Michael Ring
Ceist:175 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Health and Children if a Minister with sole responsibility for children will be appointed. [31387/01]
Written Answers. - Ministry for Children.
Enda Kenny
Ceist:176 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Health and Children the consideration which has been given to the appointment of a ministry for children; the examination which has been given to the role, remit and responsibility of the existing impact of the situation as it applies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31850/01]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 175 and 176 together.
The Deputy will be aware that the Government's national children's strategy was launched by the Taoiseach last year. It maps out a plan to be implemented over the next ten years, which will provide a better way for everybody who is concerned with children's issues to work more effectively together for children and with children and their families.
During the development of the national children's strategy, careful consideration was given to the structures necessary to best implement the strategy. This involved consideration of the role of the Minister of State with responsibility for children and how to ensure better co-ordination between Departments.
Children's issues impinge significantly on the work of many Departments and this is reflected in the 11 Departments represented through the new structures. It was clear that bringing all children's services together in a single Department would have been impossible and would have created a totally unwieldy and ineffective body.
The following new structures which have now been put in place reflect the primary need, which is for effective co-ordination between Departments. A Cabinet Committee on Children has been set up. The first meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Children, which is chaired by the Taoiseach, took place on 28 March 2001, the committee meets on a quarterly basis to review progress in implementing the strategy and to agree priorities for action. A broader role has been assigned to the Minister of State with responsibility for children. As Minister of State, I am now responsible for overseeing the implementation of the strategy and co-ordinating Government policy on children in order to maintain the policy coherence achieved through the publication of the strategy. This is in addition to my current statutory role in the Department of Health and Children. I report to the Cabinet committee on progress. A National Children's Office has been established. The office provides a dedicated team to support me as Minister of State in my expanded role. While Departments retain responsibility for implementing the strategy, the office co-ordinates and monitors progress in this regard. The office is now taking the lead role in a number of key policy areas. These include co-ordinating the implementation of the Children Act, 2001 and developing a national play and recreation policy. A National Children's Advisory Council has been established. The inaugural meeting of the National Children's Advisory Council took place on 15 May 2001. The council, which has 30 members, has an independent advisory role in relation to the implementation of the strategy, reporting to me as Minister of State. The functions of the council were set out in the national children's strategy. The council will maintain the partnership approach developed through the strategy to influencing policy on children's issues. It includes representatives of the statutory agencies, voluntary sector, research community, parents and children. At the first meeting of the council, I proposed two priority areas to be addressed – the voice of children and play and recreation. These areas were agreed by the council and working groups have been established to address them.
As previously stated, individual Departments and their respective agencies will carry the main responsibility for implementing the strategy. In this regard, Departments will participate with the National Children's Office, in the preparation and implementation of detailed action plans which will give effect to the national goals of the strategy. The children's office will also review the current distribution of responsibilities for children's policy across Departments. Recommendations for the rationalisation of functions of Departments, which may arise from this review, will be brought to the Cabinet committee. The new arrangements are now operational and working well.