2025-12-18

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]

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.

The special rapporteur on child protection plays an important role in examining and reporting to Government on legal, legislative and litigation-related matters in respect of child protection. The annual reports of the special rapporteur provide important input to the development and review of child protection policy and legislation as well as an objective and independent expert view of the child protection system in Ireland. The reports have been influential in informing policy responses across government to improve the lives of children and young people. The Department has not yet received any annual report or part of any report in respect of the current term of the special rapporteur on child protection. Department officials are engaging on an ongoing basis with the special rapporteur on the matter of the submission of the annual reports prior to the completion of the rapporteur's term of office on 31 January 2026. The special rapporteur has indicated that she expects to submit a report in respect of the period 1 February 2023 to 31 December 2024 imminently. She has indicated that this report will also include her observations and important developments from July 2022 to January 2023, before her term of office commenced. The special rapporteur has also indicated that an annual report in respect of 2025 will be delivered by the end of March 2026. The annual reports of previous special rapporteurs have tended to cover a wide range of policy areas and certain commentary and recommendations relating to several Departments and agencies. Once submitted, a copy of the report will be provided to all relevant Departments for appropriate review. On completion of this review process, I will submit the report to Cabinet for approval to publish. Once approved, the report will be laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas and published on the Department's website. With the end of the current term of the special rapporteur approaching, I recently secured Cabinet approval to fill the position of the next special rapporteur on child protection for a two-year term. It is my intention to progress the selection of the nominee for the position by way of an open competition run in conjunction with publicjobs.ie as soon as possible.

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?

I thank the Deputy. I want to be clear. I acknowledge the work of the special rapporteur. I have engaged with her and she has made herself available. I acknowledge that there has been considerable engagement between the Department and the special rapporteur on making the reports available in a timely manner. The special rapporteur has indicated that she expects to submit her report for the period February 2023 to December 2024 imminently. She has indicated that the report will include observations on a period in which she was not in office, namely the period from July 2022 to January 2023. She has also indicated that an annual report in respect of 2025 will be delivered by the end of March 2026.

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.

Again, I appreciate the Deputy raising of the question. I accept the word of the special rapporteur that she will present the report for February 2023 to December 2024 imminently and that she will furnish the report for the period July 2022 to January 2023 before the end of her term of office. The annual report for 2025 will be delivered in March 2026. I expect that will be done with priority.