Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

In the first nine months of last year, and he is suggesting it will go to 94,000. That is an extraordinary number. I will have to drill down behind the numbers in terms of context and so on but it is very high. That is a broader societal issue as well and it shows Tusla has an enormous workload, to put it charitably. That is a huge impact. As the Deputy said, they are referred by a variety of professionals in the child welfare and childcare area, teachers, gardaí, probation officers and so on.

I do not know whether the foster care association has met with the Minister. I would give consideration to meeting with groups but would prefer if they met Ministers first to see if they can make progress. I am very mindful of the role of foster carers and the need to look after them and encourage more to participate in fostering children in need. I believe that is the most effective mechanism for children in need, on the front line of care or interacting with care agencies.

Deputy O'Sullivan raised a special school in Cork. I need the details of that. The most difficult thing for a school is acquiring a site.

It is easier said than done. Once you get the site, you can do an awful lot in terms of design. I will talk to the Deputy later, but we have to make efforts. I have seen schools turned around faster in the past.

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