The Government has agreed to accept a Bill from Fine Gael's Mr Alan Shatter which would grant immunity from civil liability to anyone "acting reasonably and in good faith" who reports child abuse to the authorities.
Mr Shatter has argued that fear of legal proceedings has been a major disincentive to the reporting of suspected cases of child abuse. His Bill provides a general immunity from civil action to those who report abuse where "reasonable grounds" are believed to exist.
The legislation provides no protection for those who in bad faith or maliciously make false allegations of abuse. It also contains a provision to ensure that a person who suspects that a child is a victim of abuse cannot be dismissed from his or her job as a result of reporting such a concern.
The debate on the Second Stage will conclude this evening in the Dail, and the legislation will then go into Committee where, the Government has said, it will be amended.
Responding to the Bill last night, the Minister for Health and Children, Mr Cowen, said he wanted to assure the Dail that legislation allowing for the mandatory reporting of child abuse would be introduced during the lifetime of this Government. A similar pledge was issued earlier by the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern.
The Minister said the Government had intended to deal with the issue of immunity from civil liability in the context of "comprehensive legislation on mandatory reporting". However, since Mr Shatter had presented the Bill and there was general support for any measures to improve the reporting of child abuse, the Government was prepared to proceed separately with the matter.
Aspects of the proposed Bill required redrafting, Mr Cowen said. The definition of the abuse to be reported which would be covered by the proposed immunity was too broad.