Archive: 13th May 2008

Children being failed by our social service system

13th May 2008

Children Last night’s Prime Time Investigates programme on child protection services, showed the alarming extent to which children at risk of abuse or neglect are being failed by our social service system.

Perhaps the most shocking disclosure was that children regarded as Priority One cases - those most at risk of sexual or physical abuse - did not have a social worker allocated to them. We also saw where filing cabinets packed with documents relating to numerous cases, had not yet even been examined.

The programme drew attention to a particularly outrageous case where a foster parent reported evidence of sexual abuse of a child in her care, only for her warnings to be ignored. There seemed to be no action taken by the HSE and the suspected parents were allowed ongoing regular access to the child. It is quite clear that children in such cases are not being afforded the full protection to which they are entitled under the Children Act 2001.

It is little wonder that doctors and teachers who have to refer cases to social services have become so frustrated and disillusioned, when they discover that in all liklelihood, nothing will be done.

It was very disappointing to hear the response of new Minister of State Barry Andrews on Morning Ireland this morning. One might have expected that a new Minister would bring a new perspective and a new enthusiasm to the job. Instead what we got was a new voice, trotting out the same old excuses and offloading responsibility to the HSE. Where was Minister Andrews’ anger? Where was his determination to get this problem sorted out?

The reality is that children are being placed at unacceptable risk and that unless our child protection services are properly resourced many will face continued abuse or even death.

Just last week the newly-elected Taoiseach Brian Cowen told the Dail that the particular responsibility of the Govt was to “represent the interests of our young”. It’s now time for him to act on that worthy sentiment by ensuring that the HSE recruitment embargo is lifted and that an emergency programme of recruitment of social workers gets under way immediately.

More :: You can watch the ‘Prime Time Investigates’ programme on Child Protection by clicking here

‘Lisbon information meeting in Loreto, Rathfarnham’

13th May 2008

Last night, the second in our series of three meetings on the Lisbon Treaty took place at Loreto Community Centre, Nutgrove. I was extremely impressed with the turnout, which resulted in extra chairs having to be found so that everyone had a seat!

I was joined by Blair Horan of the CPSU and by Holly Kilroy, International Officer of Labour Youth.

I began the meeting by telling the audience that a vote in favour of the Lisbon Treaty will mean a strong Ireland on the European stage and a strong EU on the world stage.

“The Lisbon Treaty is not going to sort everything. But there is enough in this document for people to vote Yes on June 12th.

“The No side are rolling out arguments that have been rehashed from debates we’ve had since we voted to join the EEC in 1972. Any arguments that the EU has left items out of this treaty in order to push it through is plain wrong.”

Holly admitted to the audience that she had come to the meeting the day after her Final Exams in College; such is the strength of her support for the Lisbon Treaty.

“Passing this Treaty will guarantee the rights that Labour has fought for,” she said. “The Charter of Fundamental Rights contains some vital rights that will only become legally enforceable if Ireland votes Yes. This even includes a prohibition on discrimination, which is a massive step for the EU to take.”

Blair told the crowd that any fears that Ireland is ‘surrendering’ to a United States of Europe should be dismissed.

“We live in a different century now. If one looks at the history of Europe, the 20th Century saw the absolute devastation of Europe through two World Wars, genocide and instability. The EU is a guarantee of stability. If Ireland was on its own in the current economic climate, our unemployment would be through the roof and our currency would be devastated.”

In a Question and Answer session at the end of the meeting there was a surprising number of questions on the Lisbon Treaty and its possible link to abortion and euthanasia being brought in to Ireland.

“It is untrue to say that Ireland will be forced to bring in abortion and euthanasia” I said.

“There are many untruths out in the public mind and it is our job to separate the truth from the myth.”

  • The final Information meeting on the Lisbon Treaty takes place this Thursday, 15 May in Kiely’s, Mount Merrion. It is a public meeting and begins at 8pm. Everyone is welcome.

Media Room now open

12th May 2008

Today, we open a new part of the blog - the Media Room. Here, you will find links to my appearances on television and radio, as well as where I have appeared in the papers.

You will also find links to YouTube videos of my speeches in the Seanad.

Feel free to take a look. Click here or on the link on the top right of the page.

Senator encourages the undecided to attend meeting on Lisbon Treaty

9th May 2008

Lisbon TreatySenator Alex White will continue his series of public information meetings on the Lisbon Treaty this week.

