Vol. 1039 No. 3
36. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the steps being taken to address the additional costs associated with disability; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16971/23]
What steps will be taken to address the additional cost of living for people with disabilities? Could the Minister of State let us know what is happening in that regard? People are very anxious to know. This is not about the cost of living as a result of inflation and the war in Ukraine. This is about the cost of living with a disability, as set out in the Indecon report.
The Cost of Disability in Ireland report was commissioned by the Minister for Social Protection and prepared by Indecon International Research Economists. It was published in December 2021. It provides important evidence of the additional costs that people with a disability face. The report has implications for many areas of public policy. A whole-of-government approach is required to develop appropriate responses and to ensure that everyday costs are reduced for people with disabilities and their families.
The report was considered by the steering group of the national disability inclusion strategy, NDIS, within 24 hours of its publication in late 2021, and onwards to the conclusion of that strategy in December 2022, in the context of monitoring actions under the NDIS. The NDIS has now ended and work is ongoing in my Department to co-ordinate the development of a successor to the national disability strategy. It is important to me that this strategy includes meaningful action to reduce day-to-day costs for people with disabilities in Ireland. The Cost of Disability in Ireland report will be an important contribution to the evidence base from which actions and commitments in the new strategy are developed across government throughout 2023.
With regard to actions being taken by the Government in the immediate future, this year the Department of Social Protection introduced a suite of measures as part of budget 2023 to mitigate the impacts of the rising cost of living for all people in Ireland, which will have assisted persons with disabilities also. In addition to those general measures, the following specific measures were advanced to address disability-specific costs: a €12 increase was applied to the maximum rate of weekly disability payments; the disablement benefit was disregarded in the means assessment for fuel allowance; the reasonable accommodation fund was increased by €1 million; the earnings disregard for disability allowance and the blind pension increased from €140 to €165; and the means assessment threshold for fuel allowance increased from €120 to €200.
It is very important to note that all of those measures were as a result of the increases in the cost of living and inflation. They were nothing to do with the cost of disability, which is a separate issue. It is important that we separate both those things. We should not conflate this by saying we gave money because that money was given as a result of the increased cost of living due to supply chain issues and whatever else. It was nothing to do with the additional cost of living with a disability of over €9,200, as set out in the Indecon report. I am not necessarily looking to hear about the budget line for line but will the budget this year introduce some sort of special payment for people with disabilities and kick-start the process by which they would get additional funding to meet the cost of their disability?
While I would love to give the Deputy a kite-flying answer, I cannot do that here tonight.
There are enough of ye at it.
I am not adding to it; I can tell the Deputy that much for nothing. However, I will say one thing. The most cost-effective way of supporting people with disabilities is to work with them to get people back into the workforce. That is one of the most important ways we can do it. One of the things the Minister did when dealing with the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) (Amendment) Act 2022 recently was to increase the commitment around the percentage of disabled people in the workforce from 3% to 6%. We are the second worst in Europe for persons with a disability participating in the workforce. There is ongoing engagement with IBEC to reduce the number of hours a person must participate in the workforce. Currently, it has to be 19.5 hours. Employers are telling us that if we could reduce it to 14 or 15 hours, more people with disabilities could be supported in the workforce.
I agree wholeheartedly with that and I commend the Department on what is happening there but I will say one thing. When a person who is getting disability allowance gets married or partners with somebody who is working, their disability allowance is reduced to about €40 on the basis that their household income has now changed. That flies in the face of everything we are trying to achieve. There is also a lack of transport supports for people who want to go to work. The primary medical certificate is a disaster. We keep talking about these things. The Department of Finance is involved in one part of it and the Department of Social Protection is involved in something else. At the end of the day, we need to make sure every policy that is put in place is disability-proofed. We need to do that but we need not do the paperwork. We need to see the action on the ground first.
As the Deputy spoke, he crossed a number of Departments. I am delighted to share with him that the Minister met with the Minister for Social Protection just before Christmas and is due to meet her again in the coming weeks. I chaired the transport group relating to disability. I hope to see some positive moves with regard to that. I am a firm believer in the mobility allowance, which was removed in 2013. Something needs to be done there. There are great findings on it. I agree with the Deputy regarding the primary medical certificate. As the courts and the PTAs have told us, the criteria for the certificate is far too narrow. We must look at all those elements. There is a Department of Social Protection response and a Department of Transport response so it is a whole-of-government response to the cost of disability.
37. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will provide details of the level of co-operation taking place between his Department and other Departments to protect asylum seekers from right-wing groups; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26084/23]
Will the Minister tell me the level of co-operation between Departments to face down the emerging right-wing threat, which we, unfortunately, saw play out on the streets of this capital a couple of weeks ago when vulnerable people were burnt out of their homes - their tents - and their personal belongings by fascists and racists? What cross-departmental engagement has taken place to face down the threat of this minority of right-wing activists?
