Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We will hold it over for discussion at the next meeting.

No. 2309 B is from Mr. Jim Gibson, acting CEO, Tusla, dated 9 July 2019 providing information requested by the committee at a recent meeting. We asked about the difference in remuneration for social workers recruited by Tusla as opposed to those employed via agencies. He supplied a table, which includes a social worker on the first point at €778 per week giving net weekly pay of €556. He said the difference between directly employed staff and agency staff is €91.24. Nowhere do I see a detailed breakdown of agency staff at an hourly and equivalent rate. I do not follow the correspondence. We need clarification.

The second matter relates to the Five Rivers agency, a private fostering agency operated in Ireland. It has approximately 42 staff and operate nationally with a head office in Dublin. He confirms payment to that organisation in 2018 was €8.457 million. I would like clarification as to whether that figure includes payment to staff and fostering families, and a breakdown of what it costs to run the Five Rivers agency vis-à-viswhat is paid to the fostering families. Presumably the €8.457 million also includes the cost to the fostering families but I do not know and it is not clear from the letter.