Two reports published this month support disclosures Deputy Durkan has been making in this House since last September. A report prepared for the National Women’s Council of Ireland, NWCI, and the Department of Justice by Nuala Egan SC and Professor Ellen O'Malley Dunlop of the University of Limerick, UL, was launched on 3 May by the Minister for Justice, Deputy Harris. This report states that many social workers remain untrained in the dynamics of domestic violence and focus on removing children into care rather than supporting the mothers. This was raised by Deputy Durkan last week as a Topical Issue matter. A second report, by the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, describes how mothers can be accused of parental alienation when they report child sexual abuse and can have their custody of the children removed.

The Alliance of Birthmothers Campaigning for Justice is meeting in Buswells Hotel today and its representatives want to know whether the Taoiseach will meet them. They are trying to support these mothers in their campaign for fairness and justice and ensure children and mothers are treated with the respect they deserve.

I thank the Deputy. It is not my practice to agree to meetings on the floor of the House, and I would encourage anyone who wants a meeting to apply for one or write in and ask for one in the normal way. It would not be fair on others to agree to meetings just because they were raised in the Chamber. I do not think that would be fair to others who do not have someone to raise meetings in the Chamber for them.

The issue of parental alienation has been raised in the House by Deputy Durkan on many occasions and I know Deputy McGrath has raised it too. The Department of Justice has done a report on it, which it will be able to publish quite soon, and the Minister, Deputy Harris, is happy to arrange individual briefings for Deputies and Senators on it if they have an interest in it.