In the first instance, I condemn any actions designed to intimidate vulnerable international protection applicants, including children, who have fled war and persecution. These actions cause fear and distress for the applicants, but as some of these protests take place outside centres, they result in the intimidation of staff as well. I also condemn the attempts to stigmatise and demonise men who seek international protection. We have to recognise that men are victims of war and state persecution and repression as well.
Peaceful protest for communities is a right that is guaranteed under our laws, but where any criminal activity takes place, that is a matter for An Garda Síochána. My Department actively engages with An Garda Síochána at local, regional and national level regarding issues related to the opening, closing or management of centres. I also met with the Garda Commissioner, Garda senior management and the Minister for Justice two weeks ago. We discussed in detail the measures being taken across the country and I am satisfied An Garda Síochána is taking these matters seriously. I am also very satisfied with the support my Department and its officials have received in recent weeks in terms of new openings that have taken place.
It is important to note that in the vast majority of cases, even where accommodation locations have to open at very short notice due to the scale of arrivals, communities throughout Ireland are very welcoming to international protection applicants. I have engaged with a series of community organisations when new centres are opening to provide information and to dispel any misinformation being circulated. International protection applicants have a right to live peacefully in what is essentially their new home in Ireland while their application is being processed.
In addition to intensive engagements with Garda colleagues, my officials also work with local public representatives, a wide range of other State agencies and NGOs to address the needs of arriving applicants.
I agree that most right-minded people would condemn what we have seen happening on our streets. Attacks on vulnerable people and burning them out of their tents on Sandwith Street in the capital have no place anywhere in the world and must be condemned by all right-thinking people. It must be said that a small number of bigots, fascists and racists are intent on sowing hatred on our streets and in communities across the State. They are intent on exploiting a situation and communities for their own political agenda, and this needs to be faced down. I do not think we have seen a uniform and coherent approach that is cross-departmental in terms of tackling that. That is what is needed.
We also need to see a stronger approach from An Garda Síochána. I hear what the Minister is saying, which is that he, the Department and the Government are satisfied with the approach of An Garda Síochána, but some would say it is light touch. In some communities, gardaí can be seen standing back and allowing members of the community to board buses and video their occupants, which is wrong. I would question the approach of An Garda Síochána.
In recent weeks and indeed recent days, we have opened a number of new international protection locations across the country, some of which were opened during protests. I recognise the support. We work on the advice of An Garda Síochána. The safety of international protection applicants we are moving to a new site is our priority, and we will take the operational advice of An Garda Síochána in terms of how such moves take place. We have received significant support in terms of operations on a day-to-day basis.
The Deputy is right, however, that, as a society, we must respond to the scourge of racism. Racism was an issue in Irish society long before the war in Ukraine and the increase in international protection applicants. One of the key steps we have taken is the publication of the national action plan against racism two months ago. A funding call is going out on foot of that in terms of an all-of-government response to the incidences of racism we are seeing at the moment and the systemic racism we know exists and has existed in part of Ireland for decades.
I believe the vacuum that exists relates to an earlier question of mine regarding communication with communities. Unfortunately, up until this point, there has not been appropriate or adequate communication with communities and this has allowed a vacuum to develop and some of these minority groups have filled it with misinformation and preyed on the vulnerability of communities experiencing challenges due to a lack of services. We need a very strong communication strategy from Government to challenge the misinformation, hatred and bile put out by this very small number of people who are not representative of communities anywhere in this State. We need a very strong communications strategy to challenge that misinformation.
I disagree with the Deputy slightly. I recognise that, regarding the hundreds of locations for accommodation opened in the country in the past 13 months, there have been instances where my Department and Government could have done better in terms of communication. However, the Deputy must also recognise that a huge amount of work has been done. My Department has provided notification briefings for 76 accommodation openings across the country. I, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage and our political staff have done 35 phone meetings, 24 online briefings and 17 in-person meetings. The Minister and I have engaged with residents in Finglas, East Wall, Mullingar, Kinnegad, Castletown Geoghegan, Clondalkin, Castlebar, Artane, Roscrea, Leixlip, Skerries, Clane, Kill, Newbridge, Thurles, Cavan and Cork and numerous other locations around the country. We have engaged either online or in person to try to address and get to the bottom of those myths that, as the Deputy says, some groups seek to exploit.
38. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the steps being taken to support people with autism and their families; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16970/23]
Will the Minister of State detail the steps taken to support people with disabilities and their families? How tangible is that support on the ground?