After a successful start in Dundrum last week, Senator White invites the public to join him in Loreto Community Centre, Nutgrove on Monday May 12th and Kiely’s, Mount Merrion on Thursday May 15th.

Confirmed guests for the meetings include Blair Horan of the CPSU and Holly Kilroy of Labour Youth, with more to be announced.

“I encourage anyone who wishes to learn more about the upcoming referendum to join us this week,” Senator White said. “So far there has been a lot of talk from both sides of the debate. What my colleagues and I hope to do is to dispel a lot of the myths surrounding this Treaty and explain it in plain English.”

“The referendum is an opportunity for those of us who want to promote a social Europe, to fight for that at the heart of Europe and the only way we can fight at that heart is by voting in favour of the Lisbon Treaty,” he said.

Senator White also said that he was encouraged by the attendance and quality of debate at the previous meeting.

“Our meeting in Dundrum was very successful. The audience was a good mix of people who were curious about the Treaty, those concerned about its consequences and those who sought more detail on its contents.

“I believe that it satisfied the needs of all those people.”

Information Seminars on the Lisbon Treaty, organised by Senator Alex White will take place on Monday 12th May in Loreto Community Centre, Nutgrove and on Thursday 15th May in Kiely’s, Mount Merrion. Both meetings begin at 8 pm and all are welcome.

High Court judgment unlikely to have significant impact on work of tribunal

8th May 2008

Four Courts, DublinLabour always believed that the former Taoiseach’s High Court action challenging the Mahon Tribunal’s right to question him about certain statements he made in the Dail was more about delaying the work of the Tribunal than upholding the constitutional right to privilege of members of the Oireachtas.

The tactic worked in terms of delaying the Tribunal from questioning him on matters of relevant public interest. However, it could not prevent his exit from office much earlier than he had planned, which was largely due to the determination of Labour and other opposition parties to hold him to account politically.

At the time the action was initiated we acknowledged that there were serious legal and constitutional issues surrounding the privilege of members of the Oireachtas. A number of the issues raised by Mr. Ahern’s legal team were conceded by the Tribunal early in the hearing. The High Court judgement on the outstanding matters will now have to be studied to establish the extent to which the questions relating to privilege have now been further clarified.

Given that the Tribunal has access to its own information and the fact that many of the statements made by the Taoiseach in the Dail were also repeated outside, I do not believe that this judgment will have a significant impact on the Tribunal’s further inquiries into Mr. Ahern’s financial affairs.

‘No more curtain calls’

8th May 2008

Seanad ChamberThere have been many congratulations for the former Taoiseach and we now have had a month of praise and thanksgiving. Much of it has been deserved, some of it less so, and some of it has been bordering on the nauseating. It is now time to get down to business. I wondered at one stage over the last few weeks whether the former Taoiseach would outdo Luciano Pavarotti, who has the world record of 165 curtain calls in a single performance. The former Taoiseach went close to that record.

While it is a matter for debate whether this is a new Government, it is an opportune moment for us to have that wider discussion. I ask the Leader to arrange for the new Taoiseach to come into this House and to set out his ideas, his proposals and his vision for the post-Celtic tiger Ireland into which we are facing. Before we can get down to the important debates with individual Ministers, I would echo the call to bring in the Taoiseach to the Seanad for that type of debate. We can then grapple with the challenges that exist in the economy, such as the deepening inequalities that have characterised the last decade of growth, the spectacle of 190,000 children at risk of poverty in a country with such enormous wealth held by so few people.

If we had that debate, we could consider the sort of public service we want to have in this country, how we fund it, how we use the taxation system in order to bring about a fairer society, and whether we want one health service for the well off and one for everybody else. I would like to hear the Taoiseach set out his stall on these issues in this House. The Opposition parties are also under a duty to put forward their ideas and their vision, and this would provide an excellent opportunity to do that. I join with my colleagues in congratulating the new Taoiseach, but I hope we get down to business today. I would welcome the opportunity to have such a debate at the earliest possible occasion.

“Lisbon is not a raid on our sovereignty”

2nd May 2008

EU flags in BrusselsSenator Alex White has asked the public not to approach the upcoming referendum on the Lisbon Treaty with fear.

The Labour representative in Dublin South was speaking during a debate in the Seanad on Thursday.

“There is almost a ‘Little Ireland’ approach from the No Campaign, who say that if it is out there in Europe, we must resist it and put the brake on because it can only go against us,” he said. “Those arguments have been heard repeatedly.

