James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the committee for its invitation. I am pleased to have the opportunity to update the Joint Committee on Health and Children in support of its quarterly review of my Department's work.

On the last occasion when I appeared before the committee in July, it was less than a week since my appointment as Minister for Children and Youth Affairs. I found the experience to be a useful induction into the broad range of issues within my Department's remit.

I want to bring the committee up to date on the full range of developments in my Department in the past quarter. I hope that the comprehensive responses which I have already provided to the written questions submitted by the members of this committee in advance of today's session will assist its examination of the issues concerned and will assist our discussion today.

In these opening remarks I wish to mention a number of key developments among the priority areas of the Department since our last session. These include: budget 2015; update on the national children detention facilities project at Oberstown; progress on our legislative programme; developments towards the commission to inquire into the mother and baby homes; implementation of Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures: the National Policy Framework for Children and Young People 2014-2020; and steps towards the appointment of a new Ombudsman for Children.

The 2015 Estimate for my Department demonstrates that, while operating under difficult budgetary constraints, this Government is strongly committed to delivering important reform and service developments to support Ireland's children and families. I am fully committed to ensuring real reform of child welfare and protection services and making this country a better and safer place to be a child or young person.

There are two elements to my Department's Vote which amounts to €1.01 billion or €1,010 million in 2015. The Estimate for next year contains significant additional resources to fund the services and programmes provided by the Child and Family Agency. In 2015 the agency will have a budget of €635 million including more than €12 million in capital funding. This is an increase of €26 million, or 4.3%, over the 2014 provision.

The balance of €375 million relates to other programmes funded directed by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs. In 2015 my Department will provide €260 million to support the child care sector to enable children and parents to access high quality and affordable child care. The total number of children benefiting from support under the child care programmes is more than 100,000. I am pleased to say there will be no reduction in the €50 million funding for youth services in 2015, which was a key priority for youth organisations.

The committee will be aware that the Child and Family Agency, established on 1 January 2014, represented one of the most ambitious and far reaching public sector reforms undertaken by the Government. It involved the bringing together of almost 3,800 staff from three organisations, the HSE, the Family Support Agency and the National Educational Welfare Board. The coming together of services under one roof has provided a platform for the delivery of a more efficient and effective service to vulnerable children and families. The overall level of funding of €635 million which will be made available to the agency in 2015 is significant by any measurement. It is to ensure the agency can provide a comprehensive and integrated service for children and families who require support. Notwithstanding the additional resources provided and the prioritisation of these services by the Government, it is acknowledged that delivering the range of services required of the agency is challenging as a result of demographic and social factors. Operational reforms are ongoing to achieve the most effective utilisation of existing resources. In addition, the agency has been working to bring added controls in the area of legal services and continues to develop its approach to the commissioning of services. My Department has in place a strong system of performance monitoring, with monthly and quarterly performance closely monitored in key areas, including finance, HR and service activity levels.

The practice of detaining children in adult prison facilities is not one modern society should tolerate, which is why ending this practice is a core programme for Government commitment. Work is nearing completion on the first three residential units which will facilitate the transfer of responsibility for 17 year old boys from the adult prison system to the children detention schools. In addition to the €56 million capital project to develop new national children detention facilities, the allocation of €1.8 million in current expenditure in 2015 will provide for the increased operational costs of the extended Oberstown facilities under its expanded role. Some 24 new care staff arrived at the Oberstown campus in October for initial training and orientation. This is the first increase in staffing for the children detention school system for many years.

The legal framework for the detention of children is also being updated and the heads of a Bill for amendments to the Children Act 2001 were recently approved by the Cabinet. Drafting work is under way. The Bill will provide for the legal amalgamation of the three existing children detention schools and the repeal of all current legal provisions which permit the detention of children in the adult prison system. I am committed to working with campus management and its board of management to ensure the current change programme in the children detention school system is completed successfully.

A key priority in my Department's legislative programme is the Children First Bill. The committee will be aware that I intend that the Bill will advance to Committee Stage in the Dáil in this session. The Children First interdepartmental group is also pursuing implementation issues generally at this time and revised national guidance is being developed with the passage of the Bill.

I am pleased to inform the committee that I intend to seek Government approval for the draft heads of an adoption (information and tracing) Bill and referral of that Bill to the committee for pre-legislative scrutiny. I have already submitted a written response to a Member's question on this legislation in which I outline the progressive approach I wish to take to provide for access to as much information as possible and as legally possible for adopted persons. I hope to be in a position to introduce the Adoption (Amendment) Bill following on from the children's rights referendum, subject to the outcome of the Supreme Court proceedings on that referendum. It is expected that the outcome of the Supreme Court's deliberations will be available in the early part of next year.

I have received the committee's report on the proposed legislative provisions in respect of aftercare and will give careful attention to this important input before I seek the approval of the Government to draft the Bill. I express my gratitude to the committee for its important input into this vital matter.

My Department has ongoing engagement with the Department of Justice and Equality on its progressing of the Children and Family Relationships Bill, the general scheme of which was approved by the Government in September 2014. The Bill will involve amendments to the Adoption Act 2010 in respect of adoption by cohabiting couples - both same and opposite sex couples - and also in respect of step-parent adoption.

