a child in the home, where do we go from there? Where do we stand in regard to bringing the law into that situation?

The first step should be to make it illegal for parents to reprimand their children physically in public. This behaviour is not acceptable. Many people would intervene in such situations, but they are often told to get lost. What is the Minister's view on this? It is a sensitive area. When corporal punishment in schools was banned - John Boland was Minister for Education at the time - it was a step in the right direction and one I very much applaud. We wish Dr. Niall Muldoon every success in his new role. The position of Ombudsman for Children is an important role and carries significant responsibility, namely, the protection of children. Some fantastic candidates put themselves forward for the position, each of whom might have been suitable. Dr. Muldoon has been selected and now has the unanimous support of the Oireachtas before being officially appointed by the President.