Mr. Gordon Jeyes:

On Deputy Neville's questions, discussions with the HSE on psychology are constructive. When I arrived in Ireland I said that I hoped to bring some evidence-based impatience to issues. Often when negotiating, impatience will do. It has taken too long. We now have a much more detailed service level agreement for psychology because of our statutory responsibilities for the remainder of this year. We need to move to a stage whereby, in partnership with the HSE, there is a national psychology strategy covering all aspects. Legally, there are three reasons for access to psychology: mental health, which sits with that relevant director in the HSE; services for people and children affected by disability, again the responsibility of the HSE and, as per the Child and Family Agency Act, general access for children and families, which rests with us. Each should have their cohort of psychologists but should be working together on a national strategy and using primary care where possible as the delivery mechanism. I am satisfied that current discussions are constructive and I am confident that the Minister has full experience and understanding of these matters and can bring them to a conclusion in 2015.

On Deputy McLellan's question regarding vacant posts, there are 160 vacant posts at any one time, 50% of which are filled by agencies. In other words, at any one time there may be approximately 80 vacant posts. There are two reasons for this, including, first, that until recently not all maternity leave was immediately covered. We are now starting to do that. Second, we need to reform and improve and make more responsive our recruitment processes, which from my perspective are too bureaucratic. The gap between somebody leaving, even after notice, and another person arriving, even if the system works perfectly, is unacceptably long. Tusla is a customer of shared services with the HSE. We have not yet got right that customer orientation. I often jest that it is a bit like Costa Rica having a shared service agreement with the USA. Shared services are the way forward but where one agency is tiny and the other is large it can be a difficult process.

On resources, resources are tight but services are improving. The most important cases are being dealt with. Staff are to be commended in this regard, including Meitheal. I know from my travels around the country that there are parts of this country where the number of referrals are decreasing because of the excellent partnership working with family resource centres, schools and other community bodies. It is not true to say that services are not being provided. They are. Meitheal is working in terms of ensuring the focus is on meeting the interests of the child.

I am surprised to hear that after-care in some areas is being curtailed. It is a priority area. If the Deputy is aware of individual cases where this is not the case my colleagues will look into them. The problem with after-care, as with many of our services, is that previously it was inconsistent. By international standards, our current after-care arrangements are good. To let one risk-taking young person down is to let down one too many. In some parts of the country there was not sufficient support in place. We need to ring-fence the budget and create specific standards and ensure we not only support those youngsters who remain in education but those who choose to remain in foster care. We will fund that irrespective of their education arrangements. Those involved will at that stage be adults and as such there will be no free ride. We need to broaden the range of experiences and opportunities available. Mr. Eglington told me only this morning that he is undertaking an internship with a travel agency with the prospect of employment. That is superb. We need more of those types of opportunities.

In regard to the homelessness figures mentioned, I do not recognise them. One person homeless is one too many. There are children who are homeless or who have housing difficulties because of the pressures building on their families. There are difficulties for young people in after-care because like others on benefits they are being priced out of the rental market in some of Ireland's cities. We need to look at social protection resources in this regard because many of those concerned are ending up in areas where we do not want them to be. On the 9,000 cases mentioned, all cases are assessed but some are held at the in-take level before allocation and, as stated by Mr. McBride, given support in other ways. People are not left aside until we get to them. There is a process they must go through. As I said earlier, in some areas referrals are decreasing because services are improving. We need to get on the front-foot and to work with parents. We are happy on another occasion to walk members through the service delivery framework.

On the number of children missing in care, this varies at any given time. At the time of my meeting with the Garda Commissioner last week the number for 2014 still missing was one. That may have changed by now. In other words, that youngster may well have been found. More often than not, those concerned drift back to their families or friends or a particular relationship. On the question regarding early years and Pobal, I agree with Deputy McLellan that while the service being provided is a big step forward it is nowhere near good enough. We have written to the Department and asked for funding for a new system. Investment is being made in this area and we want some of it.

Direct provision is a difficult issue.

Countries do not survive by throwing their boundaries open. We will play our part, but countries must decide through the justice system what are their arrangements. We are servants in that respect. That is what I meant by that.

Eibhlin Byrne will comment on the issue raised by Deputy Fitzpatrick.