Guardians Ad Litem
Dail Éireann — 2026-04-23
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Norma Foley (FF), Kerry

I reiterate that the entire purpose here is to ensure that the guardian ad litem service is doing what it should do.
I recognise that guardians ad litem are an incredibly powerful resource who are hugely important in presenting the view of the child. This is to strengthen the service and ensure the system works. It is important that the system is regulated and there is absolutely no doubt about that. It is important that access to legal support is there where a case has been made in this regard and there is no question of that. There is no question either about the independence of GALs. We can quote many other bodies that operate under the aegis of the Department. There has been consultation right across the board on the changes that have been brought in. There will be further consultations, with town hall events and meetings, and further engagement again from mid-May, and this will continue. This is to ensure we have the best possible service in place.

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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