Government working on ‘very serious case’ of sexually exploited teen, Taoiseach tells Dáil

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has insisted the Government is working on the “very serious and deeply worrying” case of a teenage girl subjected to “horrifying” sexual exploitation by a group of men, for whom no place in secure State care is available.He said the fundamental issue is staffing shortages for specialised care spaces, and insisted “it is not for the want of funding or supports”.High Court Judge John Jordan directed that details of the case and two others involving sexual exploitation and drug trafficking be sent to three Government Ministers – Minister for Children Norma Foley, Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan and Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers – as a “vivid illustration” of the “consequences” of the State’s ongoing failure to open all special-care beds.The Taoiseach said Foley “and other Government colleagues are engaging on this case”. READ MOREThe cases, reported in The Irish Times, were highlighted in the Dáil by Social Democrats TD Liam Quaide, who cited the “horrific sexual exploitation” of a 14-year-old girl with an intellectual disability who is in the care of Tusla.The Cork TD said the High Court had ordered the girl be moved to a special care setting, “but the Government has failed to ensure Tusla can provide the protection and support she desperately needs”. The court was also told of another teenage girl being sexually exploited by men and a 16-year-old boy being drawn into drug trafficking by adult criminals. Nearly half of the State’s 26 special-care beds remain closed because of staffing shortages, and Quaide said it is “utterly shameful that, in 2026, children who have already suffered extreme adversity are being subjected to appalling abuse and exploitation while in State care”. He asked what immediate action the Government would take “to protect these children and when will all 26 special-care beds be safely operational?”The Taoiseach told him “the fundamental issue is a shortage of staff in terms of being in a position to open all 26 special-care beds”. “At the moment, 15 of the 26 special-care beds are staffed. These are for children with particularly complex needs who need sufficient and significant staffing resources.”Martin said: “Sometimes it can be as high as 14 staff to an individual child or young person. It is not for the want of funding or supports but in a very core, complex number of cases the recruitment of staff has proven to be extremely difficult, but the Government is continuing to work on this and on this case.”Sinn Féin spokeswoman on children Claire Kerrane said that while the number of open special-care beds has been between 15 and 16, “it is now 13 beds in operation”.Kerrane said the new pay grade for special care workers “needs to be examined and if more money is needed, this must be provided”. The Roscommon-Galway TD said Tusla could not open the 26 beds and sustain them “within existing resources”. She said issues “have also been flagged by staff in special care around the new Tusla reforms. Staff need to be heard on this, and their experience needs to be respected.”