Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

I thank the Minister of State for her response. We need capacity within the child protection service and we also need consistency of response, as the Minister indicated in her reply to me and other Deputies on 21 July. We need to have certainty in that across the State. In her reply the Minister said a regulatory impact analysis would be carried out and the results presented to the Government. Has that been done? What is the current status thereon?

Regarding the Minister's shock about discovering the reality in terms of funding support for what is currently available and what we hope to have in place, can she give us any assurance that the establishment of her Department will bring about ring-fencing, even of what is currently provided, such that we will not see a further contraction regarding the commitments made heretofore on child protection services in terms of the upcoming budget?

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