Aidan Farrelly
Kildare North · Social Democrats · Ireland
“I thank the Minister. If she will indulge me, it is very rare I get the opportunity to speak about my life experience prior to being in here but I have been a youth worker for about 16 years or the guts of three Dáil terms. The day before the general election I submitted my PhD thesis, which was on professional youth work.”
“In the past year, the number of children admitted to Temple Street with brain injuries from accidents on e-scooters has increased by 50%. I think we have agreement across the House that this is an ever-worsening public health crisis at this point. It is clear that the ban on under-16s using e-scooters has been a monumental failure.”
“It is acceptable that data will be shared with the task force in September but I ask that it be shared more widely once the terms of reference have been agreed. It would be really useful for the academic sector and for those who are in the market of training and professionally qualifying youth workers in the field.”
“Crucially, gardaí must be given the resources and the appropriate training to be able to pursue and enforce what is current legislation. The fourth piece, the bike-to-work scheme, has been an incredible success.”
“Actually, youth work is an occupation and profession that is one of the best jobs to have but we need to make sure the landscape is there for budding youth workers to go through appropriate professional qualification programmes and that the job will fulfil them not just from a rewarding job perspective but also from a financial perspectiv…”
“When the Minister says that advisory group is going to meet in September, who makes up the membership of that? The information the Minister's Department has collected is golden with regard to the sector. Will the Minister publish the findings of that survey? It would be really useful information.”
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“Deputies Barry Heneghan and Johnny Guirke - To discuss working conditions and employment protections for Oireachtas broadcasting staff. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire - To discuss the humanitarian crisis in Cuba. The matters raised by Deputies Ward, Nolan, Cahill, Farrelly and O'Hara have been selected for discussion”
“Deputy Pat Buckley - To discuss the urgent need for a person to have treatment under the EU cross-border health directive. Deputy Carol Nolan - To discuss implementation of the EU CPC driver training directive. Deputy Malcolm Byrne - To discuss the need for social and affordable housing in Arklow, County Wicklow. Deputy Michael Murphy - To discuss ongoing delays in the SEAI warmer homes scheme. Deputy Louis O'Hara - To discuss recognition of long Covid as an occupational illness for healthcare workers. Deputy Aidan Farrelly - To discuss the development of a public multisport recreational facility in Sallins, County Kildare. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett - To discuss the employment conditions and protections available to staff providing broadcasting services to the Houses of the Oireachtas.”
“I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 39 and the name of the Member in each case: Deputy Barry Ward - To discuss allowing for the inclusion of parental details on children's passports in cases where they do not share the same surname to allow for easier international travel. Deputy Michael Cahill - To discuss discrepancies in inheritance tax and capital gains tax. Deputy Albert Dolan - To discuss introducing financial literacy to the school curriculum. Deputy Jen Cummins - To discuss Labre Park regeneration. Deputy Colm Burke - To discuss establishment of a national radiation therapy equipment replacement programme. Deputy Conor Sheehan - To discuss the delay in funding BusConnects in Limerick.”
“That ends the session on questions. I am not sure if we have a Minister for the Topical Issues yet. We will suspend until 11 p.m. Cuireadh an Dáil ar fionraí ag 10.57 p.m. agus cuireadh tús leis arís ar 11.01 p.m. Sitting suspended at 10.57 p.m. and resumed at 11.01 p.m.”
“I commend the French family and all who have campaigned on this for so long at this point. It is a position that no one should be in, but today marks a very important day in that journey, and I commend them all for that.”
“While we acknowledge and agree that Tusla should be the body in this legislation that is the primary actor, we cannot ignore what is a significant concern about resourcing. When we put in a timeframe like six months from conviction, I just think we need to all be assured that the agency has the resources and the competencies to be able to act from day one of that conviction at least. Again, that is something we will consider and discuss, I am sure, in future. Many others want to speak. I just want to take the opportunity to offer our party's full support. Deputies Gannon and Cairns tabled similar legislation in the past. It does not matter how we get there as long as we get there, and that is why we will support this Bill and we look forward to supporting it and working in earnest with the Minister and others.”
