Sharon Keogan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I also oppose the Order of Business this afternoon. The issue in respect of the identity cards of citizens of this country has been overlooked this morning and has been taken without debate. There is also the issue in respect of the hate crime legislation. Having that guillotined today is really unnecessary. We need more time on it. It is going to open a Pandora's box if we do not debate it in full.

I call on the Minister for children to discuss the defunding of the Child Law Project. This is the last month of funding of reports published by the Child Law Project under a three-year grant from the Department of children. It is a great shame that this grant is not renewed. The Child Law Project examines and reports on judicial child care proceedings. It provides information to the public on the operation of the child care system in the courts with the aim of promoting transparency and accountability.In a press release on Monday, 8 July, the project highlighted the crisis in availability of care placements for vulnerable children. In its reports, it states that judges expressed dismay at lack of appropriate placements to meet the needs of vulnerable children. It also reports concerns about larger numbers of cases with no allocated social workers and also adds that cases involving migrants highlight additional complexities.

Success stories showing life-changing and positive impacts of care are also reported on by the project. Despite the success stories, the project continues to see members of the Judiciary and other professionals expressing concern and frustration about failings of the care system and the dismal HSE response to meeting the disability and mental health needs of children in care. Multiple judges have said they are in despair at the situation, with one High Court judge describing the lack of special care beds as a tsunami about to reach shore and nothing is being done. Several vulnerable children are under a special-care order but no special care beds are available for them.

Perhaps the Child Law Project no longer gets this grant because of the uncomfortable truths it reveals about State failings that the Government would rather not publicise. At a time when the public is rightly angered about Government spending in budget 2025, defunding the Child Law Project is an egregious oversight. I hope it can do better to support this worthy project.