A range of services and supports are available to support autistic individuals and their families. These fall within the remit of multiple Departments such as the Department of Health, the Department of Education and my own Department in the context of specialist community-based disability services and the access and inclusion model. Disability services are provided throughout the country to people with disabilities, including those with autism. These services include residential, day and respite services, alternative respite, home support and personal assistant services, children’s services, and multidisciplinary supports for children and adults.
The HSE is working to bring about improvements for autistic people accessing services via the autism service improvement programme. Funding has also been provided under budget 2023 to address waiting lists for clinical assessments identified through the assessment of needs process. However, I am conscious there are gaps in existing supports and services that need to be addressed. I am committed to advancing national action on autism in line with the commitments in the programme for Government.
To this end, the Department will continue to drive progress under key policy initiatives, such as the disability capacity review, the progressing disability services roadmap, the development of an ambitious successor strategy to the national disability inclusion strategy, through the development of bespoke measures where appropriate, and through initiatives such as the autism innovation strategy. The aim of this strategy is to identify bespoke challenges and barriers faced by autistic people and to deliver solutions in an holistic and whole-of-government manner.
The Department is engaged in bilateral negotiations throughout Government to discuss the findings of an initial public consultation that was convened last year and to agree actions for the strategy. A further public consultation will be convened before the end of 2023 prior to the finalisation of the strategy. The strategy will complement mainstream measures and seek to deliver concrete actions over a 12- to 18-month delivery timeline. It is my firm intention that the strategy will provide the foundations for a more autism-inclusive society and further work to come.
I thank the Minister of State for her comprehensive reply. Many parents of children have been waiting a long time for diagnoses. This week, I came across the case of a parent whose child was taken off a mainstream bus going to school due to behaviour. The parent is going back and over like a little ping-pong ball between the Department of Education, the school, the special education needs organiser, SENO, and God knows who else. They are all looking for reports from one another. It is completely disjointed. The mother is running around the place trying to get something sorted out so that the child can get to school. It seems the system is completely set up to be against this.
I thank the Deputy. There is work to be done with our providers, by whom I mean the Department of Education and Bus Éireann, and in special education, not only on awareness but also on understanding. There should be understanding and awareness of what it is to be an autistic child, what it is to be the parent of an autistic child and how they need to be supported. They are no different to any other child trying to access education. Ping-ponging parents over and back is not acceptable. What is acceptable is inclusion and the right of the child to participate on the bus in an equal way to all others, and the right of the child to be supported. Sometimes we need to understanding the barriers to support the family, whether it is noise on the bus, whether a situation is too loud for the child or whether somebody might be upsetting child. No different from Deputy Canney, only this week I heard of children not being allowed to attend transition year programmes because they are on the autism spectrum or they have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. They are the very children who need to participate in such programmes.
I thank the Minister of State. It is great to hear this. While we have all of the strategies, what kills parents such as the woman who rang me this week is that she could not talk to somebody. It was all bloody emails. There is no personal contact. It is important that we stop for a minute. We have to say, for instance, that it is not right and that we should not be proud of it. We do not necessarily need a strategy. We need people to have a bit of common sense between their ears to try to get this done, whatever it takes. We are so tied up with abiding by rules that we forget about the fact it is people we are dealing with. About a year ago, a parent said something to me that comes back to me every time I speak about autism. People with autism do not have a disability; they have other abilities. We need to be sure the other abilities and potential are unlocked. We have to have understanding. I do not care who is dealing with a person with autism, they need to know what they are doing.
I agree, and it is all about understanding. This is why I set up the autism innovation strategy. I genuinely believe there are low-hanging fruit for which we do not need legislation. There is work that can be done on innovation and empowerment. We can empower teachers. While we are speaking in this respect, we can also empower bus operators, bus providers and SENOs to support families in such positions. I do not believe that there is a need for legislation. What is needed is better guidance, better understanding and better delivery in order that we will have a more inclusive society. Throughout society - and not only in the education sector - we need better understanding. This also applies in the context of social protection and employment.
39. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the steps he is taking to address the crisis in accommodation for asylum seekers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26083/23]
What steps is the Minister taking to address the accommodation crisis for refugees and asylum seekers? There is certainly a crisis and we are seeing it play out on our streets throughout the State.
I thank Deputy Brady. Since the beginning of January 2022, more than 145 emergency accommodation locations have been brought into use throughout the country. All offers of accommodation have been considered. The Department is availing of hotels, guesthouses, repurposed office buildings, decommissioned Defence Force barracks and tents to try to address the shortfall it currently faces where demand for accommodation outstrips supply.
The State has stepped up actions to maximise the pace and scale of delivery on the accommodation strategy through the use of modular pod units and an expanded programme of work has now been agreed by the Government that will allow consideration of sites for development.
