Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 29 June 2016

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs

Estimates for Public Services 2016
Vote 40 - Children and Youth Affairs (Revised)

9:00 am

Photo of Donnchadh Ó LaoghaireDonnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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I re-emphasise and support the point made by Deputy Rabbitte. I would share the view that probably not enough institutions come under the remit of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes and, that being the case, the budget would probably need to be bigger if additional institutions were included.

I will pick up on the point of the possibility of an underspend on Growing Up in Ireland. If there is likely to be an underspend, is it anticipated that the funding would remain for similar research projects, and where might these be?

I presume it is somewhere under this programme as well that the Department's obligations under the Official Languages Act 2003 fall. I am not sure whether the Department has an extant language plan. If it does, what is likely to be the spend on that? Basically, my question is whether the Department is in compliance with the Act.

My final question is geared more towards next year than anything else. In subhead C5, I note that there was an increase in funding for the Adoption Authority of Ireland. During the course of the Adoption (Amendment) Bill 2016, I commented that when the Bill was passed - as I anticipate it will be - there would likely be a spike in the number of people looking to regularise their situation and formally adopt. Surely this will require an increased allocation in 2017.