Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome our guests. I want to speak about foster carers. I received correspondence from a foster carer who is also a social worker. She wrote to me in a private capacity. In her letter she states her worry is that many foster carers will not be able to continue to do what they do and that it will not be affordable for people to consider becoming foster carers, especially as fostering impacts on a carer's ability to be available for other paid work. She has layered much more into the letter but this is the kernel of it for me.

Mr. Gloster has stated that Tusla's strategic plan on foster care services was approved by the Tusla board on Friday, 30 September 2022. I will reflect some of what I have heard from foster carers about the letter issued to them. They found the letter extremely patronising. It is important that Tusla hears this because it is what I have been hearing from foster carers. They engaged in what they thought was a meaningful process after which one of the recommendations was an increase in allowances and financial and other supports. This is highlighted in the letter from Tusla to them. Mr. Gloster and Ms Duggan said they heard loud and clear what the foster carers said. The budget came after this. All that arose for foster carers from the budgetary process, in which I assume Tusla was directly involved with its parent Department and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, was an allowance of €325 or €350. Did Tusla, through its parent Department, make a specific recommendation that the allowances to foster carers should be increased in budget 2023?