Seanad Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 4 Mar 1998

Vol. 154 No. 11

Adjournment Matters. - Sale of The Big Issues .

Mrs. Ridge

I welcome the Minister to the House to hear this motion which I have tabled with great concern. There is an escalating problem of children begging and a new practice of adults begging and selling the magazine The Big Issues at major traffic intersections. Some adults, unfortunately, have very small babies tied by means of a blanket as they run from one side of the road to the other in an attempt to beg from motorists. It is difficult to believe that mothers would put their small children at risk in this manner. More than 60,000 cars per day travel along the Naas Road where I have seen this practice and the very real possibility of a tragic accident is ever present. My concern is that this practice is increasing and it appears that the adults concerned are non-nationals. Perhaps in their home countries the weather is kinder and the traffic is lighter but in Ireland it is not acceptable that an adult's or child's life should be put at risk in such circumstances.

Begging has got completely out of hand. It is an offence and while I do not want to see either children or their parents detained, it is time that some workable sanctions were introduced against adults who force or persuade their children to beg. I refer also to the practice of some of the travelling fraternity of driving a van load of children to the centre of Dublin city early in the morning, giving them their allocated pitch for the day and collecting them in the evening. This is an escalating practice. The Garda can arrest these children but they cannot be expected to babysit them in a Garda station. I do not want to sound Dickensian or draconian but I try to imagine what it is like for a small child to beg on the streets in the weather we have today. I am sure, even today, one would find small children sitting on a street with a shoe box in front of them doing their stint on the begging rota.

Have the refugee agencies advised refugees and asylum seekers that this practice is unacceptable in Ireland? I am not racist or anti-traveller. I include in my condemnation all members of the public who force or persuade their children to beg. I accept that it is difficult to enforce the law in this area but can we tolerate the escalation of this problem until Dublin is known as a city of beggars? If one walks down Grafton Street one will be approached, perhaps three times, by beggars, not always but too frequently by children. We must have an intervention mechanism so that these children can be saved from such a horrible life. The parents must be advised and monitored to ensure that they do not abuse their children. A liaison procedure with the Garda and school attendance officers must be established.

We speak of cherishing children. These are perishing children. I saw the same woman begging at the intersection on the Naas road in the freezing weather again today. This is a tragic and dreadful circumstance which must not be ignored. I will continue to raise this issue and I will not allow it to be ignored. We owe these young citizens a fair chance and they are not getting it.

Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Mr. O'Donoghue)

I would like to thank Senator Ridge for raising this issue and for giving me the opportunity to express my concern about the dangerous practice to which she has drawn attention. I acknowledge and respect the humanitarian motives which underly Senator Ridge's concern in this matter.

I am informed by the Garda authorities that when incidents of this nature come to their attention or are reported to them they take appropriate action. This may, in the first instance, involve the provision of advice or a warning about the dangers involved. If necessary, the Garda may avail of the relevant provisions of the Casual Trading Act, 1995, the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act, 1994, or the Child Care Act, 1991. I am further informed by the Garda authorities that if persons persist in these activities, despite having being the subject of Garda attention by way of advice or warning, they may also be dealt with under the provisions of the Road Traffic Acts, 1961 to 1995, and under general by-laws which place an obligation on pedestrians to exercise care, and to avoid danger or inconvenience to themselves or to other road users.

The Senator will appreciate that the primary onus is on an individual to ensure that a child in their care is not placed in any situation which could be injurious to their health and well being. Nevertheless, I assure her that the Garda authorities take all necessary measures — and will continue to do so — to ensure that no child remains at risk, whether by way of advice or caution and, if necessary, the appropriate legislation to which I referred. In the final analysis, however, the responsibility is on the parent or guardian to ensure the safety on the roads of his or her child.

There is possibly no need for me say so but it is important that people who see children endangered in the manner described by Senator Ridge should report it to the appropriate authorities in the interests of the children concerned. It is a matter of grave concern that children should be placed in danger in this way. I thank Senator Ridge for raising this matter in the House and giving it the profile it deserves. I am sure good will come of her actions.