15. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will respond to a HIQA report published following an inspection of Tusla services in Dublin north city; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [71909/25]
Sentiment score: 0.01
I want to give the Minister the opportunity to respond to the HIQA report that has been published recently in relation to Tusla services in Dublin north city.
Sentiment score: 0.48
I am glad to hear, and obviously the Minister has had it confirmed, that progress has been made in relation to the very serious findings not only in the initial inspection in April 2024 but also when HIQA went in well over a year later in June 2025 and things were not much improved at all. One example HIQA gave was a child with a disability who was non-verbal awaiting completion of a preliminary inquiry and safety planning for over two months. It reminded me, I have to say, of the Grace case - a non-verbal child with a disability waiting two months. Many other examples were given. There was an allegation of physical abuse by a parent against a child and they waited over four weeks. It was found the service was not safe, adequate or timely and where the screening for Tusla is supposed to be 24 hours, it was taking six months. I welcome if it is now two days. The likes of these cases really need to be checked on. We know the service also said things were done that were not done which was found when the inspection follow-up took place. I ask that a really close eye is kept on this.
Sentiment score: 0.08
When the word "allocated" is used, the figures look like a child is allocated to a social worker and therefore getting support but we also know from the HIQA report that some children were allocated to staff on extended statutory leave and had received no contact. We need to be careful in relation to what "allocated" actually means and that it is not just that a case is allocated but the case and the child concerned in that case is actually being seen and getting the support needed. There is also a need for consistent oversight. The HIQA report stated, "It was a significant concern, given that the significant risk’s identified in the April 2024 inspection, that the Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) returned by the provider in advance of the [June 2025] inspection had deemed the service area to be substantially compliant ..." Of course, it was not. HIQA was misled. I would like to take the opportunity to acknowledge the very many good social workers but where they do not have the resources, their hands are tied. This should be a lesson to all of us in terms of what can go on in some of these services. Consistent oversight is needed.
Sentiment score: 0.18
18. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality when a report by the special rapporteur on child protection will be published; if part of the annual report has been furnished to her; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [71911/25]
Sentiment score: 0.14
I want to ask the Minister about the awaited annual reports from the special rapporteur on child protection and when they will be published. The special rapporteur was appointed in February 2023; it is now almost 2026. It is actually coming to the end of her term and we have not seen any report whatsoever unless the Minister has. I would appreciate an update on this.
Sentiment score: 0.31
Unless I am missing something, the Minister should have received by now an annual report from somebody who was appointed in February 2023 and who is almost at the end of her three-year term. I would have expected the reports to have been annual. I take the Minister’s point entirely that the role is extremely important. It is about our child protection system in Ireland. There are few things more important, particularly in the Minister’s Department. Was there an expectation or a timeline concerning annual reports when the position was filled in February 2023? Has she raised the issue of having no annual report as we come to the end of the three-year term?
Sentiment score: -0.01
I thank the Minister. I appreciate that the special rapporteur is considering the year before she took up her role. It would be great to see the reports from her term in the first instance, but I welcome that the reports are imminent, if that is the case. I find it bizarre that, despite someone being appointed to the role in February 2023, we are now almost at the end of her term and still have not had an annual report. I hope that with the next appointment, we will have annual reports. As the Minister said, this is a really important body of work. I cannot fathom how, despite somebody’s having been appointed in February 2023 in the expectation that they would publish three annual reports, we have not had a single annual report at the end the person’s three-year term. I ask that for the next term, which the Minister has said will be two years, a time frame be put in place so an annual report can be expected annually.
Sentiment score: 0.27
32. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the timeframe for implementation for each of the recommendations made by the national review panel following its examination of the case of a child (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [71912/25]
Sentiment score: 0.01
I ask the Minister for a timeframe for the implementation of the recent recommendations that have been published by the national review panel. Given the Kyran Durnin case, which the NRPl examined, it is really important that we have a very clear timeframe for when each of these recommendations must be implemented.
Sentiment score: 0.31
With a number of Departments and agencies involved, it is really important that one person has oversight for ensuring that each of the recommendations is implemented as quickly as possible. I imagine that recommendations such as guidance, reviewing the protocol between the Garda and Tusla, and reviews of GDPR should all be initiated very quickly and some of them will be able to be implemented very quickly. Given the nature of the review panel's work, it is really important that we have a clear timeline for each of the Departments and the agencies involved so they are working to a specific timeframe to complete the work that needs to be done. That would be really important given we are going to see further recommendations from further reviews of the NRP. That makes it really important that the ones we have in front of us now are implemented as quickly as possible. It goes without saying that is exactly what the Minister wants. When a number of agencies and Departments are involved, a timeframe would be helpful.
Sentiment score: 0.30
I appreciate all of that and I thank the Minister for those updates. It would be really helpful for her to provide to the Departments and agencies involved a time frame to ensure that each of the recommendations made by the national review panel is met. As I said, we will get further recommendations and more work is needed in these areas. That is why it is so important to have a clear and specific timeframe that the Department and agencies, particularly Tusla, are working towards. These recommendations need to be implemented as quickly as possible; nobody disagrees with that. As the Minister in this Department, she should provide them with a time frame for this really important work.
Sentiment score: 0.31