Mr. Bernard Gloster:

As the members will know, HIQA regularly inspects our childcare, residential care, foster care and child protection services. The inspection in Cork was very specifically concerned with the child protection notification system. Approximately 1,000 children in Ireland are on the child protection notification system today. They have been through a very specific process. HIQA's concern was about organisation, governance and the process of following up on the details of those cases. A very detailed plan for this area was drawn up. The plan was tested, scrutinised and monitored by HIQA and was to that body's satisfaction. The plan has been accepted by HIQA and is well under way. As I said in my opening statement, if I was asked for one word to define all the challenges that arise throughout a complex system like ours I would say "consistency".

To be fair to the Deputy, a report like that can crystallise concern in the mind of the reader and rightly so. However, there are very significant examples and validated reports of very good work done by Tusla in Cork. I would not want to lose sight of that balance. The real test will be whether HIQA is satisfied with what it sees. There are other concerns in the Cork area and other parts of the country, concerning not only child protection but the children in care service, the follow-up to care plans and so on. Unfortunately, we do not see the very significant number of positive HIQA reports. One was published today on foster care in the Louth-Meath area.