Kathleen Funchion praises Ombudsman for Children's independence

Thanks very much Ciancorla and thanks for accommodating me. So since its establishment in 2004 the Office of the Ombudsman for Children has played a pivotal role in promoting and further enhancing the welfare and rights of children in Ireland. I'd like to commend the current Ombudsman Dr Niall Muldoon for the work he has overseen over the past six years. I often speak to people obviously as part of all of us are in the same situation as part of our work and I frequently hear complimentary and positive feedback about the office and the work that they do. Dr Muldoon leads an office that is open, approachable and transparent and I'd like to take this opportunity to commend him for the leadership he has shown in the role and I think it says something about the office that he runs that everybody seems to be in agreement here today which is great. The importance of independence from government from any external pressure is so important to the essential function of the work of the Ombudsman. I certainly think Dr Muldoon's background in clinical psychology and child protection makes me very qualified to ensure children are properly respected and listened to. There have been several important pieces of work from the Ombudsman's office. The most recent report, The Unmet Needs in October last year examined the challenges faced by children who require an assessment of their needs. The findings of this report were stark and raised serious concerns around the ongoing violations by this government of the rights of children with disabilities and made a series of recommendations. The Ombudsman appeared before the Children's Committee recently and he was scathing of the government's record in addressing lengthy delays faced by children and their families. Extensive delays despite the legal requirement to begin an assessment of needs within three months of receiving an application. This report showed the Ombudsman's office was a strong advocate for children with disabilities and their families and that they would aggressively pursue the rights of children which is exactly what we need the office of the Ombudsman to be. The focus of their work must be to ensure that government and government agencies take a child-centred and rights-based approach when dealing with the welfare of children. Going forward it is important that the Ombudsman continues to highlight the rights of the child, their right to education, their right to live in a safe home, their right to health care, to food and nutrition. and their right to practice their religion or culture or speak their own language and to be empowered to the best version of themselves. The most recent work on life in lockdown for children living in direct provision during the COVID-19 pandemic shows the importance of the independence of the office. There is little doubt that direct provision poses many challenges for children normally, let alone during a pandemic. It is so important that children in Ireland are given every opportunity to enjoy safe, fulfilling and happy lives. This is particularly significant as we reflect collectively on the past few weeks in particular regarding everything in relation to the mother and baby institutions. It is evident to all that we have a fairly shameful track record when it comes to defending the rights of children in this country. The work of the Ombudsman must robustly challenge the government of the day. It must hold ministers and departments to account and it must not simply be a talking shop. It needs to examine and expose wrongdoing when it feels that children's rights have been violated. It is so important that children's rights are promoted and protected in the actions and decisions of government bodies including hospitals, schools, child protection services. The service is easy for children and their families to use and provides an impartial and safe environment for children and their families to raise concerns. So I would just appeal to the minister and other government representatives to please listen to the work of the Ombudsman and his office as they really have been doing excellent work. And I wish them every success with it in the future. Thank you.