Frances Fitzgerald
Ceist:260 Ms F. Fitzgerald asked the Minister for Health the steps he intends to take to ensure that there are adequate numbers of social workers and child care workers employed in health boards throughout the country.
Written Answers. - Child Care Act Implementation.
Liz McManus
Ceist:273 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Health if he will give the estimated cost of implementing the outstanding sections of the Child Care Act; if he will give a detailed breakdown of the way in which this cost is arrived at; if he intends to introduce a supplementary estimate to allow for the more speedy implementation of the Act; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I propose to take Question Nos. 260 and 273 together.
As soon as I receive the report of the team investigating the role of the health service in the County Kilkenny incest case, I intend to discuss with the Government the provision of the necessary resources to allow for the full and effective implementation of the Child Care Act 1991 at the earliest possible date. The need for improvements in the health boards' existing staffing levels will be addressed in the context of those discussions.
As I explained to the House on 27 April, it is extremely difficult to estimate accurately the cost of implementing the remaining provisions of the Act, because the level of need for services under the legislation is not known. My Department is pursuing with the health boards the likely scale of the additional resources that need to be invested for the successful implementation of the entire Act.