The Minister for Children described the number of child sex abuse allegations against the Christian Brothers as "chilling".

€900,000 is to be spent on support training for childcare staff.

The Minister for Children has received the reports from the HSE about two separate cases involving the removal of Roma children from their families.

The Minister for Children, Frances Fitzgerald, said she wants to focus on training before a second free pre-school year is introduced.

The Minister for Children Frances Fitzgerald has said new legislation will provide for a tougher approach in dealing with childcare services which breach regulations.

The Minister for Children said new standards for crèche inspectors will be introduced by September.

The Minister for Children said that she is determined to pursue quality in the provision of early childhood care and education.

The Minister for Children Frances Fitzgerald is to make a detailed comment today on the contents of a Primetime Investigates programme broadcast on RTÉ last night which revealed widespread breaches of HSE regulations at child care centres across the country.

The Minister for Children Frances Fitzgerald has said she expects to be briefed today on the childcare controversy to hit two creches in Dublin.

The Minister for Children said she is very disturbed by the findings of a new report which shows that bullying in Ireland is on the rise.

The President of the Irish Association of Social Workers has said the sector needs a massive boost in funding after a report found inspectors in Dublin North West were not assured that all children in foster care were safe.

The Minister for Children Frances Fitzgerald says plans to ban smoking in cars carrying children may sound draconian but make sense.

The Minister for Children says she would prefer the introduction of subsidised childcare services over direct child benefit payments.

A new project has been set up which will see reporting on childcare hearings in the courts for the first time.

The Minister for Children Frances Fitzgerald is to ask Latvian authorities to examine the website ask.fm following concerns about safety standards.

The Minister for Children says she will ask the Latvian authorities to investigate the safety standards used by the social networking website ask.fm.

The Minister for Children Frances Fitzgerald has said no decisions have been made on whether or not to cut child benefit in December's Budget.

The Minister for Children Frances Fitzgerald says she hopes there will be no scaremongering in the run up to the Children’s Rights referendum.

The Minister for Children has revealed she knows one of the young men stabbed at a concert in Dublin's Phoenix Park at the weekend.

The Minister for Children Frances Fitzgerald travels to Vietnam today for talks aimed at re-opening adoption links between Ireland and the South East Asian country.

The Minister for Children Frances Fitzgerald has reiterated her commitment to hire 60 new social workers this year.

The Minister for Children Frances Fitzgerald has said she is very disappointed that Church Authorities did not fully co-operate with the National Board for the Safeguarding of Children in the Catholic Church.

A consultation with young people has been announced to develop a five-year strategy for children from next year.

The Minister for Children is being asked to clarify the number of children who have died in State care and carry out a full investigation.

The Minister for Children has said he is hopeful that a referendum on children's rights will take place before the end of the year.

The Minister for Children Barry Andrews is being urged to explain how vetting of foster parents was not carried out in over a third of cases in the HSE South region.

The Minister for Children Barry Andrews says he favours reducing the age of consent for sex.

The Minister for Children Barry Andrews has said he is not surprised pressure is being placed on the Bishop of Limerick to resign.

The Minister for Children Barry Andrews has indicated that the report of the investigation into abuse allegations in the Dublin archdiocese could be published early next week.

The Minister for Children has said that there is now a very strong case for a referendum on children's rights.

WHAT are we to believe? The question is posed by the appearance of two conflicting reports, and one disturbing incident, all in the last seven days or so.

The Minister for Children is rejecting Fine Gael's claims that the Government has secretly decided to abandon the possibility of a children's referendum.

The Minister for Children has admitted there are gaps in child protection services around the country.

The Minister for Children says he wants District Court judges to make use of legal powers which ensure that parents take responsibility for children involved in crime and vandalism.

The Minister for Children has announced plans to construct a new detention centre in Co Dublin to house young offenders from across the country.

Enda Kenny's promise to enter a contract with the people has been described by Fianna Fail as "windy rhetoric".

The Minister for Children, Brian Lenihan said a referendum on including children's rights in the constitution can be held before the next general election, despite recent comments to the contrary.

Teenagers are demanding the age of sexual consent to be equal for boys and girls, it emerged today.

I WISH to comment on your report headlined ‘State vows to vet all new teachers by weekend’ and accompanying editorial (Irish Examiner, August 30).

The Minister for Children has promised that the Cabinet will hear the suggestions of teenagers on what they think the age of sexual consent should be.

CHILD sex traffickers are turning up at asylum-seeker accommodation centres, pretending to be aunts, uncles or parents seeking to be reunited with their children.

The Minister for Children yesterday met with the victim of the sex offender known as Mr A, it emerged tonight.

The Minister for Children has defended the Government's position as a result of the fallout from last week's Supreme Court ruling, which saw a convicted sex offender walk free yesterday.

THE Government has announced plans to fund “hanging-out” centres for young people after a report found a lack of recreational facilities is leaving teenagers open to encountering trouble.