Bhí mé ag éisteacht leis na Teachtaí go léir agus bhí mé ag scríobh agus iad ag caint. Aontaím le go leor de na rudaí atá ráite agus leis an méid a dúirt an Teachta Farrelly faoi Tusla agus an obair ar fad atá déanta ann. We have done all the work in that sense and completely demolishing it would be counterproductive. I commend Deputy O’Flynn. The motion goes to the heart of the most serious responsibilities the State has and that we all have as public representatives, which is the protection of children. The motion is not coming out of nowhere. Across the House, even in my own constituency, we have heard the continuous warnings and about the years of pressure on the system, with reports and families that I represent feeling unheard. I will refer later to a particular incident. It is real and I feel it in the areas I represent. People have reached out to my office ahead of the debate. They have been trying to get answers and to navigate a system which they feel is stretched and difficult to get answers from. I commend the Minister of State on her work on this. Over her entire career she has definitely been on the right side. I read replies to parliamentary questions prior to the debate and saw that Tusla received thousands of child-protection referrals. There were 22,000 open cases of which over one quarter waiting to be allocated. They are real children and families we all represent just waiting. Children do not need more bureaucracy or motions but implementation on the ground. The motion is pushing for that. When the system cannot respond in time, the consequences are serious. Multiple people have contacted my office. I was trying to contact one in particular but I do not have their permission so I will not mention their name. Their confidence was shaken when they went back to re-examine the case. It shows reform is needed. What I really want is delivery. Who is accountable? Who can be challenged? Who can act quickly enough when a child is at risk? I want to raise a specific case I have raised in this House three times. I would love for the Minister of State to take it on board. It relates to Tusla but it also relates to children, the State and the past as well. If something was not working in the past and has not been changed or explained we need to reform it. We need to reform it. We need stronger accountability and greater oversight. Reports are not worth anything if no one is going to implement them. If we are serious about solving this, we need to focus on what will make a difference. I have raised in the House a matter brought to me by a constituent, Mick Finnegan who has seen this through his work in relation to St. John Ambulance and how safeguarding concerns persist without an independent verification. It is not acceptable that children and young adults who were abused by members of St. John Ambulance are still waiting for answers. I would love the Minister to look into the case of Mick Finnegan and St. John Ambulance. This is the fourth time I have raised this matter in the House. I have followed up with the Department and it feels like it is not moving at a pace that is quick enough for the survivors. This is not political point scoring and I know the Minister of State will definitely chase this up. I am representing people in my constituency who want answers for what happened to them when they were young. I would love to see accountability and answers from St. John Ambulance for the people that I represent. They do not want this pushed back or kicked down the road. They want accountability for when the system failed and they want the people who abused the system to be punished rightfully.

Sentiment score: 0.07