asked the Minister for Health if he is aware of the serious problem relating to children at risk due to being left alone while their mother is in hospital, or in prison for the purposes of begging, especially in the Dublin area; if he agrees that it might be desirable to have it made mandatory for justices to issue temporary care orders as a matter of course in cases such as these which come before the courts; and if he will allocate professional social workers to the courts to deal specifically with the problems of itinerant defendants.

The question of the most appropriate legal safeguards for the protection of children of parents coming before the courts is under consideration by the task force on child care services.

The Garda have been instructed to notify the local committee for the settlement of travelling people, the child welfare service of the health board or the local officer of the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children when a travelling person who has children or who is believed to have children is detained.

In all cases referred to by the courts the Department of Justice welfare service deal with the social problems of persons appearing in court and ensure effective liaison with the services of other statutory and voluntary bodies.

In spite of the fairly reassuring tone of his reply, would the Minister be agreeable to giving this problem more intense consideration than it may have had heretofore because of matters I brought to his notice privately in correspondence which imply that a number of children are left unattended when their parents are in the courts? Will the Minister accept that the Garda Síochána, the agencies he mentioned and the voluntary groups may not be adequate in this case, and that young children can be left alone by accident in a situation where their parents are whisked off to court and subsequently confined overnight or for longer? Will the Minister give this serious problem closer attention?

The situation is under fairly close observation. In addition, we have put some funds aside this year for additional work in the centre city area for children.

Would it be possible to issue mandatory care orders for children whose parents are in the custody of the court? That would be a useful innovation.

The task force will give their opinion on that and I do not want to anticipate their opinion.

The Minister will give this close attention?

Question No. 23.

On the practical side we have set aside some money this year for work on the ground for children in the north city area.

If the Minister attached some social worker to the courts in the context of the social welfare dimension, it would assist in this problem. Children have been left terrified, not knowing where their parents have gone, and that is an extraordinary situation.

Question No. 23.