Mr. Pat Smyth:

Having stepped into this role four months ago, one of my immediate engagements was with the Garda Síochána and the HSE in terms of a plan and protocols for information sharing. This is the ground work that needs to be done in terms of the effective engagement between us all. On the Garda side, this process is led by an assistant commissioner. As interim CEO of Tusla, I take the lead on behalf of Tusla and the HSE is represented at a senior level. This process has a high level of leadership to get it to a point where, hopefully over the next number of months, we will have agreed protocols around information sharing. We are currently engaged on a number of protocols. The data protection legislation requirements have caused some issues for us in terms of getting protocols in place faster than has been the case. It is a process that we and An Garda Síochána view as an important one to get across the line fairly quickly.

In terms of retrospective abuse, there are a number of other issues involved, including training for social workers in interview technique and so on, which is moving at a pace rather than happening quickly. There is work in the background that is moving forward but, as Mr. Gibson stated, one of the challenges we face all of the time in terms of the retrospective piece is having a solid legislative framework to move forward on it. In terms of child protection, it is of immediate concern when referrals come to us. The issue of what we have been asked to do around adjudication and the policy requirements around that have always been challenging because as we put a new policy in place, a court case will mean that we have change that policy. This is an ongoing issue for us. For an organisation with 4,000 staff, rolling out a new policy is a complex piece of work. Every time we change policy, there is confusion. The more frequently that happens, the more confusion is created.