Madam, - Generally, I adhere to the Seán Lemass maxim: when you are being criticised by The Irish Times you must be doing something right. But given the proximity of a referendum on the status of children in the Constitution, I am compelled to comment on your Editorial today (Nov 14th).
You say that following the Supreme Court judgments in the Baby Ann case, politicians may for the first time realise the political difficulties of having a referendum on children's rights. May I suggest that politicians of all parties in successive governments have been well aware of those political difficulties even if your newspaper was not. In fact, this explains why there has been no action in this area notwithstanding Mrs Justice Catherine McGuinness's recommendation as far back as 1993 that the Constitution should be changed to give greater protection to children. Indeed, your newspaper has regularly criticised this delay.
Since the Taoiseach announced his proposal to have a referendum just two weeks ago, which you welcomed, I have used every opportunity to highlight the difficulties involved in achieving a consensus on this difficult issue.
Your remark that the motivating impulse behind this referendum is to please the electorate is indeed unworthy of you. The object of this referendum is to protect children.
This Government has grasped the nettle and I have embarked on a consultation process in an effort to agree a wording with the opposition parties and other interested groups. I suspect that, far from pleasing the electorate, the debate that has now begun may weary many voters between now and polling day.
But the protection of our children is a serious matter and does not deserve to be dismissed by you as a ploy to please the electorate.
Finally, in regard to your criticism of our record on children, I would point out that over the last 10 years, in excess of 100,000 children have been lifted out of child poverty; child benefit has been quadrupled; a family with two children under the age of six now gets a direct, untaxed payment of €5,600 every year; there are 6,000 special needs assistants as against 300 in 1997 and 5,000 special needs teachers as against 1,500 in 1997; and we are spending over €500 million this year on school building and modernisation. - Yours, etc,
BRIAN LENIHAN TD, Minister of State for Children, Office of the Minister for Children, Hawkins House, Dublin 2.