Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Question 38: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she has been furnished with the Health Service Executive review of adequacy of child and family services for the year ending 31 December 2007; when she expects to receive the Health Service Executive review of adequacy of child and family services for the year ending 31 December 2008; her views on the failure of the HSE to publish such reports promptly following the conclusion of each year; her views on whether the HSE is in breach of its statutory obligations with regard to its delay in publishing the review of adequacy of child and family services 2007; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13184/09]

Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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It had been expected that the review of the adequacy of child and family services report for 2007 would be completed and published before the end of 2008. However, following discussions between my office and the HSE in late 2008, it was agreed to give priority instead to the preparation of a social work and family support services survey. The finalisation of this comprehensive survey necessarily involved the same cohort of HSE officials working on the validation of the interim data set for 2007 to support the section 8 report. I am advised, however, that the section 8 report for 2007 will be published within the next two weeks and that future reports will be produced in a timely fashion. In this regard, I do not consider there has been any breach by the HSE of its statutory obligations. In regular meetings with HSE child welfare protection managers, I have been impressed by their commitment to addressing the many issues surrounding the provision of timely, accurate and consistent management information.

A draft version of the social work and family support services survey document has been already presented to me by the HSE. It provides a good indication of the breadth of information which will follow in the final version, which is expected to be ready before the summer. In addition to an array of statistical data, including data on current caseloads and family support services, the document also contains a considerable amount of valuable contextual commentary which will support better management and service reform. Informed by the social work and family support services survey, I intend to discuss with the HSE how the section 8 report can be enhanced in future years, and how the information now becoming available can be used in HSE performance reports submitted to the Department.

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Is the Minister of State telling the House that as a result of his intervention, the HSE has failed by the end of March 2009 to publish its report on the workings of the child protection services for the year ending 31 December 2007? Is he in a position to tell the House how many children were taken into care in 2007? Such information would be contained in this report if it were published. Is the Minister of State in a position to tell the House how many children, either at the end of 2007 or at the end of 2008, were reported to be at risk but whose family circumstances had not been comprehensively investigated and whose case had not been expressly referred to a social worker? Can he explain to the House how, in the absence of up-to-date statistics and background information on the workings of the child protection services, it is possible to assess the efficiency of those services, the extent to which they truly provide children with the protection they require or to determine what new initiatives may be required to improve those services?

Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I am working very closely with the HSE and I am satisfied we have made very considerable progress on the issues the Deputy identifies as shortcomings in the child welfare and protection service. The information should be at hand in two weeks, and I am absolutely confident that we will have it to hand before Easter. The survey to which I referred will give us the further context mentioned by the Deputy, so that we will not be just presented with raw data and will be able to check these figures against matters such as the demographics of an area and the level of deprivation in an area. We can then develop strategies based on those figures, rather than leave them to collect dust on a shelf. They will provide the basis for the preparation of a proper strategy. I am confident we have made considerable progress in this area.

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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The Minister of State has failed to answer the questions I asked. Will he confirm that he does not know on 31 March 2009 how many children were taken into care at the end of December 2007? Will he confirm that he does not know how many children reported to be at risk have not had their cases investigated? If the report for 2007 has not been published, even though it is required by the Child Care Act 1991 to be published with a degree of promptness, when will the report for 2008 be published?

I am told there are hundreds of cases involving reports of children at risk across the country, within 32 child care regions under the supervision of the HSE, whose files are sitting on shelves and are unallocated to social workers for proper family investigation. Does the Minister of State know this? Does he agree that since the formation of the HSE, it has been incapable of collating up-to-date information on the workings of the child protection service, for which it has statutory responsibility?

Will the Minister of State with responsibility for children confirm that he has no idea about the current position regarding the efficiency or otherwise of the workings of our child protection system? He has no up-to-date information on which he can rely.

Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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In the main body of my answer, I explained to the Deputy that I have been furnished with the draft social work and family support services survey, and the Deputy will be given that report as soon as it is finalised and validated. This report presents up-to-date information and context for the first time. It was not available to policymakers before.

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Does he have the children's figures I requested?

Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I have the interim data for 2006, which are what this survey is based on.

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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The 2006 figures were published last October.

Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The HSE will publish the 2007 figures within two weeks. Thereafter, we will endeavour to ensure the 2008 figures are published in a timely fashion. The reform of social work, child welfare and protection is my priority. This always has been the case since I was appointed to this job. I cannot stress enough the progress we have made in partnership with the HSE in the last year. I am very satisfied with what the organisation has done.

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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What did the Minister of State's predecessor do?

Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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It has set up a task force to work on the standardisation of business processes. That will be reported in May and will provide us with the capability to ensure we have a much better X-ray of child welfare and protection on a contemporaneous basis in the future.

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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In other words, the Minister of State does not have a clue what is going on. That is a substantially inadequate reply.