Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 25: To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the date on which she will publish legislation to underpin the Children First guidelines. [32515/11]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The preparation of legislation to put Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children, as far as practicable, on a statutory basis, is under way following the approval of the Government to the preparation of the Heads of Bill and General Scheme on 12 July 2011. The Government has committed in the Programme for Government to this legislation and is attaching a high priority to its preparation. It is my intention that the legislation will reflect a broad based approach to compliance with obligations extending beyond reporting to the safeguarding of children at risk. The objective will be to ensure the greater protection of children by strengthening the existing system for reporting and responding to suspected child abuse. While considerable progress has been made in developing detailed legislative proposals, I am not in a position to give a specific date for the publication of the Bill at this time.