Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The purpose of my question is not to trip up the Minister or her Department. I am anxious to see the new agency established as quickly as possible. The hope and expectation of all we have achieved in the course of this year rests largely on the made for purpose Child and Family Support Agency and the hope that it will be properly resourced to give effect to the people's wishes as expressed, especially in the recent referendum.

Is it not now appropriate that the timeline for implementation - an implementation plan - should be furnished before the House? I would commend this because all we have at the moment is the deferred expectation of the presentation of the legislation. We certainly had hoped it would have been presented before the end of this year. The Minister is indicating before the end of the coming month, but there is then a process of work that needs to be under way before we will see the new agency in situunder the aegis of the Department, which is what we are anxious to see. Would it be possible to present a timeline for implementation that would cover all of the key and relevant areas and the situation vis-à-visthe three agencies that are being brought together into the single agency as of the earliest point possible in 2013? Staffing will be the most critical issue. The Minister mentioned senior management appointments but we are all very anxious to know the level of support staff that will be in place, especially social workers.

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