Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 217: To ask the Minister for Health and Children further to Parliamentary Question No. 202 of 7 July 2009, when the outstanding information will issue from the Health Service Executive. [28013/10]

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 218: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the reason that Parliamentary Question No. 202 of 7 July 2009 and repeated follow-up Questions Nos. 189 of 21 October 2009 and 156 of 1 December 2009 and directly to the parliamentary affairs division of the Health Service Executive on 1 February 2010 and again on 1 March 2010, on the number and subjects of unpublished or redacted reports conducted by the HSE or former health boards, did not elicit the information given by a senior HSE official to "Morning Ireland" on 4 March 2010 that there are 20 unpublished reports into the deaths of children in care; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28014/10]

Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 217 and 218 together.

The Deputy's question of 7 July 2009 referred to reports conducted by either the HSE or the former health boards which had not been published or had only been published in redacted form. I understand that much of the existing HSE material in relation to deaths of children in care in the past ten years relates to case files and internal reviews of individual cases: it may not take the form of formal reports which could be considered for publication. However, the intention is that this material may be considered by the Independent Review Group established by me.

The Deputy will be aware, in this context, that the Health Amendment Bill is being enacted urgently to facilitate consideration of sensitive information relating to child deaths by the Independent Review Group.