Mr. Bernard Gloster:

That is a long list. I will do the best I can to quickly respond. Deputy Costello is correct that the agency conversion was very significant and it brought many benefits. Our mobile technology went from about 3,800 people at the start of Covid and we took it right up to the maximum of about 4,300 to ensure that we could remotely work across the system and that has brought huge benefits.

To be clear, the workforce of 4,784 is not indicative of need. The Deputy is quite right that is not based on a needs assessment. What I am talking about is the funded workforce within Tusla. In other words, that is the number we have money to employ. There are lots of models around need and need identification. I will let Ms Duggan speak in a moment about some of the approach taken to 2021 because the approach up to more recent years was somewhat historical.

Administrative staff have substantially increased in terms of grade 3 and grade 4 clerical officers, who support social work teams. While there was an increase, it could always be more because, as the Deputy is aware, the regulatory burden on child protection services is very high. The paperwork requirement is very high, but the situation has improved substantially from what it was.

I find the reference to a hiring freeze a little bit frustrating because since I came to Tusla there has been anything but a hiring freeze. What there has been is complete clarity for each of our regions as to what its affordable workforce was, and they were allowed to recruit to that. In 2020, that included an agreement with the Minister not to reduce any services because we had a deficit. The deficit has now been dealt with in the allocation coming into 2021 but we were going to finish 2020 with a deficit and that was going to happen because we were not going to cut services. The hiring freeze is somewhat debatable.

I will ask Ms Duggan to talk about the fostering campaign in terms of fostering recruitment. I do not have the exact number of people solely focused on the recruitment of foster carers. I will have to come back to the Deputy on that. We do have communications experts involved. Ms Duggan might wish to briefly comment on the recruitment of foster carers and recruitment generally.