Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I accept there are four excellent service providers, the Darndale-Belcamp integrated group, the New Life group, the St. Francis group and the Moatview education group. However, the constant issue is that they are under pressure with regard to financial services and retaining staff every single year. I have met some staff who loved working in the centre, many of whom would love to go back although they have been laid off. While the services have been funded to some degree, we need to fund them properly because of the fantastic work they are doing in regard to early intervention, which we discussed earlier.

Is the Minister supportive of the current campaign, Hands Up for Children, which is a broader movement that is linked to the debate on child care in Darndale? It deals with the whole issue of smart investment in children, prevention and early intervention. The bottom line is that it works. The research shows that if we get in early in particular areas, we can prevent a lot of damage and disadvantage in the future.

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