Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister and his officials here this morning. I thank him for his presentation.

I shall commence by mentioning the terms of reference for mother and baby homes. I strongly agree with my colleague, Deputy Ó Caoláin, that it is very important to get this right. We have only one chance so we need to get it right.

I shall now concentrate on the questions I submitted. Question No. 6 asked about the working group for direct provision.

In what capacity is the Department of Children and Youth Affairs represented on that working group? While it is noted that the centre staff are Garda vetted, adults living in close proximity to children to whom they are not related are not Garda vetted. This leaves children at risk. It is not acceptable and more needs to be done to change this environment completely.

Even though children of asylum seekers are linked to local mainstream primary and secondary schools, they are still stigmatised because of their living conditions. They have no space to do their homework and they cannot carry on to third level education because they are not State-funded. This matter also needs to be addressed.

Question No. 7 related to food poverty. The charity, Healthy Food for All, called for a Department policy commitment to address food poverty and childhood obesity. The Minister's reply stated that the Department is not responsible for financial assistance, but surely the Department should have a wide-ranging policy and approach across all the relevant Departments.

Question No. 8 related to the issue of homelessness among young people leaving care. Senator van Turnhout also had a question on the matter. The Minister stated that children between the ages of 16 and 17 are provided a service under section 5 of the Child Care Act 1991. What is the service and what would the Minister define as suitable accommodation? He also stated that some of these children suffer from mental health or learning difficulties. Are all their needs catered for?

The Minister stated that as of December 2013, 639 people over the age of 18 were supported financially through living with their foster parents. For how long after the age of 18 does this financial support continue?