RYAN REPORT: ONE YEAR ON:A REFERENDUM on children's rights may yet take place this year, Minister for Children Barry Andrews indicated yesterday.
He was “hopeful” this would happen, he said, and that the wording was with the Attorney General. He also said he was “not confident” that the figure of 24 for those children who died while in State care was “the final figure”.
The Minister was speaking on arrival at the Aislinn Centre in Dublin yesterday, where he was to attend celebrations marking the first anniversary of the Ryan report. Aislinn helps people who spent their childhoods in residential institutions investigated by the Ryan commission.
Speaking to the media before the celebrations, Mr Andrews felt criticism that morning by childcare agencies about implementation of Ryan report recommendations was unfair. He said there could be “no quick-fix” to deficits in the area of child protection in the State.
While he was hopeful there would be a referendum on children’s rights later this year, he pointed out that what he felt was more important was that the wording be got right first.
Such a referendum would have implications for children in education, healthcare, family law and immigration policy.
“Hopefully, it will take place in 2010 but it is more important we get it right than having it straight away,” he said.
Responding to criticisms from Fine Gael spokesman on children Alan Shatter that he had failed to set up the 15-person panel which would investigate child deaths by the end of December last, as he had promised in the Ryan report implementation plan last July, the Minister said such a panel would be in place today.
It will investigate circumstances around the murder of Danny McAnaspie whose body, with stab wounds, was found in a ditch in Co Meath last week.
Later, Christine Buckley, of the Aislinn Centre, told the Minister that they were concerned “at the snail’s pace” of implementation of the Ryan recommendations.
“Did we go through the pain of living through it all over again at the Ryan commission for nothing to be done?” she asked. She noted that the Minister had said that everything recommended by Ryan would be in place by December 2011.
“Minister, we are holding you to that,” she said.
In a few words at the beginning of celebrations, which were attended by about 200 former residents of the institutions, Mr Andrews spoke of it as “an important anniversary”. He continued that it was “not easy to introduce radical reform”, but that he renewed his “commitment to create a better life for children”.
The day, however, was “a celebration”, he said.
There followed a poetry reading by Trish, Joseph Butler, Mary Robinson, Liz Honan, Mary Lalor, Pearl Clarke, Anna Sillery, Maura Byrne and Dessie Murray, Former residents of the institutions, most of them read from their own work. A dramatisation of excerpts from Seán O’Casey’s The Plough and the Stars and Conor McPherson’s The Seafarer followed, while Aislinn Dream was sung by the Aislinn Singers.
Certificates of achievement were presented to successful former residents by Mr Andrews, who was then brought on a guided tour of an art exhibition as well as the history and creative writing display at the centre. Music was provided by singers from The Commitments touring band.
Looking on the positive side, Ms Buckley spoke of “the vindication” that came with publication of the Ryan report. There had been the solidarity march in Dublin last June and the reception at Áras an Uachtaráin hosted by President Mary McAleese for the former residents.
Above all, there was “the enormous support of the public”, she said.