Vol. 491 No. 7
162 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Health and Children if he has satisfied himself with the admission of children to the children's hospital in the Eastern Health Board for non-medical reasons; his Department's policy on out of hours social work services by health boards; and if he will make a statement on the responsibilities of the Garda Síochána under the Child Care Act, 1991. [13202/98]
Children's hospitals in the Eastern Health Board area have traditionally provided emergency beds for children taken into care by the board for whom more appropriate accommodation cannot be provided immediately.
I met the chief executive officer of the Eastern Health Board recently together with other senior board officials and one of the issues discussed was the question of admissions to hospitals in these circumstances. The chief executive officer assured me that the board is developing services which will minimise the need to admit children to hospitals for social reasons.
In regard to the development of an out of hours service by health boards, this is primarily an operational issue. In any event, the requirements for such a service will vary from board to board. The Health Service Employers Agency has recently set up a working group to discuss this issue and my Department is represented on this group.
The responsibilities of the Garda Síochána under the Child Care Act, 1991, are set out in the Act as follows: section 12 — power of Garda Síochána to take a child to safety — section 13 — power of Garda Síochána to enter premises on foot of a warrant — section 35 — power of Garda Síochána to search for and deliver up a child on foot of a warrant — section 46 — authority to take all reasonable steps to return a child to care in response to a request from a health board, power to enter premises on foot of a warrant search for a child and, if found, to return the child to the custody of the board — section 74 — power to seize and destroy solvents.
