Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)

I will return to the issue Deputy Farrelly referenced, namely guardians ad litem. The Association of Guardians ad Litem,. AGALI, has raised significant issues about the coming reforms. I will give one example. We talk all the time about the importance of the child's voice. Under the new system, there will not be guaranteed legal representation for children. The parents and the State will have legal representation and the child will perhaps have a social worker who has never set foot in a court in their life. That takes away the voice of the child. AGALI has raised several issues. It has sought a meeting with the Minister, but that has not happened. It is raising issues that are very concerning and I urge the Minister to sit down with AGALI. Its members are women in particular who have been guardians ad litem for many years and they are very concerned about the voice of the child being diminished in what is being announced.

Does the Minister foresee the review of core funding in the programme for Government to be a review of the entirety of core funding or will it be a year-by-year approach? The Minister is looking at year one at the moment. I am unclear whether the commitment in the programme for Government is a full review or year on year.

Will the Minister provide an update on the providers, the administrative burden and the work due in the report on administration and the issues in that?