Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the witnesses. The clerk has advised me that a report was made to the Committee of Public Accounts on the guardian ad litemservice. The Comptroller and Auditor General did a lot of work on the breakdown of the costs. The report is available for information purposes. In summary, a total of 1,600 children availed of the service last year at a cost of €16 million which works out at €10,000 per child to give them a voice in court. Many of the children only had one court case. I do not say children should not have a voice in court but the costs are not proportionate. That is the final word of the Chair. I thank the witnesses for their attendance today and their participation at the meeting. I also thank members for their co-operation. We will now suspend the meeting to allow a changeover of witnesses for the next session with the Minister.