Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome what the Minister of State has said. It is an acceptance that we do not have enough foster carers. We need a lot more, so we need to deal with all of these issues. I accept that the Minister of State's Department deals with a particular part of this, but the main play is with the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. I assume all of the necessary conversations are happening. We know there have been particular issues over the years relating to the length of time for payment of child benefit, the back to school allowance and other issues. Dealing with this pension issue is vital, alongside the real business end, from our point of view, that needs to be delivered as regards the allowance, travel expenses and all of that. Will the Minister of State give a timeline as to when the changes from the Commission on Pensions will be enacted? That is when the rubber will hit the road, because that would be vital.

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