THE MINISTER OF State for Children and Youth Affairs, Frances Fitzgerald, will appear before the Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children later this morning.

The Minister’s appearance is part of her quarterly meeting with the committee and comes in the wake of the damning report on the deaths of 196 children who were either in the care of or known to child protection authorities between 2000 and 2010.

The report, published last month, called for wide-ranging reform of the country’s child protection system and more co-ordiantion between the various agencies involved, co-ordination which the report said was lacking when it came to the care of the children featured in the report.

Fitzgerald has committed to setting up a Child and Family Support Agency in the early part of next year to take responsibility for child support services away from the Health Service Executive (HSE).

“This meeting will provide a chance for members of the Committee to raise issues regarding children and youth issues with Minister Fitzgerald,” committee chairman Jerry Buttimer said.

“This is our regular quarterly meeting and it is an opportune time to meet the Minister given the on-going developments in the area of children and young people.”

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