Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 294: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if she will provide details of all inspections carried out by the social services inspectorate and other agencies in relation to compliance under legislation, including under the Child Care Act 1991, of a facility (details supplied) in Dublin 9 over the past five years. [11103/06]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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I understand from my colleague, the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Hanafin, that the service in question is a special school and is the responsibility of the Department of Education and Science. It does not come within the remit of the inspection of children's residential centres by the Health Service Executive provided for in the Child Care Act of 1991. Neither does it come within the remit of the social services inspectorate which inspects residential child care services operated by the Health Service Executive. However, I understand from Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Hanafin, that an inspection of the school to which the Deputy refers was conducted in the school year 2001-02 as part of the regular programme of school inspections conducted during that year.

The social services inspectorate has been in operation on an administrative basis since 1999. During this time it has inspected all children's residential centres which are operated by the Health Service Executive, former health boards, and piloted some inspections of foster care services against national standards. Its programme of inspection is ongoing.

As the Deputy may be aware, there are commitments in Sustaining Progress, the social partnership agreement 2003-05, An Agreed Programme for Government, June 2002, and the health strategy, Quality and Fairness, in regard to the establishment of the social services inspectorate on a statutory basis and the extension of its remit to other social services including residential services for people with disabilities and older people. It is the intention to include the necessary legislative provision for the establishment of the functions of the social services inspectorate on a statutory basis and the extension of these functions in the Bill, which will also establish the Health Information and Quality Authority, HIQA.

The Tánaiste announced on 7 March 2006 that the Government had agreed to the undertaking of a public consultation process on the draft general scheme of the Bill providing for the establishment of the HIQA. The draft heads of the Bill provide for, inter alia, the establishment within HIQA of the office of the chief inspector of social services and the establishment of a registration system for residential services for children in need of care and protection, for persons with disabilities and for older people. The public consultation will commence within the next few weeks.