Senator Bacik calls for a debate on Women's Participation in Politics, and a debate on the Dublin Diocesan Report

Order of Business

Senator Ivana Bacik: I join Senator McDonald and Senator Feeney in seeking a debate on women's participation in politics. The justice committee unanimously adopted, on a cross-party basis, the report on women's participation in politics and its recommendations. Indeed, the committee recommended that the report be debated in both Houses of the Oireachtas. Perhaps we might steal a march on the other House by having that debate first in the Seanad. I challenge my male colleagues in the Chamber who have not yet spoken in favour of this debate to join their male colleagues in the justice committee in supporting this report and calling for a debate on it.

I also ask the Deputy Leader to arrange a debate on the report of the Dublin diocesan inquiry into child abuse and the response of church and State authorities to that abuse. That debate must be held urgently, preferably early next week. I believe the report, which is due to be published this afternoon, will contain shocking revelations about inadequacies in the response of church and State authorities to the horrific levels of abuse perpetrated on children in the Dublin diocese over several decades. We must have a debate about the findings and recommendations of the report and examine the shortcomings in the responses of church and State and how to ensure they do not fall short in future so children are adequately protected. I have also called for a debate on the procedures by which the inquiry was conducted and through which the Minister is entitled to go to the High Court to seek the deletion of aspects of the report for fear that they might compromise future prosecutions. We must debate the section in the legislation that facilitates the Minister in this regard to ensure further reports are not unnecessarily cut. I welcome this afternoon's publication of the report and hope that we can debate its findings soon.