The Fine Gael Spokesperson for Children, Alan Shatter TD, has proposed a number of actions to put children at the forefront of Government thinking instead of an afterthought.
- In 2008 the HSE ignored and failed to investigate 9,304 reports made to it of children at risk;
- The 1999 Children First Child Protection Guidelines are still not uniformly applied across the country; and
- Reports into the deaths of children in care continue to be suppressed, despite various promises of publication made by the Minister for Children.
Fine Gael Position
Ryan Report: The Government must publish the Report of the Committee which addressed the making of additional financial contributions by religious orders & congregations for the victims’ of institutional child abuse. Furthermore, legislation is urgently needed to address the making of additional financial contributions by religious orders and congregations for the benefit of victims of institutional child abuse.
Murphy Report:
- The work of the Commission should be extended to other Dioceses in the Country.
- A dedicated Special Unit of the Gardai should be set up to investigate matters relating to clerical child sex abuse. This should be in addition to the existing Domestic Violence / sexual assault investigation unit.
- An investigation to establish whether a paedophile ring existed within the Catholic Church should be established.
- Where the law permits, people who broke the law or aided and abetted in breaking the law should be subject to criminal proceedings.
- The Government must introduce legislation to amend the Statute of Limitations Acts 1957 and 2000. Such legislation will facilitate victims of clerical abuse to seek compensation who did not do so in the past because they lacked the strength to do battle with the Church or felt that they would not be believed as they could not prove their allegations due to lack of access to Church records.
Deaths of Children in Care: Fine Gael has called on the Minister for Children to publish in full all existing reports into the deaths of children in care and to guarantee that a proper independent and transparent investigation will take place into the death of any child at risk or who dies while in State care.
Child Protection Guidelines: The Government must immediately prioritise this legislation and ensure that Child Protection Guidelines are given statutory effect in 2010.
Soft Information: Legislation for the use of soft information for vetting purposes was first called for in the Ferns Report in 2005. The Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children’s Rights in its September 2008 Report reiterated the need for this legislation & called for it to be published by December 2008. This still has not happened. This legislation must be published & enacted as a priority.
Children’s Referendum: The Government must give a commitment to hold a constitutional referendum in 2010 to give express recognition to children’s rights and to reinstate the criminal offence of statutory rape.
Family Courts: Fine Gael believes that a unified and separate specialist system of family courts should be created, having due regard to the State's budgetary situation, with specialised Judges to deal with all aspects of matrimonial, family and children's law.
Reform: Fine Gael believes the time has come to radically reform the workings of both the Department for Children and the statutory structure in place for the delivery of our Child Protection Services. There is a need to provide a fully integrated and responsive child friendly and effective service that is appropriately transparent and properly accountable.
For more detailed information on the Fine Gael position on the matters outlined above please see:
Alan Shatter TD Murphy Report Speech
Alan Shatter TD Ryan Report Speech
Alan Shatter TD Ard Fheis Speech
Fine Gael Minority Report on Statutory Rape
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