Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)

I have asked for the information with regard to the residential care settings and the information to date is that one person who is not on the care side is leaving that sector. That is the information to date. If this changes in the coming weeks, I will communicate directly with the Deputy on it. Based on the current figures, only one person is retiring. I believe this is largely influenced by the age profile of the workforce in residential care, which tends to be younger. This is encouraging with regard to the challenges in that area.

The Deputy raised the broader point of the demands in this area. Of course, I have had discussions with the Minister for Expenditure and Reform, particularly before and after the budget. The Government is very aware of the challenges. In meeting those challenges, we must also look at reform and at how we have been delivering some of the services. I have already outlined the plans to establish the new child and family service support agency. We must also look at areas like those raised by the Deputy. For example, we should look at how the guardian ad litem service is being run. This was included in legislation without a management plan and without clear criteria. It has developed in an ad hoc manner and needs to be examined. The cost of residential care and how it is provided must be examined and work is under way on that.

We cannot just say that more money will solve the issues. I accept resources are important to meet the needs of children and families but we must also look at reforming certain areas that cost significant money and look at the priorities in the different areas. We must also look to the voluntary sector providing child and family support services and must examine how this sector engages with the HSE in meeting the priorities as they present. I assure the Deputy that is being done within the HSE. The situation is challenging and the issues will not be solved over night. However, the Department, the HSE and the new agency will address the issues raised by the Deputy. This is a demanding time in terms of the demands on the services, given the legacy and the work that has not been done in a range of areas.

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