We go now to the Regional Group and Deputy Peadar Tóibín.

The Kyran Durnin case has shocked the country to the core. This is a tragic and dark case that asks serious questions of the State. How can a vulnerable child go missing for two years? How can a vulnerable child just disappear for two years? How broken is the State care system that we are not talking about an intervention here but we are talking about the potential murder of a child. The political establishment has expressed shock and disbelief over what has happened to Kyran but the truth is he is only one of 227 children who have died in State care, or known to State care, just in the last ten years. Of that 227, we know 11 were murdered. Another child died as a result of a suspected non-accidental injury and a further child lost his life due to a suspected homicide. Forty children died because of suicide, eight because of drug overdose, 16 because of road traffic accidents and 18 by other accidents. I wish to reference some of the National Review Panel reports because I feel these speak for themselves. I have ascribed pseudonyms to the children who have died.

The report on the death of Hugh, published in 2018, highlights how he was referred to CAMHS but was left without treatment due to CAMHS policy where young people who are using drugs or alcohol are not eligible for service. Hugh died at the age of 16 from a drug overdose. Niamh, whose report was published in 2019, died at the age of 15 by suicide. She too was deemed ineligible by CAMHS. I wish to mention Ava also. She was a victim of child sexual abuse. The abuse occurred in one Tusla area and she lived in a different area. Area 1 believed that area 2 was speaking to Ava about the allegation and area 2 believed that area 1 was doing it. I quote from the report: "This ultimately meant that nobody in Tusla spoke to Ava about her alleged experience of sexual abuse". CAMHS discharged her after the second appointment as it had no evidence of mental illness. She went missing at the age of 14 and her body was found a few days later. The report on the death of Luke is heartbreaking. He experienced sexual abuse as a child. His father died when Luke was nine and he found his father's body. His mother died shortly after that and Luke was put into foster care. In foster care, he was robbed and assaulted. He then went to a homeless hostel. He faced threats in the hostel and he moved onto the streets. He then went to prison. There are no details of the circumstances of his death, only that his body was found two weeks after he was released from prison. He was a child.

The 1916 Proclamation states that we will cherish all the children of the nation equally. The report on the death of Luke notes he never received a birthday present and that Santa Claus never came to him. Will the Taoiseach demand that the Minister for children, Tusla and CAMHS are brought to the children's committee in light of the shocking case of Kyran Durnin and the hundreds of other children who have lost their lives in this State in the last ten years?

I do not think there is a person on any side of this House, or in Ireland, who is not both utterly horrified and heartbroken at what is emerging in relation to the case of young Kyran Durnin. This is nothing to do with political establishment or any sort of rhetoric. This is just to do with basic humanity. An eight-year-old boy effectively went missing for two years and the saddest and most painful thing is that nobody asked why or where he was for that period of time. Any one of us thinking that this could happen to any child is deeply upsetting. Let me say at the outset that this is absolutely going to require a structure to get to the exact bottom of this; of that there is no doubt. However, right now, we have to be very conscious of the fact that An Garda Síochána is very actively investigating this. To say there is a live investigation under way would capture it. An Garda Síochána has appealed to the public for information. I echoed that appeal today. A murder investigation has been commenced. While no arrests have been made at this point, the investigation is ongoing. It is being led by a senior investigation officer based out of an incident room established at Drogheda Garda station. An Garda Síochána is appealing to anyone who has any information in connection with the disappearance of Kyran to contact Drogheda Garda station, the Garda confidential line or, indeed, any Garda station. I know vigils were held in both Drogheda and Dundalk over the weekend and it is clear the whole community in Louth has been deeply affected. We are very conscious that this is ongoing. I am also conscious that An Garda is current investigating this case and liaising with Tusla as part of that investigation. The Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, has confirmed that he has asked Tusla to send this case to the National Review Panel. Just as the Deputy quoted from some of its reports, the role of the National Review Panel is to examine the circumstances surrounding the death of any child who has links to the caring structure of the State. This is not in relation to Deputy Tóibín but I am conscious when any case such as this comes to public view obviously people speculate and discuss it, sometimes from a place of good. It is important though that we afford the State agencies the space they need to investigate the matter fully. Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, is the statutory body with responsibility for child protection in Ireland. Under Children First, everyone has a role to play in ensuring the welfare and the safety of children. Information on how to report any concern about any child, whether as a mandated report or a concerned neighbour, family member or member of the public, can be found on Tusla's website.

I am not suggesting Deputy Tóibín conflated the issue but he quite rightly brought up a broader issue in respect of children in care and what happens when a child in care goes missing. Tusla has advised it prepares an absence management plan for each child in care and this plan is a tool to manage the risk in the event of a child going missing. Perhaps I can come back in on that in my second answer. I am sure the Oireachtas children's committee will, in due course, wish to discuss this issue.

The Taoiseach has not addressed the question I asked regarding this case-----

I ran out of time.

Many of these deaths are as a result of a failure of State care. I will give him other examples. The Government is using special emergency arrangements at the moment to accommodate children. These are often unregulated, rented accommodations provided by third-parties with questionable vetting standards. Children are going missing every month and these children are being exposed to sexual exploitation. I have raised these cases practically every month for the last five years in this House, as have other organisations across the country. Shockingly, Judge Simms sent a report to the Minister for children which details cases. The Minister for children shredded these reports stating GDPR reasons. The Government actually reported Judge Simms to his superiors for raising his head above the parapet on this situation. The Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, cut funding for the Child Law Project just recently. It provides transparency on the operation of the childcare system in the courts. The Taoiseach has said he wants to make this country the best country in Europe in which to be a child. For thousands of children across this country----

Thank you, Deputy. Your time is up.

-----it is the polar opposite of that. It is really important that we get to the heart of the fatal dysfunction that exists in our childcare system currently in this country.

Thank you.

Will the Taoiseach ask for the Minister, Tusla and CAMHS to be brought before the children's committee to focus on this fatal dysfunction?

It is not my job to order the business of an Oireachtas committee. I am sure the Deputy is well-----

The Taoiseach can ask, like any TD here can.

Please, Deputy.

The Deputy is asking me a question as the Taoiseach. I will respond to it, if that is alright. First, the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, is a good person who works hard and does a good job. I do not like the aspersion cast on him in the constant framing of the Deputy's questions quite frankly. Of course, I am going to use the time available to me, when the Deputy raised the case of Kyran Durnin, to put on the record of this House the extreme concern of Government and, I think, this House. That is an appropriate thing to do.

The Deputy is right regarding the need to reduce our reliance on the special emergency arrangements for the accommodation for children in care. I agree with that. Tusla's strategic plan on residential care outlines plans to increase residential care capacity and Tusla continues to progress a number of measures to secure residential care capacity. We have seen an increase to the foster care allowance in 2024. We have seen a further increase in that allowance scheduled to take effect in November. The Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, has secured an increase of 14% in Tusla's total budget for 2025. That is an extra €145 million. These are extraordinarily difficult cases. Every child deserves their voice to be heard, including vulnerable children; in fact, vulnerable children most particularly who do not have others to raise their voice for them. The Deputy is right to highlight that. However, we do not yet know the facts. We need to know the facts of the horrific situation that is now emerging and the heartbreaking situation regarding Kyran Durnin.