PRIME Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar said her Government is fully committed to protecting the nation's children and has taken steps to ensure that vulnerable children are identified and supported.

During yesterday's sitting of Parliament, Opposition Chief Whip and former national security minister Marvin Gonzales asked the Prime Minister to indicate what measures the Government has taken, or intends to take, to strengthen support and protection services for children in light of recent criminal incidents affecting minors. Persad-Bissessar, in response, criticised the People's National Movement (PNM) Opposition for expressing concern about children after, she said, failing to protect them during its decade in office.

'Honourable Speaker, I continue to be astonished, astonished by the temerity of those on the other side, today very concerned about our nation's children, because when they had the opportunity to do so, to take care of the children for the past ten years, they failed so,' she said.