Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I always have a preference for the public over the private, particularly in the area of child law and child protection. It is a real concern to me that, because of Tusla's past deficits in recruitment, it is too reliant on private sector providers, whether for supervised access, residential services or fostering services. That is why I have put a lot of investment into Tusla. More than €1 billion is now invested in Tusla every year. I prioritised investment so that it can grow the State apparatus. We have put more money into the foster care allowance so we can keep more foster carers in the public sector. That is my position. My position is always to favour the public over the private, including in the area of supervised access. I cannot give the Deputy an absolute answer on other State bodies that may use these services. Tusla certainly raised its concerns about this particular organisation with the HSE when it gave that direction in February of this year.

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