“We make a decision to give up or share sovereignty. It is not taken from us. The Treaty is not a raid on our sovereignty by this big faceless body. We will make any judgment ourselves.”

Senator White is seeking a Yes vote on June 12 and he told the Seanad that the Lisbon Treaty will mean more transparency in the EU and will increase the strength of the country in any future negotiations.

“The No Campaign have stated that we will not have a Commissioner sitting at the table for five out of the 15 years after 2014. Comparisons are made with TDs. People elect TDs to a sovereign Parliament. We must understand that the European Union appoints Commissioners in a different context. They are not there to fly the flag for their country. That is not what they are appointed to do,” he told the Seanad.

Senator White also dismissed claims that a No vote would send politicians back to renegotiate, saying that “the opportunity to negotiate a deal has been taken”.

“It is clear that an opportunity is available for those of us who want to promote a social Europe, to fight for that at the heart of Europe and the only way we can fight at that heart is by voting in favour of the Lisbon Treaty,” he said.

“A Yes vote on June 12 will mean that Ireland will go to the EU in the future with a strong hand. It is about having the self-confidence, and the people should have enough confidence to vote Yes.”

  • Senator White continues his series of public information meetings on the Lisbon Treaty in Loreto Community Centre, Nutgrove on Monday May 12th and Kielys, Mount Merrion on Thursday May 15th. Both meetings begin at 8pm and include some special guests. All are welcome.

Labour Bill on FOI voted down by government parties

1st May 2008

Last night, the Seanad debated the Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2008 brought forward by the Labour party. After a debate of nearly two hours, with some interesting input from both sides of the house, the Bill was voted down by the government parties.

The Bill would have gone some way to redeem the Freedom of Information Act from the bruising it received due to amendments by the Fianna Fáil/PD government in 2003. Those amendments added fees of between €10 and €150 to FOI requests which has resulted in a dramatic fall in the number of requests received, from a peak of almost 18,500 in 2003 to just over 10,500 in 2007.

The Bill would have also extended the remit of FOI to groups such as an Garda Síochána. Ireland is the only country of 27 in Europe which does not include its police force in FOI, and this is something that the Information Commissioner, Ms. Emily O’Reilly has sought as well as Mr. Conor Brady, a member of the Garda Ombudsman Commission.

Below is my own speech to the Seanad last night. I spoke at the very end of the debate.

I represent something of an unreconstructed approach to freedom of information, namely, that the presumption should be precisely that freedom of information. The case should be made for the exception and not the other way around. The rationale behind the 2003 amendments was, and much of the opposition to what we are proposing is, motivated by a completely different approach to freedom of information. The latter is, in part, grudging.

At the very least, it can be characterised by a sense that the individual must make a case for obtaining particular information rather than it being presumed that the information should be freely available, but with reasonable and rational exceptions. The starting point should be to have the widest possible latitude and freedom while a case can be made in legislation and administrative rules for where the exceptions should apply. It has as much to do with our culture and approach to the issue as it has with the individual legislative provisions.

I am sorry to say that the Minister of State’s contribution is from the old school. We know the Act was introduced in 1997 and that extra bodies have been added. We know all these things, which have been set out in the Minister of State’s speech.

To take the fees issue, however, it is difficult to see how the change in fees in 2003 was motivated by anything other than a desire to deter people from making freedom of information applications. Why else was it done? The Minister of State ought to be more direct with us as to why that was done. It comes through in his speech which quotes the extreme but interesting example of a request for access to the diaries of a number of civil servants and Ministers - the very idea of it. It involved reading through thousands of pages of documentation. At least that particular application had the advantage of only ever having to be done once as regards the diaries of civil servants and Ministers.

We understand that there is a burden on the State and the public service in respect of freedom of information. By introducing legislation in 1997 and believing in freedom of information, as Senator Callely said, we must be prepared to accept that a burden goes with the freedom we want to provide. It is no use taking the approach that it is so onerous and requires so many hours of work that we must restrict it. The presumption in any democratic society, especially a modern democracy such as ours, should be to make the information available, accept the burden and live with the cost to the State. I accept there is a cost to the public purse in providing freedom of information, but most entitlements we introduce come with a price tag. We must be prepared to accept that price tag within reason. It is not good enough for a Minister to point to the extraordinary cost or how onerous it is on us.

Read More
12