Andrews changes view on amendment

MINISTER FOR Children Barry Andrews now supports the draft constitutional amendment on children as proposed by the Government in 2007.

This represents a change from his position in July, Mr Andrews told members of the Joint Committee on the Constitutional Amendment on Children yesterday.

The committee was set up to examine the 28th Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2007.

Mr Andrews said he had previously been advised that the draft Bill was inadequate and would not achieve the required goals.

However, he had subsequently been informed of the thinking that went into the wording of the Government’s proposal, he said.

He now believed that it “broadly speaking” achieved the two policy goals of allowing the courts to weigh in more heavily on the rights of the child and making all children equal before the courts.

Such an amendment would be a “powerful statement of children’s rights in the constitution” and if the people of Ireland decided to adopt it, the Supreme Court could not ignore it, he said.

He pointed out that this was the only outstanding issue for the committee.

Many members of the committee expressed dissatisfaction at the announcement.

Fianna Fáil TD and committee chairwoman Mary O’Rourke said she did not agree that the Government’s proposal made better the rights of children.