“With regard to child and youth participation, since becoming the Social Democrats' spokesperson for children and young people, I have heard from many organisations and many young people about their ability to be informed participants in legal proceedings. That is not for today but it is something we might consider in the ways in which we can ensure that young people are given the capacity to participate and to share their experiences and their feelings in a way that is safe, ethical and heard. That is certainly something we will consider. Similarly, today we have heard from the Ombudsman for Children that one in five complaints that it received to its office last year related to Tusla.”
“Having been a youth worker and taught child protection to many volunteers for so many years, it is really welcome to see this type of terminology and language in legislation in Ireland today whereby the welfare of the children of this State is of paramount importance to us. We have come an awful long way and we still have a long way to go in that regard, but when we hold the welfare of children at the core of the decisions we make as legislators, we will never go too far wrong. That is why, notwithstanding I am sure the many constructive amendments that might be tabled on Committee and Report Stages, the Social Democrats are very much behind and look forward to supporting the basis of this legislation.”
“I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on this important legislation. I join colleagues in welcoming Mr. French and his family and colleagues to the Gallery. We are here to honour Valerie and her family for their enduring commitment and to honour Valerie's children. This is a very rare occasion, certainly in my short spell as a TD, to see such overwhelming support across the House for legislation. I commend the Minister and his officials on the short time it has taken from the publication of the programme for Government to bringing such detailed legislation before us today.”
“The student council from Scoil an Linbh Íosa in Prosperous is in the Public Gallery today. Those students have written this question directly. I am merely reading it out for them. It is their words. They ask: We do enough work in school. Our teachers agree. Children, families and teachers are so busy in the evenings. We want to promote well-being and nurture our hobbies and skills as children. There is no expectation that adults bring their work home, so why must children? Will this Government consider putting an end to homework for primary school children?”
“To me, that measure merits further conversation and legislatively that happens on Committee Stage. I again appeal to the Government to reconsider and allow the Bill to progress in order to have a debate on Committee Stage.”
“What I have learned, as a still relatively new TD, is that when legislation such as this comes before the House, the Government either amends it into an abyss or it goes to the next Stage to have what I think we can all agree is something of a meritable debate. It needs to debated further. We all have different opinions and conclusions. As part of that, we bring in the expertise and the different stakeholders and talk it through. It would be deeply regrettable to say "Goodbye" to this legislation when a committee room would be the appropriate next chamber for us all to work on it together. That is why I again appeal to the Minister, notwithstanding what she said in her contribution, to agree that there are many points in what we are saying today that make sense and there is significant evidence that backs that up.”
“We have spoken about the recommendations and the stance of the WHO on the three-day wait and the 28-day piece, but also the criminal sanction that is faced by practitioners and the fear that creates within that occupation. I only appeal to the Minister on one issue. Similar things seem to be being said by people on either side of the House. The Social Democrats are asking the Government to work with us on this legislation. She has pretty much said the same thing to us. She is asking the Social Democrats to work with her on this legislation.”
“I thank the Minister for being here this morning, for her detailed contribution and for meeting the party in advance of this debate. I also commend Deputy Cairns and my friends and colleagues in the party for bringing forward what is, as we have said, the wording from a report commissioned by the Government. This is what we are trying to do. In my political naivety, I thought the days when we asked women to share personal stories of trauma in order to enact legislative reform were behind us. Notwithstanding many of the meritable contributions in the Minister's speech, we cannot ignore some of the basic limitations to the legislation as it stands.”
“Today, Social Justice Ireland has launched its national social monitor painting a very damning picture for young people in this country aged 18 to 24. Rising youth homelessness and decades of underinvestment in mental health services are just some of the issues. I ask for statements on these issues facing young people aged 18 to 24.”
“It is unacceptable that children and young people are silenced, that children and young people are failed and that children and young people in the care of this State must suffer any more. I support this motion. I once again commend Deputy Gogarty for raising the issue. I just wonder whether the political appetite is there to one day reach a point at which motions like this one will be irrelevant and when children and young people in the care of this State will have their rights fulfilled, services offered to them and their voices rightfully amplified throughout the process. If not, we should no longer call it State care, but State-sponsored neglect.”
“It says, "Some children who are in State care are effectively silenced when they wish to speak about their experiences if they are identifiable as a child in care (by way of court order)." Coupled with an 18-month-long District Court inquiry into Tusla, which determined that Tusla had failed in its statutory duty to 471 children, this paints a disgracefully worrying picture for those who are the most vulnerable beings in our State. Yesterday, I called for an independent review of Tusla. I did not do so lightly. I repeat that call here today. No one in this House needs reminding of the harrowing reality of the experiences shared by those young people, whose stories were featured on RTÉ just last week.”
