Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Minister was doing great until the point we started getting bureaucratic speak. We cannot say there is no evidence as there is an obligation on Tusla to have the evidence. The figures should be before us today and if that is not possible, they should come before us at the earliest opportunity. That should be before a Minister would make a statement that there is no evidence. I can only speak from my experience and the representations made to me, which suggest clearly that care orders are applied for more frequently than supervision orders. The question is whether that arises because of a lack of resources. It seems to be the case.

Every Deputy in the House knows there is a lack of social workers for regular work, not to mention putting in resources for a supervision order. Ultimately, the welfare of the child is paramount in all the legislation, including the Child Care Act as amended. There was a referendum to put a special provision in the Constitution to protect children but none of this evidence was available at the time; it is still not available in 2016. In working with the Minister, I hope we can get those figures and make proper evaluations rather than statements that the evidence is not available.

See this speech in context