Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 307: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she has received the report by the Irish Refugee Council titled Making Separated Children Visible; her views on the report; and her plans to act upon its recommendations that relate to her Department, specifically in regard to amending the Child Care Act 1991 to specify the role and duties of the Health Service Executive in relation to separated children, and to ensuring that the HSE is properly resourced to provide a quality service of care for separated children. [3596/07]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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My Office has received a copy of the report referred to by the Deputy and is considering its recommendations. As the Deputy may be aware the HSE undertook a review of services provided by the HSE to separated children seeking asylum in 2005. A group representative of the key agencies including the HSE, the Office of the Minister for Children and the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (ORAC, RIA, RAT and Asylum Policy Division, GNIB and the Garda Missing Persons Bureau) was set up in 2006 and is considering this report and its implementation. Many of the recommendations of this report are also reflected in the Report of the Irish Refugee Council referred to by the Deputy. This Group are continuing in their work and are keeping me up to date on progress in this area.