Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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770. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs when Ireland will ratify the UN child protection protocol. [13315/20]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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I understand that the Deputy's intention was to refer to the Second Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. My Department has been working diligently to progress the ratification of this important treaty.

In 2019 the Department made a comprehensive submission to the Attorney General’s Office seeking confirmation as to whether Ireland was in a position to ratify the Protocol. The advice that we received stated that while Ireland is largely compliant with the terms of the Protocol, there are some outstanding issues that need to be resolved before the State can proceed to ratification.

My Department has been liaising closely with the Department of Justice and Equality and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade since the issues fall within their remit. We hope to resolve the issues identified by the AGO as soon as possible and conclude this process by the end of 2020.