Guardians Ad Litem
Dail Éireann — 2026-04-23
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Claire Kerrane (SF), Roscommon-Galway

If anyone wondered about the value of guardians ad litem , they only had to watch the "RTÉ Investigates" programme last night. We saw and heard from guardians ad litem who are powerful voices for the children that they look after, speak for and very much support through what can be a very challenging State care system. We also heard from Judge Dermot Simms, who I had in here last month for a briefing along with GALs to speak to the very serious concerns they have and he has for the national service. On a number of occasions the guardians ad litem have to, for want of a better term, go up against Tusla in a courtroom to speak for and advocate for a child. I cannot fathom how we can retain the independence of GALs as they go up against Tusla while both are under the one Minister and the one Department. That is where the question mark is over independence. The Minister will know of the issue I have raised many times in terms of the legal representation. I cannot understand how that cannot be maintained in terms of guaranteed legal representation.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-04-23/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-27T06:54:48+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-04-23