Tom Clonan (Independent)

I thank the Minister of State for being here. I appreciate it very much. I know it is not only the day, but also the week, that is in it. I understand the pressure he is under.

This is a grave matter I wanted to raise with the Minister of State. I have been approached by a number of very senior therapists in the HSE West and North West region about something contrary to the Children First Act and the Criminal Justice (Withholding of Information on Offences against Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act. As part of and within the scope of their professional practice, they became aware of an individual who had disclosed watching images of child sexual abuse and to also having had sex with a minor, that is, he raped a child. This absolutely meets, and exceeds, the threshold for mandatory reporting as set down for all professionals involved in this area. However, a senior manager in the HSE West and North West region took it upon himself to indicate that nobody could make a mandatory disclosure to the authorities in relation to a risk to children except him. He abrogated this. He furthermore said that it was his view that what had been disclosed to this therapist and then discussed at the therapeutic multidisciplinary team meeting did not meet the threshold of mandatory reporting, which is completely and utterly incorrect. The people of Cavan, Roscommon, Donegal and Leitrim would be alarmed to know that a senior gatekeeper of information does not want disclosures of child sexual abuse and the rape of children to be disclosed, and that accelerates the risk to other children in that region. This is a very grave matter that requires immediate intervention.

There is another component to this. The therapists involved are extremely experienced. I have met them. They are people of absolute integrity and great empathy. They are the very best of us in terms of their public service. They were so concerned about this that they made a report to An Garda Síochána anyway, which is what they should have done and are mandated to do. They discharged their duties. They have since become the subject-----