Mr. Bernard Gloster:

No, that is okay. The simple answer on the rate of foster care allowance, which is there to enable people to create that home setting for children, is that I agree. To be fair to the Minister and his officials, we want to give an informed view as to what we think that is and what it should be rather than just making it up for the sake of it. That recommendation will be with the Department and the Minister in the coming weeks. That will be subject to regulatory decision and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and so on.

The pensions question is very interesting. Whether the foster care allowance could be subject to a PRSI deduction that would in turn lead to the potential of a contributory State pension has been raised with me. I have no particular prejudiced view of that but equally when the foster care allowance was introduced, it was hard fought that it would be defined as not-income so that it would not affect people's entitlements to jobseekers' payments, assessment for SUSI grants for their own children and so on. You could go one way and it would cause an unintended consequence. I do not have a prejudiced view about foster carers being supported after 30 or 40 years or fostering.

Leaving aside the advocating for services that are not there or that cost money, I think the Deputy made a point around a foster carer who fundamentally feels that they are at odds with Tusla around the care plan for the child and the decisions around them. We are into the whole nature versus nurture debate and all of that. The policy position in the State is, of course, that children should if possible be cared for within their own family and community, and care is the last option. I will ask Mr. Brophy to mention how we try to balance that. To be honest, we have foster carers who fundamentally disagree with us at times on decisions about children. Ultimately we are always trying to balance what the consequences for the child will be if we go in one direction or another. It is quite a sensitive issue.