Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome that at long last the target promised under the Ryan implementation plan has been met. I am somewhat disappointed that the Minister cannot provide information on the numbers employed on temporary contracts but perhaps she can confirm whether the additional staff employed under permanent contracts were transferred from temporary positions and if those positions were ever filled. That is a key issue because the figures released by her Department in May 2012 indicate that the percentage of allocated social workers to children in foster or residential care has decreased, which means that more children were without social workers in May compared to 18 months ago. I ask her to clarify that issue.

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