Ms Áine Flynn:

For clarity, we do not manage that process. We are not responsible for the functions under Part 6 of the Act. We are not a notice party to those applications. They could begin and end without us knowing about them and we do not see the court papers. We are future facing, so if the court directs discharge from wardship with an arrangement that is under our remit, then that is where we become involved. We could be involved mid-process if one of our panel member decision-making representatives is required. Otherwise, we are exclusively dealing with a future-facing scenario.

We have heard from Ms Denning on where the numbers are and how they are to be progressed in order to meet the deadline. We have sought to support that because that is a statutory imperative. The Oireachtas voted more than ten years ago to usher out the 1871 Act processes. From our own observations, these are very valuable events and where we have met with wards and their committees and families. The reservations are about the new, and that is understandable. The old process had existed in one form or another for over 150 years, so this one is quite new. It has been an opportunity at those meetings to socialise the DSS, to put a human face on it and to provide reassurance, where that is required, about what engagement with us the DSS might look like, but we are responsive, reactive and waiting for the applications to be concluded so that we can take up our role.