The passage of the Guardianship of Infants and Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2026, also known as \u2018Valerie\u2019s Law\u2019, through the D\u00e1il today is a landmark step towards justice, according to Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns.<\/p>\n
Deputy Cairns said:<\/p>\n
\u201cThis legislation seeks to ensure that a parent convicted of killing the other parent does not automatically retain guardianship rights over their children. The law is named in memory of Valerie French, who was murdered in 2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Social Democrats previously brought forward similar legislation in 2025, so I warmly welcome today\u2019s passage of this important bill through the D\u00e1il.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is an incredibly important step forward in the path towards justice for children who have experienced the incredible trauma of losing a parent at the hand of the other.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would like to pay tribute to the family of Valerie French, in particular her brother David. I have worked alongside David on this campaign for a number of years now and can say with certainty that, without his determination, we would not be where we are today.<\/p>\n
“David channelled his grief into a campaign which ensured that Valerie’s name, and the welfare of children who have been left in this horrific position, remained in the national conversation and on the Government’s agenda.<\/p>\n
“While nothing can undo the harm that has been done, this legislation will ensure that no child will, after the traumatic murder of their parent, remain subject to the control and influence of the person responsible for their pain and suffering.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am glad to see urgency from the Government in progressing this legislation through the D\u00e1il and Seanad ahead of the summer recess, and hope to see it signed into law as soon as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
ENDS
\nJune 17, 2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The passage of the Guardianship of Infants and Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2026, also known as \u2018Valerie\u2019s Law\u2019, through the D\u00e1il today is a landmark step towards justice, according to Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns. Deputy Cairns said: \u201cThis legislation seeks to ensure that a parent convicted of killing the other parent does not automatically […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":15877,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[400,411,863,548],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18336","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-holly-cairns","category-justice","category-valeries-law","category-violence-against-women"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n