Written Answers Nos. 522-541
522. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the actions he has taken, or if he has plans to establish a single-entry point to children’s disability services and child and adolescent mental health services for autistic and disabled children to ensure that children are no longer passed between services. [52423/23]
View answerAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
As the Deputy may be aware, the industrial action that commenced on Friday 6th October, by management and administrative grades in Fórsa Trade Union in the HSE, will impact on the response times to Parliamentary Questions and Representations.
523. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the actions he has taken, or if he has plans to liaise with third-level institutions to develop work placement schemes to attract staff to disability services. [52424/23]
View answerAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
As the Deputy may be aware, the industrial action that commenced on Friday 6th October, by management and administrative grades in Fórsa Trade Union in the HSE, will impact on the response times to Parliamentary Questions and Representations.
524. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the actions he has taken, or if he has plans to initiate a campaign in secondary schools targeting leaving certificate students to promote careers in disability services. [52425/23]
View answerAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
As the Deputy may be aware, the industrial action that commenced on Friday 6th October, by management and administrative grades in Fórsa Trade Union in the HSE, will impact on the response times to Parliamentary Questions and Representations.
525. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the actions he has taken, or if he has plans to engage with the relevant professional bodies representing speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, psychologists and nurses to inform a long-term strategy to address the staffing issues in disability services. [52426/23]
View answerAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
As the Deputy may be aware, the industrial action that commenced on Friday 6th October, by management and administrative grades in Fórsa Trade Union in the HSE, will impact on the response times to Parliamentary Questions and Representations.
526. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the actions he has taken, or if he has plans to rebalance the distribution of resources between staff working on assessments of need and staff implementing therapeutic supports. [52427/23]
View answerAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
As the Deputy may be aware, the industrial action that commenced on Friday 6th October, by management and administrative grades in Fórsa Trade Union in the HSE, will impact on the response times to Parliamentary Questions and Representations.
527. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the actions he has taken, or if he has plans to resolve pay parity issues for organisations that provide services under section 39 of the Health Act 2004; and the estimated cost of achieving pay parity issues for organisations that provide services under section 39 of the Health Act 2004. [52428/23]
View answerThe sustainability and stability of health and social care sectors are a concern for Government and we recognise the ability of voluntary organisations to pay their staff is highly dependent on state funding.
In recent months, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and the Department of Health proactively engaged with a Workplace Relations Commission process to ensure the stability and sustainability of services for the benefit of those who rely on these essential services and the workers who are essential to providing quality services.
Following intensive talks, the parties to the process reached an agreement on funding for pay with Unions representing Section 39, Section 56 and Section 10 organisations.
The agreement reached committed to a significant increase of investment in the sectors amounting to an 8% increase in funding for pay in these organisations.
The agreement included a phasing of funding:
• 3% from 1 April 2023
• An additional 2% from 1 November 2023
• And a further 3% from 1 March 2024
On 22 November unions informed the Departments that their members in the organisations balloted - amounting to approx. 5,000 working across a variety of organisations - voted overwhelmingly to accept the agreement. It was backed by 88% of INMO members who voted, 94% of SIPTU members and 75% of Fórsa members.
As part of the agreement Departments have also committed to further talks after any future public sector agreement.
As always, the needs of service users were central considerations in the decision to increase exchequer funding to these service providers.
While Government has engaged in this process and an agreement has been reached, it is worth noting that Section 39 and Section 56 organisations are not public bodies, and the terms and conditions of employment for staff in these organisations are ultimately between the employer and the employee.
The Departments are aware that staff employed across the hundreds of funded organisations have been employed using a multiplicity of terms and conditions, including different rates of remuneration and are dependent on Government for funding. For this reason, the Departments are not in a position to estimate the potential cost of pay parity.
This agreement recognises the important role staff working in these voluntary organisations provide and provides certainty to organisations, staff and the people who rely upon them to provide essential services.
528. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the actions he has taken, or if he has plans to attract staff in disciplines relevant to disability services who have the right to work in Ireland to return by subsidising travel costs to return to Ireland; and the estimated cost of undertaking this measure. [52429/23]
View answerAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
As the Deputy may be aware, the industrial action that commenced on Friday 6th October, by management and administrative grades in Fórsa Trade Union in the HSE, will impact on the response times to Parliamentary Questions and Representations.
529. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the actions he has taken, or if he has plans to recognise the work of community groups that support autistic people by establishing a distinct funding stream to develop their work and to facilitate the establishment of new autism community groups across the country; and the estimated cost of undertaking this measure. [52430/23]
View answerAs Minister of State with Special Responsibility for Disability, I am committed to supporting the full inclusion, participation and empowerment of adults and young people with disabilities, including but not limited to autism, in our community.
My Department does, and will continue to, provide financial supports for a range of disability groups under initiatives such as the Disability Participation and Awareness Fund (DPAF).
In October 2021, I was delighted to launch a new annual Disability Participation and Awareness Fund (DPAF). The value of the Fund was €2.5m in 2021, and €3m in the most recent call, with further iterations of the Fund planned. The purpose of DPAF is to provide funding to support the participation of people with disabilities in local activities and to remove barriers to community involvement. Through DPAF, funding has been provided for a number of projects that aim to support people with disabilities, including those with autism and neurodiversity, to participate and engage more fully in their local communities.
My Department also supports the Disability Participation and Consultation Network (DPCN) through grant funding to five organisations for the purposes of building capacity among the disability community in Ireland. Funding has been provided to AsIAm in this regard with the aim of reaching widely across the community of autistic people, including young people and adults, with the specific aim of supporting capacity building through the Network. Through the support and capacity building programmes delivered to date, this funding has contributed to the development of self-advocacy skills.
In addition, where bespoke and unmet needs arise in the specific context of autism, such needs are being considered in the development of the Autism Innovation Strategy. Development of the Autism Innovation Strategy is currently at an advanced stage with drafting of the strategy being finalised at present. This follows several months of engagements right across Government to agree a suite of clear, simple actions that can address gaps in existing supports and services for Autistic people within an 18 month timeframe. This process has included careful consideration of the recommendations contained in the final report of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Autism and the findings of a public consultation held in 2022.
Once drafting of the strategy is complete, there will be a further public consultation prior to the formal adoption of the Autism Innovation Strategy. It intended that implementation of the strategy will begin in early 2024 and that is the clear focus of work at present.
530. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the actions he has taken, or if he has plans to develop opportunities for career progression within public disability services for professionals in areas such as occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, physiotherapy or psychology; and the estimated cost of undertaking this measure. [52431/23]
View answerAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
As the Deputy may be aware, the industrial action that commenced on Friday 6th October, by management and administrative grades in Fórsa Trade Union in the HSE, will impact on the response times to Parliamentary Questions and Representations.
531. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the actions he has taken, or if he has plans to incentivise working within the public health sector to ensure that fewer professionals leave Ireland and that staff do not feel compelled to supplement their income by working in the private sector; and the estimated cost of undertaking this measure. [52432/23]
View answerThis is a matter for my Cabinet colleague, the Minister for Health.
532. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the actions he has taken, or if he has plans to ensure that public sector health workers are satisfied to work exclusively within the public health sector; and the estimated cost of undertaking this measure. [52433/23]
View answerThis is a matter for my Cabinet colleague, the Minister for Health.
533. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the actions he has taken, or if he has plans to roll out suitable autism training for all public health staff to ensure that they can engage with and meet the needs of the autistic community; and the estimated cost of undertaking this measure. [52434/23]
View answerAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
As the Deputy may be aware, the industrial action that commenced on Friday 6th October, by management and administrative grades in Fórsa Trade Union in the HSE, will impact on the response times to Parliamentary Questions and Representations.
534. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the actions he has taken, or if he has plans to develop clinical guidelines, along the lines of those developed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence in the United Kingdom, for undertaking an autism assessment and ensure that they are adhered to by professionals within the public health sector and the private health sector. [52435/23]
View answerAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
As the Deputy may be aware, the industrial action that commenced on Friday 6th October, by management and administrative grades in Fórsa Trade Union in the HSE, will impact on the response times to Parliamentary Questions and Representations.
535. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the actions he has taken to liaise with the Department of Education to adopt an approach which integrates the school inclusion model and the children’s disability network team model to ensure that in-school therapies are available along with community-based services for autistic people; and the estimated cost of undertaking this measure. [52436/23]
View answerUnder the actions contained within the PDS Roadmap, there is a dedicated focus provided on the Education sector. A specific working group, comprising of key stakeholders, is tasked with optimising integration between health and education and supports for special schools for the benefit of children with disabilities.
The Group, as part of the overall development of the HSE Roadmap, will also review and monitor supports for children and young people with disabilities in special classes and special school and progress the recommendations as set out in the Framework for Collaborative Working between Education and Health.
536. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the actions he has taken or if he has plans to develop and enforce guidelines to ensure that interventions provided to autistic people and disabled people are evidence-based and rights-based. [52437/23]
View answerAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
As the Deputy may be aware, the industrial action that commenced on Friday 6th October, by management and administrative grades in Fórsa Trade Union in the HSE, will impact on the response times to Parliamentary Questions and Representations.
537. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the actions he has taken or if he has plans to provide adequate financial supports to families who access assessments and supports privately due to their unavailability in the public health system until such time as vacant positions within CDNTs have been filled; and the estimated cost of undertaking this measure. [52438/23]
View answerThe CDNTs are currently providing therapy services for over 46,000 children.
Some families source private assessments to facilitate access to educational supports such as special schools or classes. In many cases, these are unidisciplinary assessments which are usually accepted in the education sector. In general, HSE or HSE funded services, in line with best practice guidelines, use a multidisciplinary approach to assessment, specifically to ASD assessment. In these circumstances, while HSE services may take cognisance of any unidisciplinary reports that may be available, they will undertake a multidisciplinary assessment where appropriate, to confirm a diagnosis and to determine the necessary interventions.
The HSE does not fund or reimburse any fees paid to private practitioners in any of the health service areas where assessments have been commissioned by the service user or their family. Approximately €11.5m was allocated to address waiting lists for clinical assessments identified through the Assessment of Need process in Budget 2023. This funding has been utilised to procure diagnostic assessments from the private sector.
In addition, the HSE Disability Services is working with HSE Procurement on the final elements of a procurement process for the delivery of additional Assessments of Need from private providers. A successful procurement process, having regard to the overall capacity constraints within both the private and public sectors, will facilitate the CDNTs to focus on the provision of intervention for children on their caseloads.
538. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the actions he has taken or if he has plans to increase the capacity within respite care across all community health organisations; and the estimated cost of undertaking this measure. [52439/23]
View answerAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible. As the Deputy may be aware, the industrial action that commenced on Friday 6th October, by management and administrative grades in Fórsa Trade Union in the HSE, will impact on the response times to Parliamentary Questions and Representations.
539. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth for an update on the Government-approved National Site of Conscience on the site of the former Magdalene Laundry, Sean MacDermott Street, Dublin; what stage the project is at; the estimated date for commencement of works and completion date; the funding that has been allocated to the project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52459/23]
View answerIn March 2022 Government approved high level proposals for the National Centre for Research and Remembrance to be located on the site of the former Magdalen Laundry in Sean McDermott Street, Dublin 1 and to comprise:
• a museum and exhibition space, the development of which will be led by the National Museum of Ireland
• a research centre and repository of records related to institutional trauma in the 20th century, which will form part of the National Archives
• a place for reflection and remembrance
• social housing
• educational and community facilities
• In April 2022 a Steering Group, chaired by Mr Martin Fraser, former Secretary General to the Government and Ambassador to the United Kingdom, was established to drive the overall coordinated development of the National Centre.
• In July 2022, Dublin City Council voted to transfer the site of the former Magdalen Laundry at Sean McDermott Street to the OPW, to be developed as the National Centre. In late 2022 the OPW commenced essential maintenance works on the site to facilitate safe and full access and this work continues.
