Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 229: To ask the Minister for Health and Children further to her reply to Parliamentary Question No. 423 of 2 April 2008 regarding a number of foster children in the Laois/Offaly area without the services of an allocated social worker and in particular to the reply to a parliamentary question which stated that two vacancies exist in the service in the Laois/Offaly area; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that there are in effect five unfilled social work posts in the Laois/Offaly area, three being maternity locums and the other two permanent vacancies; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that of the five posts unfilled one is the long term leader post for the Portlaoise area, two are on the long term team in Portlaoise and two are on the fostering team for the Laois/Offaly area; if her attention has been further drawn to the fact that her Department has only issued approval for two of the posts under recent Human Resource Policy Directives from her Department; the steps, having regard to the fact that there are no replacements for social workers in the Laois/Offaly area, she proposes to take, to allocate unallocated children in care in Laois/Offaly to an appropriate social worker; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18526/08]

Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy's question relates to the management and delivery of health and social services, which are the responsibility of the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004. Accordingly, my Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to have the matter investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.