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

I thank Deputies Ó Caoláin, Troy and other Deputies for their support on the establishment of the new Child and Family Agency. I thank Deputy Ó Caoláin for affording us an opportunity today to reflect on the establishment of the agency on 1 January, as planned. I pay tribute to those involved in the very detailed work done leading up to the establishment. This is sometimes forgotten when there is a new initiative. The trade unions were particularly helpful and Ms Joan Carmichael chaired the HR process for nearly two years. I thank the staff of the HSE, including Mr. Tony O'Brien, and my ministerial colleagues, Deputies Reilly and Shatter. Considerable work was done by the Secretary General of my Department and many others. Mr. Gordon Jeyes and his entire management team were very involved in the background work that led to the establishment of the agency. This is now the time to give those concerned an opportunity to ensure the agency is well-established and that it gets an opportunity to bring its staff entirely with it in making the transition. Transitions can, of course, be challenging, especially when there are 4,000 staff and a budget of more than €600 million to manage. Many milestones have been reached.

The focus now has to be the three year performance framework for the agency, which will form the basis of its first corporate plan. I have already received the business plan from the agency, as I expected. I will be responding to it in the coming weeks in accordance with the provisions in the legislation. I have approximately a month in which to respond. I congratulate Mr. Gordon Jeyes and the team on putting the first business plan in place.

See this speech in context