Ms Kate Duggan:

Our ambition is to change that. As I said, we have been slowed in that ambition because of the demand that has come at us in terms of having to provide a physical location, a physical bed and staffing for the number of separated children who seek international protection. More than 329 young people are being accommodated by Tusla tonight. They have had to have been found buildings, properties, beds and staffing in terms of responding to them. That is a challenge we had not estimated.

Second, in terms of occupancy levels, a mainstream residential unit would have four young people living in that who are supervised, cared for and supported by staff. What we have seen in recent years is a reduction in the number of young people who are able to stay in that type of unit. Often the court, having reviewed their case, has directed that there is to be just a dual or single occupancy unit. Those situations have significantly increased the cost of provision by child either in the statutory or community and voluntary sectors or in the private sector. We maintain that our ambition is that we want to reduce our reliance on private provision. That is why the nine units, which we are trying to open in statutory, over this year and next year, aims to start to shift that provision and dependency.