Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Because of the importance of family and care services for children, the Government set up a ministry with responsibility for children, the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, held a referendum on children's rights and established the Child and Family Agency, Tusla, which is funded very substantially by the taxpayer every year. The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs has pointed out that there is quite a number of vulnerable children in different locations around the country who are not being left unattended and that the recruitment of the social workers required to provide individual attention is still under way.

The Deputy mentioned the issue of domestic violence. Clearly, it impacts on families such as the ones he mentioned. I do not have the details of the cases he outlined but obviously they were very serious for the two people to whom he referred. Perhaps he might talk directly to the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs who would advise him of the situation so far as Tusla is concerned. Obviously, it is a new agency. There are more and more pieces of information coming to light on challenges for various families and children throughout the country and social workers are under pressure to deal with all the cases with which they have to deal. Arising from the incidence of domestic violence cases, quite a number of initiatives have been taken to enable such incidents to be dealt with and, where possible, prevented but where they do happen the children involved should be catered for properly. On the two individual cases mentioned by the Deputy, of which I do not have the details, I suggest he talk directly to the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs.

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