Paul Murphy demands answers on Child Law Project funding gap
Paul Murphy pressed the minister over the suspension of the Child Law Project's court reporting after funding ended, demanding clarity on when funding and reporting will restart. He argued the unexplained gap is unacceptable and raised the possibility of political pressure or chronic underfunding behind the pause.
Funding and reporting timeline
The current court reporting contract began in November 2021 and expired on 31 October. The department provided 600,000 euro for that period; the Child Law Project ceased attending proceedings in June, published a final volume of court reports on 8 July, and its final analytical report for this phase is due on 4 November. The minister said the department is prioritising a new procurement process and intends a new phase of court reporting to commence in January next year.
Minister's engagement and proposed agency committee
The minister affirmed the Child Law Project's value, saying he has met the group repeatedly, launched some of its reports and drawn direct lessons from its work. He said one response has been to convene a committee of statutory agencies - bringing together the HSE, Tusla, Garda Siakana and the department of health - to drive better cooperation and accountability between agencies for the protection of children.
Deputy's concerns and case headlines cited
Paul Murphy read headlines from the project's last volume to underline the stakes - examples included statutory agencies not working together in the case of an autistic teenager, a judge joining a CAMHS notice party over a child left on a priority list for over 18 months, cases re-entered because no allocated social worker, and multiple reports of a special care system in crisis and lack of beds. He asked whether the funding gap was intended to pressure the project to "tone it down" or whether it reflected underfunding and low priority for child protection.
Outstanding questions and follow-up actions
The minister rejected the suggestion of political pressure and reiterated the intention to restart reporting in January, while acknowledging the delay. Deputies sought details on the timing of the new tendering process and asked about restrictions on intervention in family law litigation; the minister said he would respond in writing on that latter point. The central unresolved issue remains the gap in reporting between June and the planned restart.
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The Child Law Project has done extremely important work in shining a light on the multiple ways in which the State fails children, fails vulnerable children in particular, however there has been no reporting of childcare proceedings since June because the Minister ended funding for the Child Law Project. Can you tell us when funding will restart, reporting can recommence in particular, can you tell us that it will happen before the coming election? Thanks very much Deputy, my department renews the court reporting project periodically through a competitive tendering process and the current iteration of the court reporting project began in November 2021 and expires on the 31st of October this year and over which period funding of 600,000 euro was provided to the child care law reporting project. My department is currently prioritising the development of a new procurement process and it intends that a new phase of court reporting will commence in January of next year. The current iteration of the project has been delivered by the child law reporting project who were successful in their tender application in 2021 and in accordance with the funding agreement and the work plan under this iteration of the project, the CLP ceased attending proceedings in June of this year and published a final volume of court reports in relation to this period on the 8th of July and the final analytical report for this phase is due for publication on the 4th of November. I've met the child law project a number of time over the lifetime of this government, its work is hugely valuable, its work is instructive to my department, to TUSLA, to a whole range of government departments and state agencies. I've been involved as I say with their work and I've been involved as I say with their work and I have met them a number of times, launched some of their reports and just sat down with them and heard I suppose firsthand the types of cases that they're experiencing. There is a delay, I recognise that and I have told my departmental officials to prioritise the new tendering process and as I say, I'm confident that reporting will be back in January of next year. The question that's begged is why is there this delay? This was foreseeable, the period was coming to an end, there was going to be a new tendering process, so why this at the very least gap in funding? I'll read a selection of headlines from the last volume of reports from the child law project, it includes court hears of a spectacular example of statutory agencies not working together in case of autistic teenager, judge joins CAMHS's notice party to explain why a child on priority list for over 18 months had not received any service, large number of cases re-entered in Dublin District Court because no allocated social worker, special care system in crisis, lack of special care beds, a tsunami about to reach shore and nothing is being done, high court judge, court hears of lack of special care bed for boy missing in care, judge outlines questions for SEAs, no bed for very vulnerable girl under special care order, allegations she had been raped while in care, fear of exploitation, judge, this is the worst case I've ever come across. So important work, shedding a light, question has to be asked, is this gap in funding, delay in funding effectively an attempt to lean on the child law project to say, tone it down, don't be being so critical of the state? It's not deputy, the child law reporting project, as I say, is hugely important in shining a light on where the state fails, and we learn from that, one of the responses I've made to the work that it has done, and my engagement with other NGOs working in this area, is that we've convened a new committee of statutory agencies, bringing them together, bringing them together, bringing together HSE, Tusla, Garda Siakana, my department, the department of health, because too often, the types of headlines that you've called out, the experiences that the experiences that children have, is because state agencies aren't working together, that state agencies are minding their patch, and not prepared to kind of step outside in urgent situations. So that's why we're bringing together this committee, where individual state agencies can be called to account, and can actually be driven to cooperate better with each other, for the betterment of children, and that sort of knowledge is coming directly from the work of the child law report project. Thanks. I still don't think we have an adequate explanation of why. Again, this is not a surprise, the period of funding was going to run out, there was going to be a new tender process, and yet there's a gap. And there's two possible explanations. One is the political motivation of leaning on them, you're saying that's not the case. But the other explanation is no more satisfactory, it's about underfunding, understaffing of the Department of Children, and low priority being given to child protection. They're the two possible explanations. Neither of them look good in terms of the priorities of this government. And just to go back to, you said that the funding will be in place by January of next year. And does that mean that the tendering process is going to start, presumably very, very shortly? You might tell us when that tendering process will open. Thanks Before the minister comes in... Deputy Dirk Deputy Dirk Can I ask the minister if you might indicate the extent, if any, to which intervention on behalf of children is restricted, where the child or children are the subject matter of litigation in the family law courts and if the in-camera rule has restricted the ability of Tusla to intercede on their behalf. A supplemental question to this question. A supplemental question to this question. Thanks Deputy Durkin, I need just maybe to come back to you on that one, just in terms of being able to give you a comprehensive answer, if that's alright, I can come back to you in writing on that. Yes, the tendering process will be issued, Deputy Murphy, in November. I met the child's law reporting project in March. I set out, we're looking in the future, we brought in the assisted decision-making legislation, that also has a reporting element as well. At some stage in the future we may tender the two together, child's law reporting, assisted decision-making reporting together. In the interim, what we said, we can't just, even though they do amazing work, we can't just award them the contract, there has to be a tendering. So that's why there is a shorter, it's usually a three-year process, this year will be a one-year process to bring us to a position where we may amalgamate the two. And it was that change in approach that has led to delays. I'm not happy about that. There's been criticism of it. It's entirely justified the criticism, but I will assure you that the funding is in place. The tendering process will open in November. It's a truncated process, and I believe we'll see reporting in January of next year.
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