Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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221. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether she intends to incorporate the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child into Irish law; if so, the proposed timeline for implementation; if not, the reasons for this decision; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36495/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) is an international human rights agreement which sets out the rights of children and young people under the age of 18. The articles of the UNCRC are wide-ranging and cover a number of areas including health, housing, social security, education, leisure and play, child protection and welfare, criminal justice, international protection as well as access to information and participation in decision-making. Ireland ratified the UNCRC in 1992.

In February 2022, Ireland submitted its combined fifth and sixth periodic reports under the Convention to the UN Committee. In February 2023, the Committee published its Concluding Observations on the Irish reports, in which they welcomed the progress Ireland has made in respecting children’s rights, and highlighted areas where more needs to be done.

I am aware that in their concluding observations on the combined fifth and sixth periodic reports of Ireland, the United Nations Committee recommended that the Ireland “fully incorporate the Convention into national legislation, (and) conduct a comprehensive review of all its legislation to align it with the Convention.”

In light of this, officials in my Department have commissioned an extensive piece of research on Ireland’s legislative compliance with the UNCRC, which will identify gaps in existing legislation and give recommendations for new or revised legislation to uphold the UNCRC. This work is ongoing, and due for completion this year. Following this, my Department will review the findings and consult with the Attorney General’s Office in relation to any legislative gaps identified, to seek advice on next steps.