Ms Angela Denning:

Stream 1 is where the committee has made an application to have the ward discharged from court voluntarily. Stream 2 is the people who are hoping to wait and see and be in the last batch, so to speak. Once we reached six months out from the cut-off deadline, something had to be done to get those cases moved through the court. We have written to all wards of court and told them they can pick a solicitor or have a solicitor appointed. If they pick a solicitor, that is great, and if they do not, a solicitor will be appointed for them from the Legal Aid Board. The court has listed all of those stream 2 cases where people were not voluntarily coming forward. It listed them before the end of this month to give direction as to what is to happen to move the cases towards exit from the wardship regime.