Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)

This has been spoken about for a long time, as the Deputy knows. We have received some elementary information from the two pilot projects. We have the beginning of an assessment of how they are operating. I need to wait until I hear back from the HSE oversight group on the recommendations before I decide how quickly we can move to a national roll-out. Obviously, there will be resource implications. One of the key lessons we have learned from the pilot projects that are taking place is that there needs to be a greater engagement between gardaí and HSE social workers. Gardaí need to be aware of the services in these areas and need to be able to use them. When I met representatives of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors to discuss some of these issues earlier in the year, they were keen for this service to be rolled out. It is not satisfactory that the Garda has to respond out of hours in order to look after these children. The kind of ideas that are coming forward relate, for example, to the development of a roster of on-call managers who would make themselves available to the Garda for consultation. More of them should be available to gardaí when they are doing this work. I take the Deputy's point that we could begin to implement the lessons that are being learned from the pilot projects. I will ask the HSE to consider ensuring the implementation is not left until after the nationwide roll-out of the whole system. If lessons can be learned from the two pilot projects and incorporated very quickly, I will try to ensure that happens.

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