Amnesty: Failure to disclose child deaths data 'genuinely frightening'

The failure of health chiefs to disclose details of the number of children who died in state care since 2000 is genuinely frightening, Amnesty International warned today.

Amid claims senior figures in the Health Service Executive (HSE) fear the total is as high as 200, the organisation hit out at Ireland’s human rights record.

Colm O’Gorman, Amnesty’s Irish director, called for an automatic independent inquiry any time a child dies in state care.

“It is genuinely frightening that the Health Service Executive (HSE) cannot tell us how many children died in its care,” the Amnesty spokesman said.

“Their families have a right to know what happened and how these children lost their lives.”

Children’s Minister Barry Andrews, under intense scrutiny after the HSE said it could not hand over some files because of legal concerns, said he was determined to resolve the dispute by June.

Emergency legislation is being planned to override rules about protecting children’s identity.

Mr Andrews said a report on the controversial deaths should be complete by the end of the year.

“It’s unfortunate that we have to go down this road. As I said before it’s frustrating,” the minister said.

“I am determined that it will be provided by the end of June. I think public confidence needs to be restored in this area.

“It’s exactly what I’ve been trying to do but in bringing change to an institution like the HSE and the health boards before them it is obviously creating new ground. I haven’t been afraid to go into this new territory.”

Professor Brendan Drumm, the HSE chief executive, insisted that reports of 200 child deaths in state care over the last decade were misleading.

An independent group has been set up by the Government to ascertain the actual number of children who have come in contact with HSE social services in the last 10 years and later died.

Prof Drumm said he stands over the official figure of 23.

The HSE faced further damning assessment as Amnesty published its latest annual report on human rights.

Mr O’Gorman added: “But, as disturbing as these most recent revelations are, the HSE has already shown itself unable to properly look after the children in its care.

“This year’s Amnesty International global Annual Report highlights the disappearance of 419 unaccompanied children from HSE care between the end of 2000 and June 2009.”

Amnesty’s report also said the placing of vulnerable children in adult mental health units was cause for particular concern.

It criticised the Government’s delay in bringing forward a referendum on children’s rights and a long-promised report on the Irish arms trade.

“This year marks 20 years since Ireland signed up to the Convention on the Rights of the Child but successive governments have failed to take children’s rights seriously,” Mr O‘Gorman said.

“Despite the tragedies in HSE care, the abuse catalogued in the Ryan Report and an all-party consensus on wording, putting children’s rights in our Constitution still doesn’t seem to be a political priority for our Government.”