Minister denies child protection has been sidelined

Junior Minister Pat 'the Cope' Gallagher has denied that the issue of child protection has slipped off the Government's agenda.

The CARI Foundation, a charity for people affected by child sex abuse, has said it is concerned that a constitutional referendum on the rights of children appears to have been sidelined.

However, Mr Gallagher said today that this was not the case and insisted the issue was high on the Government's agenda.