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

As the Deputy has pointed out, it is a new agency and we have to give it time to come to terms with all the challenges it has inherited. I agree with the Deputy that there is no question of anybody being allowed become complacent, as there are serious challenges ahead that must be overcome. The challenge for the agency is to bring uniformity across the system, in governance, reporting and care. There are many excellent people working in the system but in order that the agency can work efficiently and plan appropriately, we need access to full information. That situation is being addressed.

Tusla got a considerable increase in its budget this year. We would all like to give it more money and, with the Estimates process coming up, we will fight our corner. We gave the agency all the money we could, even giving up our national lottery fund to ensure we could maximise its funding, because it has to deliver the services on the ground.

We must, without being overly political, acknowledge that we have come out of the worst recession the country has ever endured. We know why that happened. We are actively recruiting more social workers and developing IT, and the governance issues are being addressed. HIQA's report is reassuring in so far as it points to the fact that actions have been taken and plans agreed with HIQA to address the areas identified as deficient.

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue and take the opportunity to thank all who work in our service for the great work they do. We will support them in their work and in making their job easier to do by removing the current barriers.

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