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	Children should be benefiting from much of the &euro;34m which is now being spent on legal fees by the child and family agency, TUSLA, Minister for Children James Reilly has said.</p>
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	He wants the agency, which oversees child welfare and protection, to cut its &quot;huge&quot; payout to lawyers and direct it towards more services for children instead.</p>
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	Minister Reilly, who was appearing before the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children, was speaking after a series of reviews into deaths involving young people in care or known to social services.</p>
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	A spokeswoman for TUSLA said it was implementing a series of efficiencies to cut its legal bill. They intend to reduce the dependency on external support for general corporate matters and non-childcare specific service issues.</p>
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	Work is also continuing to monitor expenditure on third party costs and guardians ad litem.</p>
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	Dr Reilly confirmed he was in talks with the Department of Health about bringing some areas of public health with him, including responsibility for disease-prevention measures.</p>
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	<a href="http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/reilly-calls-for-tusla-to-cut-legal-fees-30441103.html">http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/reilly-calls-for-tusla-to-cut-legal-fees-30441103.html</a></p>
