Caít Keane (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I compliment the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Fitzgerald, on the heads of the Bill published yesterday to ensure there will be an after-care service for children in care who reach the age of 18. At present, there is an ad hoc service, but under the new Bill, such children will be afforded a statutory right to a care plan. We all will be aware of the suffering and anguish that many parents face when they do not know what will happen to their child, who perhaps has been in care all of his or her life through one need or another and is not able to cater for himself or herself. This will put many minds at rest with the assurance that there will be a statutory care plan. I am not saying there is no plan for children when they reach the age of 18 - more than 1,000 children were facilitated last year - but the ease and peace of mind that putting it on a statutory basis with the family agency will give to parents must be welcome.

In talking about scams, we all heard about the Bank of Ireland scam in Kilkenny and where else, but I want to bring to attention today a scam that is waiting to happen. A website is offering Garth Brooks tickets for sale. I heard that a quarter of the population was going to these concerts, but the tickets, which cost €65, are sold out. People should be wary of buying tickets online because they are now going for up to €800. If there are such a large number of tickets around, I would urge everybody to ensure that consumers are educated on a scam that can happen. Concert-goers will not know until they turn up at the gate that it is a scam and they should be aware.