“Research from this perspective would be very beneficial in contributing to the discourse. As a social researcher, I understand the ethical considerations associated with such research but it is a limitation nonetheless. It appears that, while the in camera rule sets out to do something intrinsically positive, there are many unintended consequences. The majority of respondents believed they did not know enough about the rule. That, in itself, is deeply problematic. Recommendation 6 of the report is to "Protect the privacy rights of children and parties in family law proceedings". It is imperative that this is continued and prioritised. I draw Members' attention specifically to what the report says about children in care.”
“I commend Deputy Gogarty on bringing forward this motion. The Irish State can no longer facilitate children and young people being silenced within the courts system. I have read the in camera rule report commissioned by the Minister's Department and published by UCC and Trinity College Dublin in May of last year. It is undoubtedly research of fundamental importance that cuts to the heart of our family law system, most specifically problematic interpretations of the in camera rule. As Dr. Aisling Parkes said when launching the research, "What emerged as one of the most significant findings is the striking absence of public knowledge and understanding of what goes on behind the closed doors of the family law courts". This study did not hear directly from children and young people.”
“I welcome the billions of euro for infrastructure, which is more than needed, but what happens after that if the capacity remains a problem?”
“That smacks in the face people in Leixlip, for example, who have been noting, in 2026, unplanned outages in February and twice in April; and in 2025, in January, March, twice in May, twice in July and December. When these outages happen, the staff on the ground are phenomenal at trying to minimise the impact on communities but there is something wrong at the core if this is continuously going to happen. As I said, the news a couple of months ago was that they might have to flood our community because the reservoir levels were too high and then, a couple of weeks later with a little sunshine, that water is gone and they have to turn our taps off. At this point, I offer my full support for greater oversight and greater communication networks between public representatives, the body and the Department.”
“I thank the Minister of State for that response. Even in Kildare, you can see the impact of that funding. You can see the works happening from a capital perspective, whether it is roadworks or significant works that are happening to unlock that residential development within the county. The problem is we are midway through that in Kildare and I wonder whether the capacity is increasing at reservoir level. That is a concern for me as a wider piece. The Minister of State might come back in on that. The bit that irks me a little, if I am honest, is that I am genuinely curious as to the nature of the relationship between the Department and the body itself. How involved is the Minister or how involved can he be, when we heard at the Committee of Public Accounts that nearly 94% of Uisce Éireann staff got their full bonuses in 2024?”
“I accept that many bodies are established to allow a set of professionals, in this instance, Uisce Éireann, to get on with the work and to escape any sort of political influence. That is laudable. However, the Comptroller and Auditor General and many others have noted that Uisce Éireann is quite specific in its set-up. We know the origins of that. My worry is there is a lack of strategy here, a lack of oversight and a lack of transparency within which political representatives, whether they be councillors, Senators or TDs, can get access to timely information. I look forward to the Minister of State's reply. I sincerely emphasise that piece with regard to Kildare.”
“TDs cannot get answers from a Minister and councillors cannot get answers from the local authority and so people go to the rep desk. I am sure it will be part of the Minister of State's response that the rep desk is there but if he has used it, he will know that you will wait weeks upon weeks for an answer that ultimately does not ask. Really, it goes beyond what is acceptable in terms of any sort of real, thorough engagement. I am asking with great sincerity tonight, not just for Kildare at all, although it is significantly felt in Kildare, but right across the region. Is there an appetite within the Minister of State, the Department or with Government colleagues to further increase political accountability and oversight here?”
“My concern is that without direct involvement at ministerial level, the utility is missing some sort of accountability. We have had it before the Committee of Public Accounts. We have had really thorough and robust engagement with the representatives. However, that is a very rare opportunity for political questioning. As a TD, as any Member of this House will know, if we put a question to the Minister for housing who has ultimate responsibility, the first line of every parliamentary reply is that water is not his responsibility. The Minister of State has been here as a councillor. He knows all too well the number of queries or contacts a county councillor will get about water, whether it is planned outages, unplanned outages or capital works. People go to the authority or the local authority and they say it is not their problem either.”
