Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Mr. Jeyes for the presentation. I note he is seeking extra resources. Every group that comes before the committee seeks extra resources. We had a group in yesterday and it wanted resources and another group will be in this afternoon and it will want resources. Resources involve taxpayers' money, not the Government's money, and we must make sure that there is a need for the provision of resources. I am not saying that only to this group; it applies to every group that comes before the committee.

I understand it has been difficult and challenging to set up this organisation, and Mr. Jeyes certainly seems to have grasped the whole sector and pulled it together. I am taken aback that he has only has two members of staff dealing with ICT and I note that they came from the National Education Welfare Board. I presume he is not looking for 120 staff to manage estates with regard to the HSE. I know of estates in Dún Laoghaire that the HSE owns. We want money going into front-of-house staff, people who are dealing with children; we do not want to set up another big organisation employing people and still not dealing with children.

I wish to ask Mr. Jeyes about a matter, and this may be a different approach from that taken by other colleagues. I am particularly interested in the agency's targeted range of family and parenting supports and its parenting strategy. That is extremely important. Will Mr. Jeyes outline his thinking on that strategy and how he will communicate with parents and help them do the best for their children, or, if they run into problems, where they can get advice?

Mr. Jeyes spoke about alignment of education and welfare services. I presume that is for the children who drop out of school early or who are having psychological problems through school. How will Mr. Jeyes reach into the schools? I am aware that DEIS schools got all those services, while one could not get resources for such children in an ordinary mainstream school. I am interested in that aspect.

Mr. Jeyes spoke about the agency's targeted range of family and parenting supports, including psychology services. What psychology services are those? For example, if a parent has a child who is diagnosed with autism and cannot get a service for their child, will the agency offer help and support in those circumstances? Will it inform organisations that they are to take on that child and check why organisations are refusing children services?