Seán Kyne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister. I acknowledge Mick Finnegan and others in the Gallery and watching in. I also acknowledge the work and advocacy of Senators Seery Kearney and Doherty in raising in the House the need to publish the report, the delays in this regard and discussion on it. Thankfully, the report has been published.

Sexual abuse was first being reported in this country as far back as the mid-1990s. One would have thought these reports and reviews were long done. To think that in 2023 we are still publishing reports into abuse is startling. I acknowledge the work of Dr. Geoffrey Shannon and his very comprehensive report into St. John Ambulance. We could argue that going back over a long number of years, there has been comprehensive legislation passed by the Oireachtas to protect children and those who report the abuse of children. We can go back to 1998 and then to the Criminal Justice (Withholding of Information on Offences against Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012, the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Acts 2012 to 2016, the Children First Act 2015, which was revised in 2017, and, of course, the children's referendum, and the establishment of Tusla and the transfer of responsibility for child welfare to that agency in 2014. All of these were positive steps in terms of protecting children and those who report abuse against children. That is to be acknowledged.

Whatever other steps need to be taken by this and future Governments, I am sure they will be done in the context of reports such as this and any other report that may come in the future. I hope there will not be a need for one. The motion calls for an urgent investigation into child protection oversight in Tusla as well as a statutory review of the powers of Tusla and the adequacy of legislation. We have to learn at all stages from reports and investigations carried out into child abuse and reporting. The lessons that are learned have to be put into legislation afterwards to ensure these issues do not arise again.

There is also a need for an urgent review of mandatory reporting obligations in order to extend them to ensure that criminal sanctions are imposed where there is a failure to act. This is important. It goes back to the mid-1990s when these issues were first examined with regard to the Catholic Church, the cover-ups and the failure to report. I thought we had come a long way from that. Of course, we have done so but there is also evidence of failures within St. John Ambulance. There is also a need to carry out a review of the number of individuals in organisations who have been prosecuted for the withholding of information. A review of the legislation's adequacy and application must be undertaken.

The motion also calls for a complete review of the standards and criteria applied by An Garda Síochána and the Director of Public Prosecutions in the investigation of matters of historical sexual abuse that deemed the previous matters non-prosecutable. It also calls for a meeting between the Minister and any survivors from St. John Ambulance who may wish to attend such a meeting to hear their concerns about the inadequacy of the State's response to their experience. I am sure the Minister will comment on this. It also calls for the provision of counselling and medical and legal support for survivors of sexual abuse in the organisation.

We have seen this in other health areas. It goes back to the 1990s. There have been failures by so many people to investigate, report and protect vulnerable children and young adults. It is startling that in 2023 we are seeing new reports published on matters such as this. I am not sure whether there are more reports on other organisations. I certainly hope there is not a need for them. I hope that all organisations, if they have not done so already on foot of the occurrences and happenings in St. John Ambulance Ireland, will look at their procedures and practices and ensure that what needs to be put in place under the law is put in place and what extra can be done in the organisations is also done to ensure that matters such as this are not repeated and people are not left vulnerable. We know the good work that is done by St. John Ambulance throughout the country. It is important this work continues. It is also important that those who volunteer for it get the protection that they deserve and the State has ordained.