Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 19 December 2013
316. Deputy Lucinda Creighton asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the total number of Irish quasi-autonomous NGOs that the Department created or which fall under the Department’s responsibility and were in existence when she became Minister and continue to exist; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55139/13]
View answerThere are four agencies which are funded by the Exchequer through my Department's Vote. These are the Adoption Authority of Ireland, the Family Support Agency, the National Educational Welfare Board and the Ombudsman for Children’s Office. With effect from 1 January 2012, I also took responsibility for the Children Detention Schools as provided for in Part 10 of the Children Act 2001. All the aforementioned were in existence when I became Minister.
The Deputy may be aware of the recent completion of all parliamentary stages in respect of the Child and Family Agency Bill 2013, which has been signed into law by the President. This important piece of legislation provides for the subsuming of functions from three separate agencies; namely the HSE's Children and Family Services, and also the Family Support Agency and the National Educational Welfare Board. The Child and Family Agency will bring together some 4,000 staff and a budget of over €500 million. The Family Support Agency and the National Educational Welfare Board will both be dissolved on Agency Establishment Day.
It is my intention that the Child and Family Agency will assume statutory responsibility for services for children and families in early 2014. The Agency will formally come under the remit of my Department. Until the Agency is established the recently-appointed board of the Family Support Agency will, in addition to its existing functions, continue to provide oversight and direction to the ongoing organisational preparations for establishment.
