Ms Clare Murphy:

I think what Ms Duggan was going to say was that we are very clear that we have a child protection duty of care to children who are placed in hospital beyond medical need. Neither ourselves nor the HSE believe that any child with a disability should spend a day longer in a hospital facility where he or she does not need to be. There can be complex situations, however. For example, we had a recent situation where a young person was in a disability setting, the placement broke down and they were hospitalised and we had to try to find another placement. It is not always possible to find a placement immediately. Sometimes, we have to buy a little bit of time to put the best package together around a child or young person. What I can tell the Deputy, however, is that from a legacy perspective and a historical perspective, there were issues with regard to children being in hospital beyond the time. Since the Jack report, however, and since the renewed commitment to working together, we do not use finance now as a reason for a child remaining on in hospital. If we cannot reach agreement, Tusla will pay 100% of the bill or the HSE will pay 100%. The child will not remain in a hospital based purely on financial reasons. There can be difficulties in timing, however. We are not always able to move the young person or the child on immediately because of the lack of a suitable placement.