Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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Under section 56(13), the Minister may prescribe requirements which could include requiring service providers to take into account the best interests of the child where the provider was engaged in relevant services. In addition, under section 56(15), a service provider is defined as a person providing child and family services which are similar to activities carried out by the agency and consistent with its functions. The agency, in the performance of its functions, will be required to observe the best interests principle and, therefore, it is entirely reasonable that any service provider engaged in the provision of child and family services on the agency's behalf must adhere to the same principle. The agency will have overall responsibility for the delivery of services, whether directly provided or commissioned. I will re-examine section 9 and if the Deputies are willing to withdraw the amendments and retable them on Report Stage, I will consider them in the context of that re-examination, as agreed at the previous committee meeting.