The Department is continuing to engage with providers of new accommodation. A number of repurposed buildings will shortly be brought into use as adult male accommodation. Two new properties came into use in the past fortnight, which resulted in a reduction of almost 300 in the number of those who were previously without an accommodation offer. As of this evening, the number of those unaccommodated has been reduced to 189. It is still too many but it has been substantially reduced. Further capacity is due to come into use shortly that will accommodate further numbers of those arriving. It is envisaged that approximately 1,500 spaces will be created from this accommodation type.
Accommodation has been acquired under the White Paper model. A funding scheme to support approved housing bodies to facilitate the opening of White Paper-related accommodation will be launched shortly. Work is also ongoing to purchase turnkey larger reception centres under the White Paper model. Work is also being undertaken to use rapid-build technologies to develop larger reception and integration centres under the auspices of the accommodation working group which has a mandate to devise accommodation solutions for international protection applicants and Ukrainian beneficiaries of the temporary protection directive.
To walk around this city or many streets throughout the State and see any person sleeping on the street is a damning indictment of the Government. To see the emergence of tents throughout the capital is appalling. For me and many other people, it speaks of the lack of a plan and a lack of urgency from the Government to address what is a crisis.
This time last year there was a grand announcement on the approval of 500 modular units to be moved forward. That was quickly changed. It was increased to 700 and the delivery of these modular units was to be last November. We have yet to see one of them being delivered. Today a committee was told that only 64 of them will be handed over in the coming weeks. This stinks of a lack of urgency. Can we get an update on why there is such a delay? Why is there such a lack of urgency?
It is important that we do not mix up accommodation for Ukrainians with accommodation for international protection applicants in the context of our understanding of the crisis. We are able to provide accommodation for beneficiaries of the temporary protection directive. We are accommodating more than 64,000 beneficiaries of temporary protection. We accommodating a further 21,000 international protection applicants. That is 84,000 people. This is a large number who have been accommodated in a 13-month period. Undoubtedly, having to accommodate this number has put very real pressure on the system. This most clearly manifests in a situation that commenced from late January when we were not able to provide immediate accommodation for all international protection applicants. This situation escalated particularly in March when we lost a significant amount of accommodation. No one went homeless from that change but a significant number built up. This number is being worked through and as of this evening we have reduced the number of unaccommodated to 189 and we will have further reductions this week and next week.
I welcome the fact that the number has decreased to 189 but it is 189 too many.
The Minister is the one who referenced modular units in his opening comments. That is why I am asking about the lack of a plan. The announcement was made last year that 700 units would be developed and brought onstream by November 2022. Today, we found out that only 64 of those will be handed over in the coming weeks. That is 64 out of 700 units. That is a damning indictment and a real failure of the Government to plan and put in place the accommodation that is critically needed. Whether it is for Ukrainians or those seeking international protection, it is a combination that is badly needed. The Government has failed. Will the Minister outline when the remainder of those 700 units will be brought onstream? Again at committee, we were told only 316 of those units will possibly be brought onstream by the end of this year. When will the full 700 be delivered, as was promised by the Government?
When we are accommodating 84,000 people, I do not believe that is an indication of failure. It is an indication of a Government and country stepping up to meet the needs of an exceptional humanitarian crisis.
Modular accommodation is a brand-new form of housing. We did not have it before that announcement. No one had ever seen such a unit and none had even been built. We designed it in conjunction with the OPW, which led on the design and the manufacture. In the middle of next month, we will see the first 64 units occupied and spread throughout the country at other sites where we are working. They will be brought online across the summer. We now have a brand-new type of accommodation that delivers small but good-quality accommodation. I hope the pilot that has been run in response to the needs of Ukrainian beneficiaries of temporary protection can now also be used by local authorities and approved housing bodies throughout the country to address the wider housing challenges, which we all know we face, having seen the lead from the development of this new accommodation type.
40. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the status of the 19 key recommendations made by the Ombudsman, Information Commissioner, and Commissioner for Environmental Information of Ireland in his report (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25990/23]
As the Minister of State knows, the Ombudsman, Information Commissioner, and Commissioner for Environmental Information, Mr. Peter Tyndall, published his Wasted Lives report in 2021. He made 19 key recommendations in it. I would be grateful if the Minister of State could provide me with an update on progress in implementing those recommendations.
A nursing home can be an appropriate care option where the person concerned has a clinically assessed complex medical and social care requirement that cannot be supported in the person’s home. However, as identified in the Ombudsman's report, Wasted Lives, for some people under the age of 65 nursing homes are not an appropriate placement and alternative, more suitable supported-living solutions are needed to give them greater independence and choice in their daily lives.
Measures to prevent young persons from entering nursing homes continue to be supported through a range of services, including respite, home support and personal assistance services. There is a clear Government commitment to reduce and provide a pathway to eliminate the practice of inappropriately accommodating young people with serious disabilities in nursing homes. Funding is being provided through the HSE national service plan to support appropriate transition of young people from nursing homes. The Ombudsman’s report contains a series of findings and 19 associated recommendations, action on 17 of which is being led by the HSE. Two recommendations are at Department level.
