Labour calls for Dáil debate following Grace report
Labour calls for Dáil debate following Grace report - The Labour Party
Labour Leader Ivana Bacik TD has called for urgent action from Government following the publication yesterday of the Grace report by the Farrelly Commission.
Deputy Bacik said:
“The circumstances of Grace’s childhood and adulthood are deeply distressing. It is clear from this and previous reports into Grace’s care that there was a fundamental failure in the state’s duty of care to her. Her needs were chronically and persistently neglected and there was an abject failure in oversight and monitoring of the setting in which she had been placed. The systems that should have protected her simply did not work. Not only was Grace herself failed by the state, but serious concerns remain about those other children and young adults who were also placed in the same care setting.
“The Farrelly Commission report should be providing us with answers on the many questions that arise from the circumstances of Grace’s case. Instead, the report raises more questions than answers. While the report does make significant findings as to the serious neglect and financial mismanagement to which Grace was subjected, it is disappointing to see the lack of findings in respect of the serious allegations of physical and sexual abuse.
“I am now calling for a full and urgent Dáil debate on the report, as soon as possible. I am also calling on the Minister to provide urgent reassurance to those other vulnerable adults who were also placed in the same care setting as Grace and who are today seeking answers as to the extent of state failings in their cases. We need a clear plan from the Minister setting out how the Government will offer reassurance to all those affected and their families; how we can ensure accountability for past failings, and real change for those who were failed by the system and who are concerned that the system may still be failing children and vulnerable adults. In particular, we need to ensure the provision of effective advocacy services for disabled persons, both children and adults, to ensure that their voices will be heard by the state so that what happened to Grace will never happen to another child or vulnerable adult in state care.”
Labour’s Social Protection, Children, Disability and Equality Spokesperson Mark Wall TD said:
“Labour has long campaigned for accountability and protection for those with disabilities and those in State care. Today’s report, sadly, confirms what many already suspected: that without political will and systemic reform, tragedies like Grace’s can and will happen again.”
“More broadly, this report speaks to a crisis of vision in the care of vulnerable people in Ireland. If this is how the system operated, if this is how the State met its responsibilities, then we need a total reset. We need a new approach based on dignity, transparency, and independent oversight – because trust has been shattered. We need a debate on the matter when the Dáil resumes.”