People who believe a child is being abused can have their judgment questioned if they persist in seeking an investigation, according to Fine Gael TD, Mr Alan Shatter.
The party spokesman on health and children yesterday published a Private Member's Bill to protect those who, in good faith, report suspicions of child abuse. He condemned Government "disarray" on child-care issues, saying two Ministers of State were contradicting each other.
Since 1989, he has succeeded in getting three pieces of legislation onto the statute books, all introduced as Private Member's Bills. They include the Judicial Separation and Family Law Reform Act. His proposed Bill would protect people who make reports in good faith that a child is being abused.
They would be protected against being sued and against being dismissed. People who made allegations out of malice would not be protected by the Bill, he said, nor would people who gossiped about their beliefs to neighbours instead of going to the authorities.
He was not aware of anyone having been sued for reporting the belief a child was being abused. The Law Reform Commission had stated that "at present, fear of legal proceedings, though frequently misplaced, is operating as a serious disincentive to the reporting of suspected child sexual abuse".
Teachers and nurses would benefit from the Bill which would prevent a person making a report in good faith from being dismissed. People who persist in seeking a further investigation, especially if a previous investigation has discovered nothing, can have their own judgment called into question. He knew of at least two cases where people had dropped allegations but were later proved to be correct and children were taken into care.