“We have had huge population growth, but I cannot understate the impact that has had on the services, most specifically when it comes to water. It is really having an enormous impact on people's lives. We had a nice few days last week with a bit of sunshine. People woke up on Sunday morning to hear that in 24 hours, with no notice, Allenwood reservoir had run dry. A lot of pockets of these same communities only four, six and eight weeks ago were told there is a risk of planned flooding because the reservoirs were too high. It seems that we cannot deal with too much water and we cannot deal with too little water. My worry and my analysis keep bringing me to this point: where is the political accountability or oversight here?”
“I thank the Minister of State for being here this evening to take this question. I appreciate that. The Minister of State will not need me to tell him that the people of Kildare and the eastern region are sincerely sick and tired of waking up to dry taps. In Kildare, in particular, we have had such consistent outages over the past number of weeks and months in many different areas that frustration is really at boiling pint at this stage. For context, we saw in the census very recently that Kildare's population 100 years ago was 50,000-odd people. Fast-forward 100 years and it is nearly over 250,000 at this stage. It is the fastest growing county in the country. That population has doubled in 30 years.”
“It is time for Tusla to undergo a complete and independent review. I have heard from too many social workers in Tusla who are worried about the reforms recently undertaken. We have heard from too many judges who are frustrated at a lack of action regarding court orders and, most recently, we have heard from too many young people who have shared their harrowing experiences of involvement in State care. Does the Taoiseach have full and unreserved confidence in Tusla because I do not? We must be able to trust Tusla's culture, governance and operations. That is why I am asking the Taoiseach, not to listen to me but to the young people who shared their experiences last week. Will the Taoiseach initiate an independent review of Tusla so we can have full confidence in our national Child and Family Agency?”
“I fully support the measures the Taoiseach has outlined. The target of 3% is commendable. Ultimately, we should be working towards a complete eradication of child poverty. While that is aspirational, it should be the target. This time last year, many rumours abounded about the inclusion of a second tier of child benefit as part of budget 2026. Ultimately, it did not make the cut. Can the Taoiseach can confirm what plans there are within his Department, alongside that of the Minister, Deputy Dara Calleary, to ensure that we will see a second tier of child benefit payment introduced in budget 2027 as a real, concrete measure to tackle child poverty?”
“If it costs €100, €150, or €200 to join the club before you even buy your boots, socks and shorts and pay for travel, what that results in is a cohort of children and young people simply never making it to the pitch. I ask the Minister of State again to support the Social Democrats' call for a €100 sports and culture voucher in budget 2027. What that would do is effectively guarantee access to sport for every child in this country. It would mean they could choose football. They might choose something else. It is a no-brainer.”
“During the past couple of years of having the privilege of being spokesperson for children and young people, I have come to the conclusion that we are pricing children, young people and their families out of sport. It is happening quietly, but it is happening. Clubs are not rolling in cash. The ever-increasing cost of keeping a club going have resulted in the need to bring in huge sums of money annually. My understanding is the best-resourced clubs are those with someone on the committee who is adept at filling out grant application after grant application, or a crew that is willing to go to great lengths to fundraise every year to keep the pitches and doors open.”
“The GAA season has expanded for many young people in the county and they manage to compete in other sports right throughout the year. Until national and regional sporting bodies start talking to one another in the best interests of the young people, that will continue to happen. There might be availability issues during the summer, whether it is for referees or pitches, but we need to get around that because I am not alone in being sick of calling off games and waking up on Saturday at 7.30 a.m. and waiting on a phone call or text to say, "No game again" or "No training again." It is just really frustrating. A reality check is needed between the FAI, the leagues and those who we are working on behalf of. What about the children who do not play football or who cannot play football?”
“I know others in this House disagree but some clubs might have an AstroTurf pitch; most do not. We need to have an open conversation from a health perspective and from a climate perspective as to whether the future lies in AstroTurf pitches at all. What happens year after year in our league is that we end up cramming two or three fixtures into every week during late April and May just to get the season finished. There is very little enjoyment to that, as the Minister of State can imagine. I understand there would be significant criticism, and there has been, of the calendar season moving to summer football. If we act in the best interests of the children we are volunteering with, then I struggle to see how we can be opposed to that. There will be pressure with competing sports but, in truth, that is happening already.”
