James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I refer to Deputy Troy’s opening comment in his riposte about the record of the Government on child care. We could do well to talk about the record of his party in government over 14 years and its failure to disclose for many years the number of children dying in care. Deputy Alan Shatter had to drag that out of the Government over a prolonged period in order to bring it to the light of day. In regard to this service, in the interests of children and ensuring we get the best results for children, we need to examine with the ISPCC, Tusla and my Department how best to continue the service and ensure the best outcomes for children.

Given the Deputy's closing remark about additional funding, I am minded of the modus operandiof his party’s leader and Government in the past, namely, to throw money at everything. Health spending quadrupled over a 14-year period yet we still ended up with the worst trolley count in the history of the State since records began.

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