FIANNA FÁIL spokesman on children Charlie McConalogue has called on the Government to apologise on behalf of the State to the victims of an abusive father sentenced to life in the Central Criminal Court last week.
Mr McConalogue has also pressed for the recruitment of an additional 60 social workers.
The Donegal North East TD described as “horrific” the details of the case involving multiple rape, abuse, assault and neglect of a number of children, whose parents are in jail.
Mr Justice Paul Carney last week jailed the man for life for a number of counts of rape and ill-treatment of four of his daughters over an 18-year period to 2009.
The man is already serving a 14-year sentence for multiple counts of rape, buggery and indecent assault between 1986 and 2000 of a fifth daughter – with whom he had two children.
The man’s wife is also serving an eight-year sentence for cruelty and neglect of eight of her children over a seven-year period.
The Health Service Executive, which reviewing its involvement with the family, had knowledge of the family since one daughter contacted the Garda in 2000.
Minister for Children Frances Fitzgerald and Minister for Justice Alan Shatter have praised the children for their courage, and paid tribute to investigating gardaí involved in the case.
However, while acknowledging this, Mr McConalogue said the Ministers’ words “ring hollow in the absence of any apology on behalf of the State”.
By citing the introduction of legislation on child protection, the two Ministers were “hoping to deviate attention from their ongoing failure to properly resource our child protection services”, he said.
“Despite pledges to recruit 60 additional social workers this year, this has simply not happened,” he added.
As of September 30th there were four fewer social workers employed in the HSE and HSE-funded agencies than at the beginning of this year, Mr McConalogue said.
“In addition, the recruitment moratorium has seen maternity leave and temporary posts not being filled, further increasing the pressure on a system that was unable to prevent the horrors visited on the family highlighted in court last week.”
Ms Fitzgerald said last October she hoped that the extra posts, recommended following the Ryan report into child abuse, would be “ready to go” by the end of this December.
Health authorities froze recruitment of up to 1,400 staff – including social workers – last July citing financial pressures.
Ms Fitzgerald has said that work has begun on establishing a new child protection agency which will remove responsibility for child welfare from the HSE.
Mr McConalogue said that Ms Fitzgerald must also set out a “clear timeline” for completion of the HSE review.