In October 2022, the HSE established an integrated steering committee to oversee the implementation of the recommendations, with membership drawn from acute hospitals, older persons, disability and primary care, along with clinical leads and representatives. Additionally, the HSE has established a programme office and an implementation team. This team has been divided into five workstreams addressing various areas of work. To date, work on 71% of the recommendations is under way across the workstreams. An important element of the work is ascertaining the needs of those who are under 65 and in nursing homes. Work is under way to establish this through the appropriate surveys. The information collected in these surveys will be used to identify people with a disability who may be inappropriately living in nursing homes and to enable planning for the most appropriate health and social care supports in the most appropriate setting.
I thank the Minister of State for the information she provided. The Ombudsman made very extensive recommendations in the report, as she outlined. However, I recently spoke again with Jennifer, who I am sure the Minister of State is aware of through previous representations. Jennifer is from north Clare, is in her mid-40s and has been in a nursing home for the past number of years. That is something that is against her wishes. She does not want to be there. As the Minister of State is aware, her rights under Article 19 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities are being ignored, as are the wishes of many others. Will the Minister of State please tell me what steps she will take to end this practice in line with commitments made in the programme for Government?
In trying to address this issue most appropriately, it is important to look at the reasons, as the Minister of State outlined, for these young people being in nursing homes. Professor Susan Coote of the University of Limerick and Ms Magdalen Rogers of the Neurological Alliance of Ireland, in their recent evidence before the Joint Committee on Health, alluded to the expansion of neurorehabilitation teams into every CHO as a measure that could serve to remove many younger people from nursing homes.
I have put funding in place to ensure the HSE is able to recruit to that steering committee, and put staff and a pathway in place to start engaging with people who are inappropriately accommodated. To date, it has engaged with 412 individuals. As recently as last Thursday I was in County Longford, where I met three individuals who have moved into their own home, thank God. Three is so few in the overall context but 417 people are being engaged with as we speak.
On the neuro teams, I sought funding in the budget last year for CHO 2 and CHO 4 to stand up properly clinically governed teams so that we could have proper neuro teams. That is part of the development of the next phase in the neuro strategy of going right out into the communities.
I was delighted to be invited by the fantastic people in the Clare Leader Forum to address its public rally calling for a centralised personal assistance, PA, service. On the day, we heard many impassioned speeches from members of the Clare Leader Forum, who I acknowledge for speaking up and speaking out on the day. The assembled crowd heard from people with disabilities who have suffered greatly because they cannot get enough access to PA hours due to several factors. These people ultimately have to choose whether to get help with washing themselves or other essential daily duties in the house. They are not able to partake in social events and are often isolated in their own homes. Some cannot decide the time they want to go to bed at and are instead forced to go to bed at a time even my young children would struggle to go.
On foot of that rally, I wrote to the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, to discuss how we can work towards parity of PA services. In the letter, I requested that he reform the distribution of PA hours to enable parity of services across CHO areas, meeting the social, personal and employment needs of those who avail of PA services.
With the support of the Minister over the past number of years, I have built on the budget for PA hours. We cannot conflate what home support and PA hours are. They are two separate things. PA is the arms and legs of an individual to ensure that he or she has the right to participate in his or her community. I recently held a meeting where Ms Shelly Gaynor was my speaker on this matter, in addition to Home Care Direct. In fact, I am very passionate about a personalised budget and personalised hours. We cannot talk about decanting people from nursing homes if we are not in a position to put in place the PA support that is needed to incorporate people back into their communities so they can readjust into them.
In the context of employment, if you want to participate in employment you need to have that PA support piece. In the past, perhaps, it all went into the big black hole of health, and PA and home support all became the one thing. However, under the new Department, we are able to see and follow the funding line for PA support.
41. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will detail the measures his Department is undertaking to address the disruption caused to youth services as a consequence of high staff turnover due to funding delays and difficulties; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26085/23]
What measures are the Minister and his Department taking to address disruption caused to youth services as a consequence of high staff turnover due to funding delays and difficulties? It is having a real and severe impact on the delivery of youth services throughout the State. What measures are the Minister and his Department taking?
In respect of grants to youth services, I am not aware of any delays in funding managed by my Department. These grants are distributed in advance to funding intermediaries, in particular the education and training boards and Pobal. I understand that payments are currently on target for the year to date. If the Deputy has specific instances where that is not the case, I would appreciate it if he would draw them to my attention.
In budget 2023, I ensured that there was a 4% increase in funding provided to services on the ground.
