Bill to lift blanket ban on identifying deceased child victims clears Seanad

Helen McEntee

The Children (Amendment) Bill 2020 will amend section 252 of the Children Act 2001, which the Court of Appeal ruled last year prevents the identification of a deceased child in criminal proceedings for an offence against the child.

Justice Minister Helen McEntee said the bill, when enacted, will allow grieving parents to speak publicly about their deceased child.

The minister said: “This is a really important piece of legislation and I hope it can be enacted without delay, because we cannot continue to have parents not able to speak their child’s name aloud and remember them in the way that they want to.

“This is about giving power back to those parents to remember their children and secure their children’s legacies.

She added: “I thank Senator McDowell for sponsoring this Bill and I appreciate the cooperation that he and Deputy O’Callaghan showed when engaging on it.

“This very welcome approach, and the co-operation of all senators, has resulted in the bill passing through all stages in the Seanad in a very short space of time.”

“This is a real reflection of the concern that all of us have for parents who have lost their children in the most tragic of circumstances and our recognition of the impact not being able to speak about their children in public is having on their grieving process.”

The bill will reach second stage in the Dáil within the next to weeks and Ms McEntee aims to have it “enacted by the end of the month”.