The Fine Gael spokesman on children's rights, Alan Shatter, has warned that any constitutional referendum on children must be truly child-centred and not "constitutional window dressing".
Reiterating points he made at the first meeting of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on a Constitutional Amendment on Children, he said the existing proposed amendment, repeated in the report prepared by the special rapporteur Geoffrey Shannon gave concern. Mr Shannon's report, along with that of Prof Finbar McAuley, was laid before the Oireachtas yesterday.
Its exact meaning and impact would remain uncertain until it was judicially interpreted and applied, he said. For example, in relation to the proposal on adoption, the Supreme Court has, in recent judgments, "attached limited importance to the real relationship that exists between a child and a couple or the individual the child daily interacts with, as opposed to a stranger with the biological link".
Meanwhile, the Irish Refugee Council has welcomed the reports and, in particular, the recommendations made by Mr Shannon regarding the need to provide better protection to separated children.
"The special rapporteur recognises that separated children are highly vulnerable to traffickers," it said in a statement. "This is in part due to inadequate protection provided to some separated children, which has in the past led to their disappearance.
"The Irish Refugee Council calls upon the Irish Government to provide separated children in care with equitable treatment and care."