Aontaím le go leor rudaí a bhí ráite sa Teach seo, go háirithe an méid a bhí le rá ag an Teachta Toole ag an deireadh faoi na príomhrudaí ag tús shaol na bpáistí sa tír seo. Is é sin t-am nuair is gá dúinn cabhair, infheistíocht agus rudaí mar sin a chur isteach le go bhféadfar cabhrú le daoine. Gabhaim míle buíochas leis an Teachta Gogarty for proposing the motion and giving us the opportunity to have this debate. When parents walk into a family court, many of them are often already at a very low point in their lives. They are dealing with separation, fear, stress and uncertainty about their children's future. I welcome the work the Department has done. I also welcome the commitments the Minister gave earlier. I trust that the Department will take all aspects of this matter under consideration, particularly in relation to how the pilot scheme in Northern Ireland is going ahead. Wales and England have their own schemes. The 2025 review of the operation of the in camera rule confirmed that too many parents leave the family court feeling silenced, confused or powerless and do not understand why they are not legally allowed to talk about their cases. That cannot be healthy in any modern democracy or system of law. England and Wales have introduced controlled transparency, and, as mentioned, there is a pilot scheme in Northern Ireland that allows accredited journalists to observe and report on proceedings. Studies have shown that those reforms have not led to children being exposed. In fact, those studies found that the reforms have improved understanding and scrutiny of and confidence in the system. I welcome that the Minister is examining this, but sometimes, as with any aspect of Government, one of the biggest frustrations relates to speed. It is very easy for people to say "Just do it now", but there is a lot of backlog that will have to be gone through in order to ensure that it is done right. I ask that it be done as quickly as possible. I understand that the Minister wants it to be done right and does not want it to have to be revisited. I acknowledge and welcome that. I also welcome the phased implementation plan that is due to begin in 2027 and the commitment in the programme for Government to modernise family justice services and put children's welfare at the centre of proceedings. Democracies cannot operate behind closed doors. A judicial system that operates largely behind closed doors will struggle to command full public confidence. Where there is no visibility, inconsistency, poor decision-making and a lack of resources can grow unchecked. It is the same with many of the matters we discuss. When members of the public cannot see exactly what we are doing in this House and do not understand the decisions we are making, that does not add to confidence among them and it creates mistrust. That is why I welcome many of the proceedings that have taken place and how much more open we have been in our State. We need stronger standards regarding and oversight of court-appointed experts and clearer training pathways for An Garda Síochána. One of the things I will continue to push for is more investment in local family resource centres across north Dublin. The people in those centres are doing the work on the ground, they understand what cases involve and they are preventing certain things from happening. Families deserve privacy but they also deserve transparency and accountability. They also need to have confidence in the system. I trust the Minister and believe that he will examine this matter. Achieving a balance is possible. The other countries to which I refer are showing that this can be done. There are studies and data which show that it is beneficial. We must, as other Deputies mentioned, show political will and catch up.

Sentiment score: 0.09