The head of the HSE’s Children and Family Services has indicated that some information heard in court resulting in a Roma girl being taken into care on Monday may be made available to an investigation by the Children’s Ombudsman.

The HSE pays approximately €18m a year on legal representation in cases involving children, a sum its national director of children and family services has said may be unnecessary.

The new Child and Family Agency to be set up next year will incorporate a range of services, including public health nurses and truancy officers, although its budget has yet to be decided.