• In July 2023 Government approved the masterplan for the National Centre campus as well as the preliminary business case for the main National Centre building structures (Museum and Archive). Government also approved, in principle, proposals for the wider National Centre campus as follows:
• social housing, configured to universal design standards and appropriate to the needs of older persons and persons with disabilities within the North East Inner City;
• the development of a lifelong learning hub for the provision of further and higher education and;
• facilities for the provision of community-based family and parenting supports.
• Under the auspices of the Steering Group, extensive work is continuing on the detailed planning and development of the initiative.
• In July 2023 Government also approved proposals to develop communications outreach tools and to proceed with a public consultation as part of the Communication and Stakeholder Engagement Strategy for the National Centre. This included the launch of a website for the National Centre, which contains key information about the development, and an initial open consultation to inform work on the museum, repository and research centre, and garden space for reflection. The consultation ran from July until September 2023. The responses are currently being analysed with a view to publishing a report in early 2024 which will directly inform the ongoing work on the development of the National Centre. Further targeted consultations on specific elements of the National Centre will take place in due course with updates posted on the National Centre website: www.gov.ie/nationalcentre
• The development of the National Centre is multi-annual in nature and is currently in the planning stages. As this planning phase progresses, Government will be in a position to provide an indicative timeline for the project.
540. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of people in County Mayo currently in the direct provision system; to list the type of accommodation international protection applicants are being housed in; the length of time spent by international protection applicants in these accommodation types; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52499/23]
View answerAs at 19th November 2023, the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) is providing accommodation to 25,742 people seeking refuge in Ireland, and since January 2022 have brought over 190 properties into use to ensure that all those who arrive in Ireland seeking international protection who require shelter can be accommodated, as per Ireland’s legal obligations.
There are currently 1,282 international protection applicant's (IPAs) residing in County Mayo, across nine locations. Eight of these are considered emergency accommodation centres and one of which is a permanent IPAS accommodation centre.
Due to the emergency nature of the accommodation crisis, it is not possible to state what the average length of stay is for residents.
541. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number and location of each accommodation property for beneficiaries of temporary protection from Ukraine in County Mayo; the occupancy and contracted capacity of each centre and location in each of the approved accommodation categories, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52500/23]
View answerIreland has responded to the largest displacement of people on the European continent since the Second World War. Since February 2022, as part of the Whole of Government response my Department has worked extensively to support over 100,500 people who have sought temporary protection in Ireland in fleeing the war in Ukraine, over 80% of whom have sought State supported accommodation.
Overseeing provision of accommodation on this scale during this timeframe for all those who require it remains immensely challenging. Due to the urgent need to source accommodation, my Department has contracted in excess of 59,000 beds to accommodate Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) in more than 980 mainly commercial settings including hotels, guesthouses, B&Bs, hostels, commercial self-catering accommodation and certain other repurposed settings.
My Department does not publicly detail the locations of such accommodation centres in the interest of the privacy and security of residents and providers. For the same reason, my Department also does not publicly detail the occupancy, contracted capacity and location of each centre.
The breakdown of the number of BOTPs by accommodation category is set out in the table below. It should be noted that the information provides an overview at a given point in time and is contingent on a number of factors that are subject to change including accommodation availability, providers in contract at any given time, configurations, transfers resulting from contracts ceasing, etc. The below table provides a snapshot of the configuration of BOTPs in various accommodation categories in Mayo to the extent that our records can provide at this time.
|
Mayo Accommodation Type |
No of BOTPs in Accommodation |
|
Apartment |
220 |
|
B&B |
269 |
|
Community Provided Accommodation/Hall |
21 |
|
Dormitory style Accommodation |
116 |
|
Emergency Rest Centre |
16 |
|
Guest House |
232 |
|
Holiday Village |
63 |
|
Hostel |
205 |
|
Hotel |
1477 |
|
Rapid Build |
108 |
|
Self-Catering |
339 |
|
Grand Total |
3066 |