“I commend every volunteer coach involved with underage football in this country, whether it is marking pitches, washing jerseys, hanging nets, organising games, pumping footballs or doing training courses, all for the love of the game, or the players for love of the club and their community. As I see it, there are two important problems facing grassroots football in this country. One lies at the feet of this House and one at the feet of the FAI and the leagues. For those who get to play football, our league starts in early August and ends in May. That is the best part of ten months and during that time we have played ten league games this year. We have had more games called off than we have played. Ireland is simply not equipped for winter football.”
“Since then, we have spent most Thursday nights together and most Saturday mornings together and, in truth, it is the highlight of my week. We have experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows together. The other coaches - Damien, Tommy and Diarmuid - and I made a commitment to this group many years ago that we wanted to teach them as much about life as we did about football. During that time, we have proudly watched them transition from children to fine young adults. They have learned about discipline, teamwork, integration, honesty, loyalty, belief, hard work, resilience and just so much more.”
“I thank the Minister of State for still being present. I join with the congratulations offered to the women's national team on their heroic victory this week. I wish them the very best. I join with my colleagues and friends in offering our full solidarity to Deputy Byrne this evening. I would like to speak to the Minister of State about Tadgh, Nathan, Cian, Jack, Sam, Morgan - bear with me - Damien, Donal, Luke, Dominic, Finn, Sean, Niall, John, Enis, MJ, Fiachra, Hugh, Liam, Ronan, Evan, Kyle, Oisín, Heidi, Conor, Rory and Ryan. These young people have been heroes to me since becoming their football coach for the under-7s at Prosperous United AFC about eight years ago. Like most other coaches, we just volunteered as parents. We had no coaching badges and we had no experience, just the best of intentions.”
“Targeted measures for those who need them most, for those whom we all claim to represent, for those whom the Government claims to govern, are what are needed now, but this Government is not listening, exacerbating even further our worsening collective complacency.”
“It will make very little to no difference at all to families who have to continue choosing between heating and eating. Once again, it proves who this Government is actively listening to and who this Government chooses not to listen to. I am asking the Government to listen to the Social Democrats today. The Minister could introduce an emergency relief for struggling people and families by way of an energy credit. He could listen to the merits of Deputy Whitmore's Solar for All plan. My worry is that while there are many things the Government could do to follow through on those long-forgotten election promises, many players in this Government are too busy fighting among themselves. They are no longer the parties that have their ears to the ground, but instead have their heads buried in the sand as to what reality is.”
“While the Government has gone about prioritising the EU Presidency and chasing policy ambitions that it has never campaigned on, it has wilfully ignored promises it made and the people to whom it made them. Somehow, the Government tells us to have patience with its social policy as it continuously fails us, while in tandem working to ensure investment funds have the perfect conditions to maximise profit. It seems that the Government only listens to them. The Government does not listen to us. It pretends to listen on the doorsteps. It continuously ignores academic and organisational expertise. It has been an expensive week for this Government but every week is an expensive week for people in our country. The Government's latest €500 million package will leave no legacy.”
“I thank the Minister for being here. The collective complacency of this Government has truly been astonishing. It might have survived the confidence motion yesterday but it certainly lost something. It lost some credibility. When we look back on yesterday, we will regard it as the beginning of the Government losing its mandate. Less than two years ago, the Government went to the people of Ireland promising change and meaningful action on the issues that affected people's lives, but in truth things are getting worse. The Government told us that when it came to the cost of living, housing, homelessness, healthcare, education and childcare, change would happen and that it would listen.”
“Second, is it time for a national review of the NTPF programme to make sure that this is not a widespread issue in hospitals throughout the country?”
“A review of income used by Naas General Hospital under the National Treatment Purchase Fund has found that consultants were paid €2 million between 2022 and 2025. Of this, close to €500,000 was paid to two external companies, in which a director in each company also works as a consultant at Tallaght hospital. The audit found that consultants were paid significantly higher levels under the fee-per-patient structure than they would have been through standard contractual or overtime arrangements. More importantly, there was no evidence of approval being sought by hospital management for a derogation from standard public procurement procedures. First, what are the consequences if and when reviews find such misappropriation of NTPF funds?”
