Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As a result of budget 2013, I am pleased to advise the Deputy that the gross funding allocation for my Department next year will amount to €443 million, which represents an increase of €16 million or 4% over the 2012 Estimate provision of €427 million. This includes €417 million in current expenditure and €26 million in capital expenditure. I am satisfied the significant resource allocation demonstrates the priority and commitment which the Government, and my Department, attach to the delivery of programmes and services for children and young people.

I know the Deputy will appreciate the economic context in which my Department is operating. Like every other Department, we have had to make savings. While I regret that situation, I must operate within those constraints and try to decide on priorities within the available budget.

There are implications in terms of both policy and legislation attaching to the proposal to amend the Constitution, with a significant body of work likely to be involved in amending existing legislation, introducing new legislation and review of policies and procedures to ensure they comply with the new improved standards for children. It is not just my Department that will be required to do this, as any Department offering services to children and young people also will be affected. For example, the Department of Justice and Equality, which holds responsibility for custody and guardianship legislation, will also face a significant body of work.

Some of the principles in the constitutional amendment already are reflected in statute law, such as the principle of "best interests". This "best interest" principle is already well-established in Irish statute law, for example in the Child Care Act 1991 and the Adoption Act 2010. This principle is now reflected in the Constitution as the paramount consideration for judges in making decisions in certain critical court proceedings relating to the care of children. As part of the constitutional proposal, I published the Adoption Bill 2012 which it is envisaged will be introduced to the House, subject to a successful outcome to the referendum. This will place new obligations on the Adoption Authority of Ireland among others and I am satisfied the budget allocation for 2013 will be adequate to meet expenditure that arises in this context.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House

In terms of the Deputy’s core question on the question of resources, everyone in this House will be aware we all are operating in an environment of very constrained resources. This is the reality of the context in which I seek to deliver on all my commitments with regard to children and young people. As part of its efforts to address Ireland’s deficit, my Department, like all others, has been obliged to find savings. However our overall approach has been to prioritise investment in child and family services and to reform funding streams and delivery mechanisms to make the best possible use of resources. The Deputy will be aware of the wide-ranging reform of children's services that is under way and will see the establishment next year of the child and family support agency dedicated to the improvement of these services through the combination of the activities and resources of the Family Support Agency, the National Education Welfare Board and the child and family services of the HSE. The agency will have available to it a much stronger and more comprehensive range of resources and expertise than heretofore.

The focus of the agency will be on early intervention and family support services aimed at delivering proportionate responses to child welfare concerns and to protect children in the home, as envisaged by the constitutional amendment. This approach will be supported by the inclusion of the existing Family Support Agency and its nationwide network of 106 family resource centres. In addition, I am pleased to state the new area-based approach to child poverty initiative, for which €2.5 million has been provided for in the 2013 Estimates, will build on and continue the work of the prevention and early intervention programme, PEIP, which supported projects in Tallaght, Ballymun and Darndale. These projects involve a range of pilot programmes to improve outcomes in areas such as literacy, speech and language, parenting, health and pro-social behaviour.

I assure the Deputy that follow-through on the proposal to amend the Constitution is a top priority for me and I will make the necessary resources available within my Department to do so effectively.

See this speech in context