Call for Roderic O'Gorman and TUSLA to address Oireachtas Committee on Kyran Durnin case

Children’s Minister Roderic O’Gorman and TUSLA have been urged to address the Oireachtas Children’s Committee to discuss the disappearance of Kyran Durnin and children in State care.

Aontú leader Peadar Tóibin told the Dáil today that 227 children who were either in State care or known to TUSLA died in the last 10 years.

Taoiseach Simon Harris stated that the most “painful thing” in Kyran’s disappearance is that “nobody asked why or where was he”.

READ MORE: Locals in Dundalk tell of shock as search continues for Kyran Durnin: 'That poor wee boy'

READ MORE: Taoiseach told to stop games and announce election date

Investigations into the disappearance of Kyran Durnin are continuing in Louth as Gardaí carry out searches on a home in Dundalk. The eight-year-old is missing and presumed dead. He was reported missing in August, despite not being seen in over two years.

TUSLA confirmed on Tuesday evening that it had raised “significant concern” regarding Kyran with Gardaí in August.

Mr Tóibín told the Dáil that Kyran is “only one of 227 children who have died in State care or known to state care just in the last 10 years”. Of these, he said, 11 were murdered.

He said: “Another child died as a result of a suspected non-accidental injury, and a further child lost his life due to a suspected homicide. 40 children died because of suicide, eight because of drug overdose, 16 because of road traffic accidents and 18 by other accidents.”

Mr Tóibín asked Taoiseach Simon Harris to “demand” that Mr O’Gorman, the Minister for Children, TUSLA and the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) be 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 10 years”.

In response, the Taoiseach said people were “utterly horrified and utterly heartbroken at what is emerging in relation to the case of young Kyran Durnin”.

“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 was he for that period of time,” Mr Harris said.

“I think any one of us thinking that that could happen to any child is deeply upsetting. It is absolutely going to require a structure to get to the exact bottom of this. Of that, there is no doubt. But right now, we have to be very conscious of the fact that the Gardaí are very actively investigating this.”

Mr Harris also said that while people may “speculate” about the case, state agencies must be given “space” to investigate. He added: “I'm sure the Oireachtas Children's Committee will, in due course, wish to discuss this.”

Mr Tóibín argued that he did not answer the question about Mr O’Gorman, TUSLA and CAMHs appearing at the committee, stating that they need to be probed on the “fatal dysfunction”.

Sign up to the Irish Mirror's daily newsletter here and get breaking news and top stories direct to your inbox.