Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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On outsourcing, I know Mr. Gloster would say publicly that Tusla wants to bring as much of it in house as possible. Obviously that makes economic sense and I also presume from a management point of view it is more difficult when dealing with a multiple number of outside agencies. We all accept a certain number of them are necessary and I can see the amount spent on them decreased from €32 million in 2019 to €19.5 million last year. According to the table in the briefing provided, for which I thank the witnesses, there are 55 social workers still employed by outside agencies that Tusla is using. That has increased from 34 whole-time equivalents in 2020. As of August this year it is 55. What kind of difficulties does that cause with cases? I am thinking about continuity in terms of a social worker being familiar with a particular family. When dealing with an agency, anyone could turn up. What kind of difficulties does that cause for Tusla in operational terms?