Peadar Tóibín demands end to Túsla emergency placements

Go raibh míle maith agat a Ceann Comhairle. At Tánaiste last night, RTE Investigates broadcast a shocking report on Túsla and children in state care. This is something that we in Ainto have been raising solidly for the last five years. The report at Tánaiste was obscene. Young children are being taken from very difficult backgrounds, from their parents, and they're being placed into special emergency arrangements. These are often unregulated, often have staff that are unvetted, and some of those staff don't even have references. Now, children are being located in apartments and hotel rooms, and they're being moved around on a regular basis. In short spaces of time, a child could be in 20 separate locations. Children are sleeping in car parks. They're sleeping in broken-down cars. They're being groomed by crack cocaine dealers. Children are being sexually abused while in the care of Túsla. Children are being raped in the care of Túsla and known to Túsla at the moment. This was reported last night. Now, we've uncovered a harrowing case of a 14-year-old girl who went missing from Túsla just 24 hours after she was placed there. The child was missing for an entire year. She was found then in a brothel. She was a victim of unimaginable exploitation when she was supposedly in your government's protection. Now, the minister has refused, in a follow-up question by ourselves, to answer, has anybody ever been prosecuted for the trafficking and exploitation of that child? Now, children are being killed in the care of Túsla and known to Túsla. 235 children known to Child Protection Services have been killed in the last 12 years. 13 homicides. 38 deaths as a result of suicide. And, under another parliamentary question from ourselves, 8 children were killed just so far this year, known to Túsla or in the care of Túsla. Now, Judge John Jordan said some of these failures are outrageous and affront to the rule of law. And he warns that Túsla is extraordinarily exposed to significant future compensation claims as a result of the harm that's been done to these children. Judge John Campbell stated that he was incandescent with rage that a secure bed could not be found with a child deemed at risk of death. Now, he noted also that children who should be getting ready for Santa Claus were being placed in unregulated placements. Judge Sims provided three documents, three important documents, to the last Minister for Children, Roger Gorman, which were shredded. Now, I believe that this is one of the most disgusting, shocking scandals that has happened to children in the history of this state. And when I raised this first in the Dáil four or five years ago, it was so horrendous I was sure that the government would put an end to these special emergency arrangements. They haven't. It's actually getting worse. Will you today give a commitment and give a date that you will end the special emergency arrangements in this country? Thank you, Tánaiste, please. Go raibh maith agat, Ceann Comhairle. I want to thank the Deputy for raising last night's programme. I know it's been a programme that has been extraordinarily difficult for people across the country to watch. But first and foremost, I want to thank the young people who came forward and shared their experience of the care system. It takes a lot of courage, a lot of bravery to do so and to do so in such a public manner. I want to commend ORTI Investigates for the work that they've done in relation to this. And they've highlighted a number of very challenging cases and indeed upsetting cases where vulnerable children who the state should support and protect. Of that, there's no doubt. Listening to some of the negative experiences, but quite frankly, that doesn't capture it. Listening to some of the horrors that some very vulnerable children have endured while entrusted in the care of our state does raise, obviously, very significant questions and very significant issues. I do want to say this, though. There's very, very many fine people working in Tuisla. I don't think you're taking from that fact. And they're working in extraordinarily difficult circumstances and often with extraordinarily complex cases. And I just want to acknowledge them today as well, because they are doing good work. And I do want to say that. I think that is important to say. There's a specific issue you've raised in relation to the use of special emergency arrangements. This is effectively where the state becomes reliant on a private operator to provide accommodation in an emergency situation. It is good to see that the reliance on that is being reduced, though still too high. I think it's been reduced from around 170 children in special emergency arrangements last year to now down to 70. But Tuisla are now working to reduce that further in the coming months. I spoke to the chief executive officer of Tuisla this morning, and my understanding is there's around 69 of these centres. 19 of those centres are due to be registered from the 1st of May. There's a further plan in relation to another 19 of them as well. So I do genuinely believe Tuisla are working their way through this with a real sense of urgency. I should say this too. They've closed six centres, stopped working with them. And there's been five Garda referrals over a period of time as well. So I don't want anyone to think, when you mention some absolute horrors, as is your right in this House, I don't want anyone to think that there's any part of this country or any service within this country or any individual in this country who is beyond the reproach of Angarda Síochána or the law in this land. So connections with six centres, I think that's what the CEO said, have been ceased. And there have been five Garda referrals. There's also internal monitoring teams in Tuisla, and they've carried out, I believe, 300 visits. Now it is also true to say that there has been an increase in the number of children in requirement care. You know that too. And we have seen an increase in the number of separated children seeking international protection. That did reduce, it's reduced a lot actually now relative to where it was about a year or 18 months ago. And Tuisla is having to deal in real time with these pressures too, but it's very serious. Deputy Toby. So, Taunus, you haven't given a date. Our commitment is that these will be closed completely. The RTE Investigates programme was of great value, but there was one problem with it. The Minister for Children was invisible in that show. Tuisla is not operating in a vacuum. Tuisla is the product of your government. It is the responsibility of your Minister. The lack of funds, the lack of social workers is a policy choice by your government. And this scandal is unfolding in Tuisla. And I think it ranks up there with many of the scandals in the past. But the difference is that this is unfolding in real time for your government. And Tuisla cannot be used as some kind of insulation blanket to separate your government from the responsibility of this horror. Now you said once that you wanted this country to be the best country in the world to be a child. For many of these children, their horror shows it is one of the worst countries in the world to be a child at the moment. Children are being killed, they're being raped, they're being groomed at a cost of 14,000 euros a week to the state. When will there be accountability? When will the resources be matched to the needs? And will you give a date? Taunus to respond. Time is up, Deputy Toby. I need to be very careful here. There's extraordinarily, extraordinarily harrowing cases that deserve, require the full investigation. And there has been, I know, over a period of time, five referrals from Garda Síocháin and the Garda do their job and do it very well. But we also should acknowledge that Tuisla isn't the problem here. Tuisla are working with children in very, very vulnerable and very complex situations. And the vast majority, it's not acceptable for any child, by the way, any child to have an adverse or bad experience, not any child. But it is important to say that there's around 6,000, but it is important to say, please. It's applied to you the same as everyone. It is important to say that there's around 6,000 children in our care system living with foster parents, living in registered centres. The vast, vast majority in education and training. It's also true, in fairness to Minister Foley, who's working very hard on this matter. She secured an increase in the Tuisla budget, an increase of 177 million this year, on top of an additional 53 million in terms of, sorry, on top of additional capital funding as well. And the number of the use of these centres is decreasing. Tuisla is determined to continue to do that.