Vol. 488 No. 4
204 Mr. Currie asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will outline, further to Parliamentary Question No. 610 of 28 January 1998 regarding the measures announced by his predecessor in response to the consultation process on mandatory reporting, the reason he did not make any reference to the central feature of that statement which was an ombudsman for children; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6446/98]
As I recall on 28 January last the Deputy asked "the measures if any, announced by the previous Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children in his statement of 23 December 1996, in response to the consultation process on mandatory reporting, which have been implemented to date; when he expects the remainder to be implemented; and if he will make a statement on the matter." In my response to the Deputy I dealt with the specific initiatives set out in the Putting Children First document published in December 1996 and the timeframe for their implementation.
I am aware that the Deputy, in his capacity as Minister of State with special responsibility for children, also indicated in that document his commitment to the principle of the establishment of an ombudsman for children. In terms of the resources available to me in 1998, I have identified the establishment of a social services inspectorate as a top priority and accordingly I propose establishing the inspectorate this year.
However, I am committed to the appointment of an ombudsman for children in due course. The appointment of an ombudsman for children has implications for a number of Departments dealing with issues relating to children and it will be necessary to clarify the departmental roles and responsibilities in this regard.