This built on increases provided during the period of Covid-19 restrictions, which saw all grants continue without interruption. Furthermore, in 2021 and 2022 my Department increased grant supports to services experiencing particular challenges and to support smaller services to engage additional staff. In recent years, I have increased funding for youth services and clubs by some €12 million or 18%. The funding was at €61 million when I started and it is now at €73 million in terms of current spending and there is capital spending there as well.
Grants are provided on an organisational and a provision of service basis, in particular through the youth services grant scheme, youth information centres scheme and the targeted scheme, UBU. Youth workers and other staff involved in youth services are employed directly by the organisation in receipt of funding. My Department has no role in the setting of pay and conditions, which are matters for the employer.
My Department has heard from youth organisations about the challenges in the wider community and voluntary sector when it comes to the recruitment and retention of staff. My Department is currently developing a new action plan for youth services. The plan will outline key actions to enhance delivery of youth services in Ireland, including a consideration of the role of both paid staff and volunteers in the delivery of youth services across the sector.
I am being told that intermittent and inadequate funding is a key challenge. Funding has been beset with delays and difficulties and that has had a real impact on the delivery of youth services and the ability to recruit and retain staff right across the sector. That is imposing severe challenges on youth service providers.
Youth Work Ireland, YWI, has submitted a business plan to the Minister and his Department and hopefully the Minister is familiar with it. YWI is calling on the Minister and the Government to support a number of key measures, including the reinvigoration of youth clubs as a key grassroots activity for young people which is particularly important in many rural and isolated communities.
I hear what the Minister is saying on the development of a new action plan but what is needed is an increase in funding. While the Minister says there was a 4% increase, in reality the budget has stayed stagnant over many years, at €73 million. We need to see a real, tangible increase in funding.
With respect, the budget has not stayed stagnant for many years. When I started it was €61 million and I have raised it to €73 million, which is an 18% increase across that period. That said, we always want to do more and the youth sector is so important in terms of what it provides in the form of both targeted and universal services. As we know, the community and voluntary sector is under pressure right now, particularly as we have full employment now and are seeing the attractiveness of significant salaries across the private sector. That is why we are looking to continue to support the sector with investment. We are looking to improve the existing grants by reforming the youth services grant scheme. We are working on that. My officials and I engage very extensively with those in the youth sector. We are listening to the advice and suggestions they bring forward and doing our best to implement them.
The Minister spoke about the budget and I also referenced the €73 million in funding. However, to put that in context, the Government provided €111 million to fund private schools, which is an interesting comparison in terms of prioritisation. The organisations are saying that the 2023 youth services budget was a mere 1.2% of the overall budget for the Department, which is a serious failure. That budget needs to be increased because we know the value for money that youth services provide in terms of the payback to communities. A survey conducted in 2012 conservatively estimated that every €1 invested in youth work pays back over €2 to the Irish economy in terms of savings and so on. Such investment represents real value for money. I am not asking the Minister to kite fly or anything like that but we need to see a serious increase in funding for youth services
Deputy Murnane O'Connor has a supplementary question.
A few months ago, I attended a meeting with the Minister and Carlow County Council. We spoke about a community hub in Carlow on the Tullow Road. I raise this tonight because the organisation that will be the main tenant in the hub, Carlow Regional Youth Services, receives €130,000 in annual funding from Tusla to provide a range of services to children and young people in the area. There is also need for childcare facilities but this seems to be falling between three stools or Departments, namely, the Departments of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Social Protection, and Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. I am looking for funding for this organisation. As I said, the main tenant in the hub will be Carlow Regional Youth Services and I ask the Minister to consider providing funding for it.
I met members of the group in question with Deputy Murnane O'Connor and they gave an extremely impressive presentation. As the Deputy knows, I provide €128,000 to the group in terms of current spending through Tusla. We will continue to engage with that particular organisation.
In response to Deputy Brady, I absolutely agree that we need to continue to grow the youth budget because it provides incredibly good value for money. It has grown very significantly over the last number of years. I want to do more and will work to do more, both in terms of the delivery of increased levels of investment and in terms of supporting the updating and modernising of funding schemes like the youth services grant scheme. We changed and updated the UBU scheme just before I came into office and that has been extremely successful. We have opened 16 new UBU targeted schemes across the country during my term as Minister.
42. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he is aware of a recent report by an organisation (details supplied) that found that up to almost half of parents or their children have had to go without heat, electricity, food, clothing or other essential items over the past six months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26006/23]
47. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he is aware of a recent report from a charity (details supplied) which found that 73% of parents think that the cost-of-living crisis has negatively affected their child; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26007/23]
I am asking this question on behalf of Deputy Boyd Barrett. It asks whether the Minister is aware of the national representative survey carried out by Barnardos but I am quite sure the Minister is aware of it. I thank Barnardos for conducting the survey and shining a spotlight on this very important issue. The survey received responses from over 315 parents or guardians with children under the age of 18 in their care and found that up to half of them have had to go without heat, electricity, food, clothing or other essential items over the past six months.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 42 and 47 together.
