2025-12-18

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]

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.

This is very similar to the issue raised by the Deputy's colleague. I reiterate that any case relating to a missing child is of enormous concern to all of us and is a priority for all of us because we know that at the heart of it is a child and child welfare. All of us share in the sense of devastation and loss that a child could be missing for such a long time. The national review panel delivered its report on the review of the Kyran Durnin case on 29 October. I was always clear that it was my personal wish that the details would only be published if it were not to the detriment of an ongoing Garda investigation and that I would seek the advice and wisdom of the expert legal authority, the Attorney General. On seeking that advice, the Attorney General recommended or determined that it would not be possible at this particular time, given the ongoing Garda investigation, to publish the report in full because it had the potential to prejudice any future potential prosecutions. He has also said that it may be possible to publish the report at a future date but that would obviously be on the advice of the Attorney General and the DPP. What has been agreed on foot of the Attorney General's advice is that the recommendations in the report would be published. As I have said, they were published on 3 December. The recommendations fall to a number of different Departments and agencies to implement. As Deputy Ó Murchú outlined, they involve: the tracking of pupil movements North and South; review of GDPR; guidance to social workers; development of procedures for wait-list management; development of a framework for quality assurance, monitoring and review, and outcome measurement for family support provider agencies; and review of the Tusla and Garda Síochána protocol. The Department is engaging with all the relevant Departments and Government agencies, including Tusla, on the implementation of the recommendations relevant to them. I can confirm to the House that Tusla has already commenced the process to implement the recommendations that come under its remit. I am clear that the implementation of the recommendations should be completed as soon as possible and that has been advised to all the Departments and agencies involved.

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.

The recommendations were issued on 3 December. There has been a genuine willingness from all the Departments and agencies to move with haste and priority, but also to do it right. I chaired a cross-departmental meeting on moving forward with the sharing of information and ensuring that this duty to co-operate can very much come into being. Outside of the work under way in the Department, that interdepartmental group is seeking opportunities for the sharing of information that one Department has and where there might be gaps in another Department. I have brought forward the Bill to update and modernise the Child Care Act. Some of the key provisions will include the introduction of the duty to co-operate with all the relevant bodies. It will also include a clear basis for the sharing of information between agencies and organisations where they work together on child protection and child welfare matters. I will also bring forward the amendment, which is important from the NRP point of view, to put it on a statutory footing. All of that is being done as a matter of priority.

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.

These recommendations were published on 3 December. From a legislative point of view, it is being given priority through my Department's work on the child care (amendment) Bill, which we move very rapidly through the House. I know that there will be very strong co-operation forthcoming from the Deputy and right across the House. We will continue to engage with all the Government agencies and Departments involved. Implementation of some of the recommendations is well advanced. In particular I am conscious of the Department of Education and Youth's North-South initiative because I have engaged in that myself. We will continue to ensure that these will be delivered as a matter of priority. It is important to recognise that some of the recommendations may be more complex than others but they will all be given priority.