Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will take the first question and ask my officials to respond to the second one. If I understand correctly, your first question was whether we have the budget to put in place the reform Tusla has identified and the numbers of social workers and other workers within Tusla that are required to ensure that we are able to implement the ambition of that reform programme. The answer is "Yes". It is not a question of the budget per se. As we approach the budget for 2018, I expect and hope that I will get a commitment in my negotiations that we will have the money required. One of the primary issues is the numbers we are able to recruit as distinct from the money in place to pay them.