Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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821. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if the money provided for Tusla in 2014 is adequate; if the agency will requite a supplementary allocation of funds; if he will provide a breakdown of 2013 and 2014 expenditure to date of the agency by specific category; the salary and pension costs broken down by grade; the moneys spent on consultants broken down by specific contract; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32711/14]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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The financial allocation for the Child and Family Agency in 2014, its first year of operation, was set at €609 million, including €7 million in capital funding. This included an additional revenue provision of €6.7 million (€12 million in a full year) to support the reform of Child Welfare and Protection Services by the Agency this year.

It is acknowledged that delivering the range of service required of the Agency, within this budget, is challenging. Notwithstanding the significant level of resources provided, certain areas of expenditure, such as legal costs, have in the past proven difficult to manage within the allocated budget. The Agency is implementing significant reform to seek to achieve greater value for money in such areas and the progress in this regard is subject to ongoing monitoring and review with my Department.

We will work closely with the Board and senior management of the Agency to ensure the provision within the significant resource provided, of high quality and responsive services to vulnerable children and families.

The Agency was formally established on a statutory basis with effect from 1^stJanuary 2014. Its Management Accounts show the following expenditure to the end of May 2014:

The pay costs by category to the end of May 2014 are detailed as follows:

Finally, in respect of Consultants, the following table provides a breakdown of these costs: