Mark Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I would like to join the Cathaoirleach in paying tribute to Senator Norris. He is not a holy soul just yet, but he is a loveable rogue and has given 30 years of service not just to Trinity College and the House but to the State. He has been a formidable debater, orator and political campaigner for topics which were not popular and society did not embrace, and championed them when nobody else would do so. He has continued to champion many causes which are not popular. When the bandwagon keeps going on, he is rightly acknowledged as the man who led many of those campaigns. We wish him 30 more years in the House, and thank him for his service to the State.Regarding farm payments, today's edition of the Irish Farmers' Journalis leading with the question of how the spare €380 million in the Department should be allocated. Many low-income farmers need funding. We propose that the money be redeployed to them in light of the GLAS shortfall. This money is needed, but so is something else on which I will call for a debate with the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Deputy Ring, namely, the reason for the late payments to farmers.

Fianna Fáil will also seek a debate on Tusla. Mandatory reporting is coming in, but Members of this House, their staff and people who are of assistance to those in distress, particularly in child protection matters, have not been given the necessary training to deal with them. If they do not deal with such matters correctly, they will be in breach of the law. We need clarification from the Government and the House on how our staff will be trained to deal with the issue of mandatory reporting. Tusla's CEO has stated that it does not have the requisite resources and is unaware of what processes it needs to have in place. Some 800 child protection and welfare cases are deemed high priority, yet a social worker has not been allocated to them. Children who are suffering abuse at this moment are not being dealt with. We are now going to add a further layer of reporting that is necessary, given what has happened previously, but there is a lack of clarity for Members of the Houses, local councillors, members of the Garda and so on as to what they have to do to comply with the law.

I ask that the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Zappone, attend the House as soon as possible to outline what she is going to do. If Senators get phone calls and do not deal with them properly, they could be charged with breaking the law. More importantly, as with the case of Garda Sergeant McCabe, how should we deal with spurious allegations? People can make vexatious claims against people for the worst of motives. What would happen in such cases?