I have seen the report referred to by Deputy Smith which highlights the difficulties currently being faced by children and families. There must be a cross-government response to this. My Department has recognised child poverty as a significant issue to be given a focus in the next national policy framework for children and young people 2023-28. This framework is expected to be published in the coming months.
While many children and young people are doing well, we recognise that there are acute challenges for specific cohorts who experience disadvantage, such as child poverty, and child and youth mental health and well-being challenges. The framework proposes a series of spotlight programmes focusing on these intractable issues, where some children and young people are experiencing severe difficulty and input is required from across government.
On child poverty, my Department is working closely with the Department of the Taoiseach which recently established a new child poverty and well-being programme office. The role of the Department of the Taoiseach will be to co-ordinate and focus Government action in this area. The initial focus of the office will be on six key areas, including income supports and joblessness; early learning and childcare; reducing the cost of education; youth homelessness; consolidating and integrating family and parental supports; and enhancing participation in culture and arts of children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Significant investment has been made by my Department in the last two years to support parents with the costs of paying for early learning and childcare and a number of further measures are planned for the future. We have discussed core funding already and the investment that has brought about. In addition to core funding, the national childcare scheme, NCS, provides support to help parents meet the cost of childcare. Significant enhancements have been made to the NCS over the last year.
My Department is also currently developing a tailored policy response in order to progress the development of a new strand of funding, entitled Tackling Disadvantage: the Equal Participation Model. I often describe this as DEIS for early years. We want to design a model like the access and inclusion model, AIM, but where AIM focuses on supporting children with a disability to access early years services, the idea behind the equal participation model is to better assist children from disadvantaged backgrounds, including Traveller children, children who are in international protection and children whose families are in socioeconomic disadvantage, to engage with early learning and childcare.
Perhaps the Minister is not aware of the report, which is entitled Cost of Living Crisis: Impact on Children Report 2023. The Minister has not addressed the cost-of-living crisis and its impact in the immediate term. Instead he tells me that his Department has a strategy from 2023 to 2028.
How does that resolve the issues for families, 57% of whom, when asked, said they could not afford to allow their children to take part in social activities, 23% of whom said they could not afford school trips or activities and 43% of whom had to let their children go without adequate clothing? There are statements all over this report from people really suffering with the cost-of-living crisis: "I'm afraid to do the washing because of the price of ESB." "We've had no heating for the past two months. ... Warmer outside at times than inside ..." These are immediate issues. They do not require a strategy from 2023 to 2028; they require immediate intervention. Can you believe that in the Ireland of 2023, the third richest country on the planet, these statistics are allowed to go unanswered and undealt with by the Minister's Government? His answer is to tell me that he has this grand strategy for the next five years. We do need a strategy to end child poverty, but the Government could do that in the here and now. The Government, not just Deputy O'Gorman as Minister, has more money in the coffers than it knows what to do with. Child poverty needs to be ended and these issues have to be dealt with now.
As I said, this is an all-of-government approach. I focused in my reply on the things I am doing within my Department. I make no apologies for having a long-term strategy as to how to tackle these issues. The work we are doing now in respect of the NCS, core funding, the expansion of AIM - all those really good programmes - came about after a little long-term thought. I am very proud that we are now looking to bring forward a new strand, that being the equal participation model.
I can speak to what is happening across the Government. I can speak to the actions the Minister, Deputy Foley, has taken to reduce the cost of education for children through free schoolbooks. I can speak to the very extensive steps the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, has taken to increase the working family payment and the increase for a qualified child, IQC, to bring in the additional child benefit payments and to increase social welfare payments. There are also the energy credits that have been brought in across Government to tackle very specifically the immediate cost-of-living crisis that has been experienced.
The Minister still has not answered the question and he certainly has not addressed the Barnardos report. It is about the cost-of-living increases and their current and immediate impact. The report looks in particular at the past six months compared with the previous year and the impact these increases are having on children. It even states that they are "having an extremely detrimental or substantially negative impact on the health and well-being of the children in the families they support". The Minister is proud of the strategy, and fair play to him and all that jazz, but it does not address the report and does not address my question. It certainly does not address the deprivation and the hardship these families face. This could be dealt with immediately, and if the Minister's Government can boast about what a great job it has done on the economy and how many more billions it has in the coffers compared with what its expectations were, why does the Government not deal with this issue? It is crucial. Or are these children and families not worth it? Perhaps they are the ones who do not vote.