“It cannot afford to sit back and hope that the situation will improve when what we know is that the needs of young people and children are only becoming more dynamic, more diverse and more challenging. It is incumbent on the State to be responsive to those needs. I again commend Deputy O’Flynn. I take issue with the idea of commissioning a feasibility study that examines getting rid of Tusla. We have all been very critical of the Government and cannot then propose giving direct responsibility to same. There is a problem there. Without a credible alternative, the motion is hard to support because ultimately what will we end up without really understanding the problem is Tusla 2. I firmly believe in the staff and that the potential is there but we need to make sure the resourcing matches that potential.”
“I ask the Minister of State to take that back and see what way we can achieve this legislatively to ensure that anyone aged 12 or 13 at the time of Covid and had their case closed is brought into scope quickly. Similarly, the Minister championed the idea that the national review panel would be put on a statutory footing as part of the Child Care (Amendment) Bill. Just today, the committee decided we were not ready to bring this Bill through Committee Stage yet because the Attorney General has not been in a position to bring the amendment forward regarding the national review panel. We need to see this work happening with urgency. I am not putting responsibility for this on the Minister of State whatever but the Government overall cannot afford to delay.”
“We need to be ambitious in trying to train up social care workers and social workers to meet an increasing demand for those services. We need to see schools across the country increase their capacity to make sure we can roll out enough social care workers and social workers to meet those needs. The response from the Minister highlighted there is much to be celebrated about Tusla. I agree but there are some ongoing concerns. Regarding the well-being checks the Minister initiated in 2025, I have to raise the issue of the significant number of young people who will be outside the scope of that review. We have made a request that those young people be part of that review.”
“I acknowledge the sincerity with which it was tabled today. We need to act with urgency. Having spoken to many social workers on the ground and many families, and having worked in communities in youth work or community work settings like many others here have over generations, it is not getting better. It is a race to the bottom when it comes to this and it goes back to resourcing. The big issue with regard to social care work and social work is they are both occupations and professions that people want to be involved in, yet year after year, when the CAO offers come out, we see that not enough people can matriculate. People cannot get themselves through school and into college. The points might be too high or the number of places too small.”
“It is unacceptable in this day and age when we pride ourselves on holding care of the highest standards. It beggars belief that it is something Tusla or the Government would not only allow exist but to actually grow. It is just not okay. The Judiciary has highlighted many concerns about the rights of children and young people. One judge went as far as to say in recent weeks that the State is leaving itself open to serious claims of compensation in coming decades because of the blatant abandonment of the rights and services for children in State care. There are a number of different angles to take to approach this issue and a number of different Departments that might take responsibility but fundamentally it is the role of the Minister for children and disability to take this very seriously. The motion is very timely.”
“There is a problem there. There is a breakdown in communication. We need an independent review of how the rollout of the programme of reform in Tusla has happened. To see 1,100 children in unregulated Tusla care is not okay. If nothing else was achieved by this motion, a firm commitment by the Government that it will put an end to SEAs within the lifetime of this Government would be something. It is doable and would be in the best interest of every child in this State. I am a professionally qualified social care worker. I did it for my undergraduate degree and I worked in social care settings for many years before I landed in youth work. We cannot have a situation where we have people who are not vetted but, equally, who are not trained to do what is often very nuanced, delicate, trauma-informed work.”
“I actually think many of the structural problems faced in the service are down to a lack of investment and priority by successive Governments. Successive Governments have a history of not prioritising the rights of children and child protection issues, and how that manifests itself is us standing up in the Chamber or people getting outraged at the level of care they perceive are received from organisations such as Tusla when actually the problem is resourcing, beds and staff. That is where the Government, Minister and Department need to show a bit of urgency in responding. We cannot have a situation where a number of social workers have written to the CEO of Tusla to say the reform programme is not working yet, in her reply today, the Minister really championed the reform programme as an important part of Tusla’s development.”
“I acknowledge the work done by Deputy O'Flynn and the rest of Independent Ireland and thank them for introducing this motion. Ultimately, the Minister of State might have seen from some of the debate beforehand that there seems to be consensus about some things in this motion and a difference of opinion on others. A consensus has been reached when it comes to the acumen, personal qualities and professional attributes of those working in Tusla. We are very lucky as a state that the calibre of social worker and social care worker that we have at our disposal to work with children and young people throughout this country is not under question. That is why my analysis differs a little from the Deputies who proposed this motion, in that I do not really see the problem being the fault of Tusla at all.”