Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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Yes. All Departments have seen significant reductions in their Voted allocations in the past five years. As a result, there is increasingly little scope for Departments to deal with budget overruns, additional requirements or new initiatives. Despite this, the Government’s commitment to children and young people continues to be demonstrated through the new initiatives and additional funding given to my Department, as I outlined at the start of my presentation.

We have also been proactive in trying to find resources from within my existing allocation, for example, to enable the first phase of the longitudinal study Growing Up in Ireland to be completed during this year and next. Every European country conducts this type of longitudinal study and it is extremely important that we continue to get the range data that we obtain from the study. Departmental funding will allow us a third sweep of the infant cohort at age five years in 2013. Such a study is important because it will show us how five year olds have benefited, for example, from the ECCE scheme. This major study will examine how five year olds have benefited from preschool and made the transition to primary school and also how they are doing in other important indices.

All areas must find ways of meeting objectives with reduced funding. I am satisfied that services for children and young people have been accorded a high priority relative to overall reductions in public expenditure. However, it is incumbent on all of us to contribute to more cost effective delivery of public services.

As Deputies will be aware, my Department is leading a comprehensive reform of services for children and young people which encompasses all of the reports that the sub-committee will have discussed and suggested. It will bring together key services under the child and family agency. It also extends to the review and reform of the youth schemes which still have an allocation of almost €53.5 million and the school completion programme. The purpose is to achieve the best possible outcome within the resources at our disposal. I hope my statement is of assistance to the sub-committee and look forward to its input and discussion of the issues involved.