Ireland ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child on 21 September 1992. In accordance with Article 44 of the convention, Ireland is required to present reports to the committee on the rights of the child every five years. These reports must set out details of the protection afforded under Irish law to the rights guaranteed in the convention and detail how fully its provisions are being implemented. Ireland submitted its first national report to the committee in April 1996. That report was considered by the committee in Geneva on 12 and 13 January 1998 and I led the national delegation on that occasion.
The Deputy will be aware of the publication in November 2000 of Ireland's first ever national children's strategy. The strategy provides a co-ordinating framework for the future development of children's policy and services delivery, and identifies clear goals and objectives to be achieved for children over the next ten years. While Ireland's second report to the committee was due on 27 October 1999, it was felt that as work was under way in relation to the preparation of the national children's strategy, submission should await its publication, so that the latest developments could be reflected in the report. Such suggestions can be accommodated within the UN reporting system which has difficulty, due to pressure on resources in examining reports by the due date. The recently established national children's office, which was proposed in the strategy, will be responsible for the drafting of Ireland's second report.
The publication of the strategy represents substantial progress since Ireland last reported to the UN committee. The strategy addresses a number of the principal concerns expressed by the committee on the rights of the child in its concluding observations on Ireland's first report, including the suggestion that Ireland adopt a comprehensive national policy on children. Some of the key measures contained in the strategy which address concerns expressed by the UN committee include: the proposal to establish an office of Ombudsman for children, for which legislation will be brought forward shortly; measures to give children a voice and support their participation; research and information proposals to improve our knowledge about children's lives; new structures to promote better co-ordination and integration in areas which cut across departmental boundaries and to maximise collaboration between Departments, statutory and voluntary agencies and the research community and the elimination of child poverty as a strategy objective.
Tangible opportunities, focused research and specific objectives are being set to meet these goals within the time frame of the strategy.
Another concern voiced by the committee related to the area of juvenile justice. In response to some queries on the age of criminal responsibility, the Children Bill, 1999, which has completed Committee Stage in the Dáil and now awaits Report Stage, has been amended to raise the minimum age from ten to 12 years.
The Government is determined to see through all its commitments in relation to the rights of the child both within the framework of the strategy and by means of any necessary additional measures.