As the committee is aware, the Government has undertaken to establish a statutory commission of investigation into mother and baby homes. It is essential that the commission be provided with comprehensive and precise terms of reference from the outset. The tasks to be undertaken and the appropriate range of methodologies to be utilised must be defined to ensure the commission is set up on a sound footing. Given the level of cross-party and public interest in these maters, I am anxious to achieve the widest possible consensus at this crucial stage of the process. I am engaging further with Opposition spokespersons and other stakeholders in order to update them on the emerging issues and seek any further view they may have. Such an inclusive approach will assist the Government in establishing an effective inquiry and I am confident that we can conclude this important phase of the process in a timely manner. Following the finalisation of the terms of reference, it is my intention to bring a memorandum to the Government as soon as possible thereafter, setting out the arrangements for the commission. I will then be in a position to return to both Houses with a draft resolution seeking Oireachtas approval to establish the commission.

In September the Government approved my proposal that the third optional protocol to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child be signed and ratified by Ireland. The protocol provides for a communication procedure between citizens of participating states and the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. This move will give children in Ireland a route to the committee to hear complaints on the violation of their rights. This new development underpins a range of Government initiatives to strengthen children's rights. They include the establishment of a dedicated Department to advance children's rights and the establishment of the Child and Family Agency to consolidate and enhance service provision for children and families. It is important in all we do that the child's voice is heard.

A particular focus of the early years quality agenda since the meeting in July has been establishing a national approach to providing support for early years services to help them to improve their quality. The initiative involves bringing together the work done by local child care committees and also by voluntary organisations with a new strand of support, the Early Years Specialist Service. The specialist service will work with a small number of services at a time, helping them to self-evaluate and work on improvements. All of the quality support work will be underpinned by a practice toolkit which is being developed by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment. The national manager was appointed in July and has been focusing on the establishment of the Early Years Specialist Service. Some 30 specialists have been recruited and are being trained. This is a very exciting development, one which will be of real benefit to services on the ground as it is rolled out. It is welcome that the organisations delivering quality supports have been so willing to come together in the interests of services and the children who use them. It is a reflection of the fact that there is widespread recognition that providing this support in a consistent way nationally is key to improvements in the future.

As the committee is aware, my Department is leading the implementation of Better Outcomes Brighter Future, the first whole of government strategy for children and young people aged 0 to 24 years. The framework sets out key outcomes for children and young people on which the Government and wider society will focus attention to ensure we optimise the best outcomes for young people. The aim and ambition of the strategy are significant and I am pleased to inform the committee that considerable progress has been made in the implementation of the framework. It includes the establishment and convening of the cross-Government consortium to oversee implementation, the establishment of the sponsors group of key Departments with lead responsibility for the five national outcomes, the preparation of an implementation plan for the framework, the identification process for annual priority areas of work to be progressed by each sponsor, as well as the establishment of an advisory council, chaired by Dr. Owen Keenan, which will provide a platform for members of civil society to engage with other structures of Better Outcomes Brighter Futures in order to actively support and guide its implementation.

The first meeting took place last week.

Both the infrastructure and process involved in Better Outcomes Brighter Futures are proving to be an effective model for whole-of-government working. It indicates the clear benefits of ensuring co-ordinated and coherent policy for children and young people to ensure the best outcomes, and I am committed to actively driving this innovative initiative and ensuring that the Cabinet committee on social policy is informed of progress.

I recently announced the competitive process to recruit a new Ombudsman for Children. Members will be aware that the outgoing Ombudsman for Children, Ms Emily Logan, vacated her position on 1 October 2014 to take up a new position as chief commissioner of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, and I wish her well in the post. The vacant position will be filled by an open, competitive process as advertised by the Public Appointments Service on 31 October 2014. The process is along similar lines to the process which resulted in the recruitment of Ms Logan as the first holder of the office in 2003. I am particularly pleased with the extent to which children will play a role in the process. Children were involved in developing the person specification for the role and the advertisement for the position.

I recently attended the two consultation events on 20 and 21 October which were both immensely valuable and highly enjoyable. It was great to see children participating in such a novel way to help in the selection of the person whose primary function is to advocate for their rights. A panel of children has also been selected to work with the Public Appointments Service on developing, conducting and evaluating a role play with candidates and in participating in the final interview and selection process. I have confidence that the Public Appointments Service has significant experience and expertise to conduct a professional and impartial selection process that will identify the most suitable candidate for this important role on behalf of children in Ireland. Shortlisting and preliminary interviews will be concluded before the end of 2014 with the final interviews to take place in early January. I hope to have Government approval to submit a motion to both Houses seeking approval to recommend the successful candidate for appointment in the first week the Houses resume sitting in 2015.

Regarding the commission, I have met some members of the Opposition and must meet others in the coming weeks. We are very keen to have an inclusive process and that the terms of reference allow for a timely and sensitive inquiry that will report and answer the questions that many people need answered.