Guardianship of Infants and Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2026: Second Stage
Seanad Éireann — 2026-06-24
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Robbie Gallagher (FF), Labour Panel

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire ar ais go dtí an Teach inniu. The Minister is welcome back to the House this afternoon. I also welcome David and Veronica to the Visitor's Gallery. On behalf of Fianna Fáil I welcome and support this Bill. As the Minister outlined, the Bill progresses a legislative change to allow for the removal of guardianship rights from a person who has been convicted of killing their partner or the other parent of the child or both. The Bill is a programme for Government commitment to examine proposals to remove guardianship rights from those convicted of killing their partner or a parent of their child as part of the ongoing work to implement appropriate recommendations from the study of familicide and domestic and family violence death reviews.
These are grave offences. Killing the guardian of a child raises concerns for the safety and welfare of that child. Legislative changes are required to address this troubled issue, and I commend the Minister on moving swiftly in this area. The Bill is fundamentally about ensuring the best interests of the child as a paramount consideration with respect to guardianship. We believe these issues should not be regarded as a matter of private law to be determined between the families concerned but instead should be regarded as a child protection and welfare issue arising in the area of public law.
The legislation is to be known as Valerie's law, in honour of Valerie French, who was killed in June 2019, by her husband James Kilroy. On behalf of Fianna Fáil I thank David French for his advocacy in this area and in honour of his dear sister, Valerie. I know he has been a champion in that area, and the change has come along. He can be proud of that, and I am sure it is an emotional day for him and his family. I thank him for that. Today we are thinking of his family and the painful journey it has had to navigate.
The Bill is about putting children first in situations where one parent has killed or seriously harmed the other parent. It implements recommendations from the study of familicide and domestic and family violence death reviews. It recognises that these cases are not simply private family matters, but issues of child protection and welfare. The Bill ensures that a parent convicted of murder or manslaughter of the other parent of their child does not automatically retain guardianship rights. Instead, Tusla will be required to bring the matter before the District Court, which can restrict or remove those guardianship rights where it is in the child's best interest.
The Bill also applies in certain cases where a parent has seriously injured the other parent, resulting in changes to the child's care arrangements. Throughout the process, the welfare and best interests of the child remain the paramount consideration. Importantly, the legislation strengthens the voice of the child by providing for the appointment of a guardian ad litem and allows family members to participate in proceedings where appropriate.
This Bill represents an important reform that places child welfare at the centre of decision-making, strengthens protections for vulnerable children and responds directly to lessons learned from tragic cases of domestic and family violence.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-06-24/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:55:06+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-06-24