Cash-strapped Child and Family Agency still dealing with "unsustainable" legal spend

The new Child and Family Agency needs more money to fulfil its brief and is being weighed down by "unsustainable" legal spending, including historical court bills.

Chief executive of Tusla, Gordon Jeyes, told the Joint Committee on Health and Children the budget provided to Tusla was “inflexible” and “we are doing ok in the circumstances”, but there was no desire to settle for that level of performance.

He said there was “inconsistent” funding in some areas, adding: “children suffer where there are gaps”.