Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am very happy to answer those supplementary questions. The first question involves the application from the various groups for another family resource centre. As the Deputy notes, there is an impressive list of people who came together to make that application. I am familiar with all of those organisations and can imagine, although I would not have seen it, that they put in a very good and strong application. I mentioned two things in my response. The first is that I do not make the decisions. Tusla makes the decisions with regard to the criteria I have outlined. The second thing is that I am very much of the view that the family resource centres are a really fine way of moving our supports and services for children to people throughout the country and where people, particularly those in different agencies, work together to provide services in a holistic way. They are working really well. In the last budget, I looked for a way to support the development and the numbers of those family resource centres as well offering some initial supports to the ones that already exist. Although not exclusive, it is really a very strong model for the future way in which we deliver children and family services throughout the country. What I am happy to say, which I said to the organisations I met, is that I will be looking for additional investment for family resource centres in terms of my negotiations for 2019 but that is something about which I cannot comment further.

I am aware that the child care service in McKeon Park has closed down. I am also aware that my Department is making strenuous efforts to re-establish the service working with the Longford County Childcare Committee as well as other people, including the local authority. In addition to what the Department is already doing, I have committed to having a meeting with Tusla to take a look at Tusla's understanding of some of the issues along with Longford County Childcare Committee and my officials as the next step to see if we can get moving on this in terms of responding and re-establishing the service as a next step.

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