An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business
Seanad Éireann — 2026-06-23
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Victor Boyhan (IND), Agricultural Panel

I welcome and congratulate Senator Garret Ahearn on his appointment as Leader of the Seanad. I want to welcome his family, and it is particularly great to see his father here, as well as his whole family and his wife. The Leader's father and I had a long chat at the count. He is a wise man who counted the numbers pretty quickly at the Seanad count. It is great to see them all here.
It is important to say that the Leader of the Seanad is a senior parliamentary role. He or she is appointed by the Taoiseach or the Tánaiste to manage the Government's legislative agenda through this House. Orla Murray, the private secretary to the Leader of the Seanad, co-ordinates this primary Government function. The Leader is lucky to have someone at his side in the Seanad's office, and I congratulate her on what is not an easy job in smoothly managing the orderly running of this House despite all of the conflicting interests.
I welcome the official establishment of the new guardian ad litem national service.
This new service seeks to ensure that every child's voice is heard and that children's best interests are independently presented to a court in cases relating to the proceedings. The official opening of the service today signifies major progress in delivering high quality, accountability and consistency grounded in children's rights. Ensuring that all children in all parts of the country have access to the same high standard of service is a priority for us all.
The independence of guardians ad litem has now been clearly established in law. Guardians ad litem make their own professional judgments and recommendations to courts and this legislation explicitly states that guardians ad litem must at all times act independently in carrying out their functions.
Announcing this initiative today, the Minister, Deputy Foley, said:
The launch of the Guardian ad litem National Service is a landmark moment for children in care in Ireland. At its heart, this ... is about strengthening the voice of the child ... and ensuring that their best interests remain at the heart of every decision.
I commend the Minister, Deputy Foley, and her officials in the Department of Children, Disability and Equality. I also acknowledge, as is important, the substantial advocacy work in this space by the former Labour leader in this House and the current leader of the Labour Party, Deputy Ivana Bacik.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-06-23/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:55:05+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-06-23