Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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1161. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of posts on the advisory council for Better Outcomes, Better Futures that are filled by members of her Department. [34188/17]

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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1162. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of times the advisory council for better outcomes, better futures has met since its establishment. [34189/17]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1161 and 1162 together.

The Advisory Council for Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures: the National Policy Framework for Children and Young People (2014-2020) is made up of representatives from the community and voluntary sector, as well as independent experts with experience working with and for children and young people.

The Council is made up of 16 members, and an independent chair. There are no members of my Department on the Council. However, my Department provides administrative support for the Council, and a number of my Officials attend Council meetings.

The Advisory Council was established in November 2014. The Council met six times in 2015, five times in 2016, and has so far met three times in 2017. Minutes of Council meetings are available on my Department’s website.

In addition to these regular meetings of the Council, subgroups of the Council have been meeting with officials from various departments to progress issues in the Advisory Council’s work plan. This includes prevention and early intervention with Officials from my Department, child poverty with Officials from the Department of Social Protection, homelessness with Officials from the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government and educational inequality with Officials from the Department of Education and Skills. The Council has also met with me on a number of occasions to discuss the impacts which Brexit will have on children and young people in Ireland.

More details on the Advisory Council’s work can be found in the annual reports on Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures. The first two reports are available on my Department’s website, and the third will be finalised in the coming weeks .