I thank the Chair for giving me the opportunity of raising this issue which concerns a slightly retarded 15 year old boy in Cork. When I raised the matter on a previous occasion the boy was 13 years old. The boy has not been to school in the meantime. Because of his poor attendance record at school, his parents were brought before the Cork District Court. They were convicted and the boy was ordered to be taken to the Bridewell in Cork and subsequently to Saint Michael's in Dublin for assessment. Following which the boy was returned to Cork. That was an alarming outcome but I understand that safeguards were put in place to ensure that a case of that kind would not be dealt with in that way again.
The boy still does not have a school to go to. A number of public bodies have a statutory obligation to this young lad. The Minister's Department has a major responsibility but has failed to find a place for him. The Southern Health Board also has a role but except for an occasional visit from a sympathetic social worker no action has been taken by it. It suggested that the boy be sent to a residential home in Cork but that was rejected by the parents as being totally unsuitable.
When the matter was raised by me, in a newspaper recently, without mentioning the name of the boy, the local school attendance officer took umbrage and said it was his statutory obligation, and his alone, to deal with the case. If that is so, why did he not deal with it in the past two years? The voluntary organisations were asked to help, but they, being starved of funding for some years now, are ill-equipped to deal with such problems. It is shameful that we can speak so highly of the rights of children and yet leave a 15 year old boy languishing at home for such a long time, abandoned by the State and by a system that is seen to be ineffective. I would ask the Minister to come to the help of this young person. I know there is a broader issue involved but something must be done to deal with this case. The Minister should give some sign of hope to the family in her reply.