Results 21-40 of 1,122,681 for in 'Dáil debates' OR (speaker:Pádraig Mac Lochlainn OR speaker:Mary Butler OR speaker:Martin Kenny OR speaker:James O'Connor OR speaker:Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire OR speaker:Dessie Ellis OR speaker:Pearse Doherty OR speaker:Aengus Ó Snodaigh OR speaker:Pippa Hackett OR speaker:Chris Andrews OR speaker:Seán Canney OR speaker:Chris Andrews6 OR speaker:Robert Troy OR speaker:Alan Kelly OR speaker:John McGuinness OR speaker:Aengus Ó Snodaigh3 OR speaker:Danny Healy-Rae OR speaker:Marc MacSharry OR speaker:Aengus Ó Snodaigh20 OR speaker:James Lawless OR speaker:Charlie McConalogue OR speaker:Marian Harkin OR speaker:Michael McGrath OR speaker:Aengus Ó Snodaigh32) in 'Committee meetings'

Child Protection: Statements (15 Oct 2024)

Mattie McGrath: As I said last week in the Dáil when these statements was called for, they represent brinkmanship and showmanship from the Government trying to get one over on Sinn Féin. It was as naked and blatant as that. When there are children in State care, children who have gone missing and children who have been failed by Tusla and by the Government, the Government should be ashamed of...

Child Protection: Statements (15 Oct 2024)

Michael Healy-Rae: It is wrong that the issue of the protection of children is being used as some sort of vehicle for getting at Sinn Féin. I am no spokesperson for Sinn Féin but I do not want to this being used in the way that I feel it is being used. I do not agree with that. It does not sit well with me. Child protection in Ireland has been a critical issue especially in the light of recent...

Child Protection: Statements (15 Oct 2024)

Danny Healy-Rae: I am glad to get an opportunity. I regret that this debate is taking place around this political row that is going on. I do not think it is right. It does not sit right for me. The timing of this does not appear to be right. No one of us here would stand for the abuse or neglect of children. They are the most vulnerable in our society and we must seek to protect them at all times. I...

Child Protection: Statements (15 Oct 2024)

Richard O'Donoghue: We have seen media reports of Sinn Féin's kangaroo courts and how they were doing their things. I see today that the Government is trying to do the same type of thing. All of us here are 100% for child protection. Trying to use it for media spin and political gain is the wrong thing to do. We are here to protect children. That is what we are here to do. This kangaroo court system...

Child Protection: Statements (15 Oct 2024)

Peadar Tóibín: The last number of weeks have been shocking to people. The scandals that have emanated from Sinn Féin daily have been incredible. The conviction of an ex-Sinn Féin press officer, Michael McGonagle, for child sex offences has horrified people. The incredible way that it was handled is stunning. That there is not the necessary cop-on, common sense and decency for two very senior...

Child Protection: Statements (15 Oct 2024)

Holly Cairns: Child protection is a really important issue for every organisation in the country, including political parties. As politicians, we routinely hold others to account. It is unfortunate that the leader of Sinn Féin has now left. I appreciate that she came here today to bring more transparency to what is happening in her party but I have to highlight her glossing over of the glowing...

Child Protection: Statements (15 Oct 2024)

Paul Murphy: The Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, opened by saying that child protection is simply too important to be used as a political football. In fairness to the Minister, he did not engage in political football through his speech. He set out some issues regarding child protection, which I will get into because his Department's approach is very inadequate. That approach of not using this issue as a...

Child Protection: Statements (15 Oct 2024)

Colm Brophy: The Deputy is in no position to say that.

Child Protection: Statements (15 Oct 2024)

Mary Lou McDonald: The political cut and thrust-----

Child Protection: Statements (15 Oct 2024)

Colm Brophy: The Deputy is in no position to say that.

Child Protection: Statements (15 Oct 2024)

Mary Lou McDonald: The political cut and thrust can be bruising, and I accept that this comes with the territory, but as we now get ready to go to the people and as we ask people for their votes and their trust, we should remember there is a fundamental responsibility to the children and young people at the centre of these matters and that responsibility, and that responsibility alone, should be the priority...

Child Protection: Statements (15 Oct 2024)

Ivana Bacik: In any discussion of child protection, we must think first of survivors and victims of childhood abuse. Their needs and rights must be front and centre. Child protection procedures are in place to protect children. That may sound self-evident but it can sometimes be lost in translation. In my previous life as a practising lawyer, I had the experience of representing survivors of abuse in...

Child Protection: Statements (15 Oct 2024)

Mary Lou McDonald: I take the issue of child protection very seriously. There is nothing more important than protecting the safety and well-being of children and responding effectively when they are harmed. Ensuring that children are safe and cared for is a responsibility we all share, no matter who we are or our walk of life. It is something in which I passionately believe as a public representative, as the...

Child Protection: Statements (15 Oct 2024)

Anne Rabbitte: One rotten apple spoils the barrel, or so the saying goes, but it should not. Every party, like every large organisation, is going to have members with history, problems and secrets. The true measure of a party is not about whether it has these rotten apples, it is how it deals with them. Nowhere is this more critical than when it comes to the safety and protection of our children. What...

Child Protection: Statements (15 Oct 2024)

Catherine Connolly: There are three more speakers on the Government side, one of whom is not here. Somebody might clarify that. The next speaker is Deputy Brophy. He has two minutes.

Child Protection: Statements (15 Oct 2024)

Colm Brophy: I am sorry to say this in many ways but the Sinn Féin ethos we now see, which is so clear, is the ethos of "protect the party at all costs", even if that means child protection is put into a distant second place. That is a totally unacceptable ethos for any party. Sinn Féin has sent out its representatives including its party leader in recent days to peddle what amount, I believe,...

Child Protection: Statements (15 Oct 2024)

Ciarán Cannon: Let us be honest - we can no longer describe Sinn Féin as a party to be trusted in managing any aspect of child protection or child welfare. In fact, it is emerging to be must closer to a secret society where protecting the organisation is absolutely paramount above all other considerations including the welfare of children and teenagers. All we need to do is look at its track record...

Child Protection: Statements (15 Oct 2024)

Child Protection: Statements (15 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I will begin by stating the absolutely central importance of child protection. While central to work in my Department, it must be something that every one of us is cognisant of and takes with the utmost seriousness. It is simply too important to be used as a political football. Tusla, which falls within the remit of my Department, has a statutory duty under the Child Care Act 1991 to...

Child Protection: Statements (15 Oct 2024)

Helen McEntee: Sexual exploitation of children is one of the most grotesque and serious crimes that exist. It is a crime which causes misery in the lives of children and families. We all must do everything in our power to stamp it out. This is a growing problem, with abusers continuing to abuse positions of power and making greater use of technology and online spaces to hide and commit their crimes. ...