Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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503. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs when a person (details supplied) will report on the alleged failures of Tusla in its handling of an alleged case of neglect and abuse of a number of children in County Limerick; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27474/18]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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The Deputy is referring to an independent review I commissioned, in agreement with the Minister for Justice and Equality, to examine and report on the management of a complex and serious case of alleged child abuse and neglect involving sixteen children in four families.

While there is no evidence of any serious mishandling of the case by either Tusla or An Garda Síochána, I considered that it would be good practice to arrange for a short, focused independent ‘Serious Incident’ review of the actions taken in the case. The primary purpose of the review is to ensure that any learning which may arise is captured and informs future work.

The Special Rapporteur on Child Protection, and member of the Review Panel, Dr Geoffrey Shannon, is assisting with drafting the terms of reference for the review. These Terms of Reference have been submitted to the Attorney General’s Office in draft format, and are currently being considered by the Department of Justice and Equality, before they are finalised.

It is not possible to give a timeframe for the delivery of the report at this stage, given the complex and unusual nature of this case, and the importance of ensuring that this non-statutory review does not risk prejudicing the on-going investigation and criminal prosecution.