Mr. Fergus Finlay:

The common ground all of us here have is that if €12 million or €15 million is to be spent on this, it has to be spent properly and in a way that is regulated and accountable and, demonstrably, is value for money, and everybody knows that the current system does not do that. The current system is one whereby 60 to 70 people are enabled, by law and by practice, to invoice the State for work they have done, get that bill paid in an ad hoc, unregulated way. This Bill is proposing to replace that with proper accountability and regulation and better value for money. The Chairman has fought for children in his care. Many of us, as parents, have fought for children in our care. What I know for certain is that the child who has somebody to fight for them will be better off than the child who has nobody to fight for them, but it is not enough to say that. It has to be done in a way that is properly accountable to the State and to the taxpayer. If the Chairman says to me that there has been waste in the system up to now, I will not disagree with that. If we achieve nothing else through this debate other than a sense that we are all committed to providing a value for money system which is capable of delivering real care, prevention and outcomes that save the State money in the long term and that enable other resources to be put into prevention and early intervention for all children, then that is a good thing.