Court to probe legality of keeping Roma baby in care

A High Court inquiry will be held tomorrow into the legality of orders keeping a one-year-old Roma girl in HSE care when its mother wants to bring the infant back to Romania.

The child, who cannot be identified by court order, was placed in care by the mother last July but the mother now wants to go home with her daughter.

After the district court refused to discharge an interim care order when the HSE said there was insufficient evidence as to what faced the child on her return to Romania, the High Court application was brought on behalf of the child, suing through her mother. On Friday last, Mr Justice George Birmingham ordered an inquiry under article 40 of the Constitution into the legality of the child’s detention on foot of the care orders and returned the matter to Monday.