Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We are bringing together the three agencies and the other elements on the service in order to create a single agency. That is the purpose of the legislation. There will no longer be a need for intra-agency co-operation because there will be only one agency involved. The main reason I do not wish to accept the amendment is it implies that separate agencies will continue to work together under the umbrella of the Child and Family Agency. The entire principle underpinning the Bill is to bring together the agencies in an integrated way in order that they will operate as one, despite the fact that they had responsibility for different areas in the past. We are concerned with integration. Section 8(9) states: "In the performance of its functions, the Agency shall use the resources available to it in the most beneficial, effective and efficient manner".

One would expect that, but it is about all those different elements coming together and acting as one in the interests of a particular family. It is no longer a matter for the education welfare section or family support section; it is about getting the best services to the family that they need at a particular time. The term "inter-agency" makes sense because it refers to agencies outside the Child and Family Agency; however, the term "intra-agency" does not make as much sense in this section.