Jillian van Turnhout (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate this amendment is not necessarily in the Bill’s scope. Accordingly, I will not press it today but will withdraw it to re-examine its formulation for Report Stage.

I am cognisant of the right to privacy. Equally, however, I am also cognisant of the importance of public transparency, scrutiny and reporting of what is happening in these cases. Part of that is we actually understand what is happening. The invaluable work done by the child care law reporting project, for me, individually, as a legislator and for all of us, has given an understanding of the nature and types of cases going through the courts and the situations families are facing. It will help us in formulating the early intervention and prevention strategy that is so needed. It is important that we tackle the real and not the perceived issues.

I will be in contact with the Minister’s office to provide any further relevant information which might make it easier to make a decision on this amendment on Report Stage. It is an issue on which we need to move. Otherwise, to get part of that picture is just not acceptable and does not live up to our international obligations, as I pointed out, within the European Court of Human Rights.