The fact that the Government has now created a unit dedicated to tackling child poverty for the first time ever in the history of the State is very clear evidence of the fact that the Government is committed to addressing the needs of these children and families and doing so in a way that is not once-off but systemic and looks to tackle the causes of child poverty at its roots, be they issues to do with income support,access to education and early learning or family homelessness, which we know is a major predictor as to whether a child will experience poverty during that period. The Government is very much focused on tackling this issue and is putting in place the mechanisms that can bring forward real and meaningful policy change.
43. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of refugees who have not been provided with accommodation since the change of policy announced on 24 January 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26001/23]
On 24 January of this year the Minister announced a new policy to leave some international protection refugees without accommodation. That, as could have been predicted, has resulted in hundreds of refugees living on the streets, making them, as was warned would happen, very vulnerable. As day follows night, they have faced absolutely unjustified racist attacks from racists and fascists. I want to know how many refugees have been left without accommodation since this policy was introduced in January and how many the Department is currently accommodating.
As the Deputy will be aware, since the start of last year the State has responded to the largest humanitarian crisis it has ever faced. In spite of the unprecedented pressures for accommodation, more than 100,000 people arriving in Ireland in that time have found shelter and safety here. Approximately 85,000 of those have been provided with accommodation through my Department and, of those, 21,000 are international protection applicants and 64,000 are Ukrainian beneficiaries of temporary protection.
Notwithstanding that effort, we have since January been unable to offer accommodation immediately to all those who have sought it. I do not agree with the Deputy's characterisation of this as a policy decision. It is simply a lack of available accommodation and a matter of having to make determinations in the context of a limited supply of accommodation.
The State has a legal and a moral obligation to assess the claims of those who seek refuge and to provide accommodation and supports in line with the recast reception conditions directive. That is a duty I take very seriously and one I very clearly acknowledged we have not met to this group of people.
At close of business today, there were 189 people awaiting an offer of accommodation. More than 1,063 had previously been unaccommodated but have since received a retrospective offer of accommodation since their arrival in Ireland.
The State is dealing with a 600% increase in international protection applications since the start of 2021. This year alone, 5,880 additional beds have been secured to accommodate international protection applicants. My Department will continue to use all available means to procure accommodation in order that unaccommodated persons are accommodated as quickly as possible.
I would argue with the Minister that the announcement he made in January was deeply irresponsible and has left hundreds of people at risk. I say that because it was aimed specifically at international protection refugees. This has been a proxy for a policy operating along racial lines. It was not aimed at the greater number of Ukrainians who are coming in; it was aimed at international protection refugees, the majority of whom are black and brown men. It has opened up the potential of leaving them to the mercy of organised fascists and racial discrimination, which we know, and as I heard the Minister say earlier, has always existed in this society, but it has deepened and thickened. This has been a disgraceful, deliberate announcement that international protection refugees, that is, black and brown men, largely, will be left on the streets and will be not accommodated. In line with this-----
Deputy, it is not appropriate to make that sort of criticism of a colleague. You are alleging something profoundly serious. I do not think it is in order in the House, under privilege, to make that sort of accusation.
To make the accusation that the announcement specifically targeted international protection refugees?
It is fair enough to make any political point you want, but I think that goes beyond the making of a political point.
I am just stating fact; I am not making-----
No you are not; you are stating an opinion.
I am not; I am stating fact. The announcement was targeted at international protection refugees.
Excuse me. You are stating an opinion in attributing to the Minister a particular motivation, and you are not in order in doing that.
I am stating that the policy was targeted at international protection refugees, who are in the main black and brown men. It has left them very vulnerable on the streets, and we all know the story of the consequences of that.
My question to the Minister is how much more the Department can do. Nobody in this House has ever answered the following questions. What about Baggot Street hospital? What about the big empty Jurys Hotel in Ballsbridge? Those questions have never been answered, yet we have heard people such as Mel Reynolds, the renowned architect, give clear detail as to how those buildings could be used to house hundreds of people a stone's throw away from the offices of the IPAS.
I believe that the point about Baggot Street hospital has been addressed on many occasions. Baggot Street Hospital is not fit for human habitation right now. A very major and a very long-term piece of work has to be done in order to make it fit for habitation. That may well happen - I would love to see it happen - but it will not deliver accommodation in the short term. My focus has had to be on the short term because of the very immediate needs of the people we need to accommodate, the 189 who are not accommodated today. The reason we are in this situation is that, as we know, we have a housing crisis in this country so we did not have an available stock of accommodation like other EU member states did and we had to rely predominantly on the private sector. I do not like being in that position - the Government does not like being in that position - but that is a reality. For whatever reason, the private sector in certain sectors has made decisions to take in international protection applicants or to take in beneficiaries of temporary protection, and we did not have any more international protection accommodation.
44. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the steps his Department is taking to improve the monitoring and oversight of disability services; if there are plans to introduce a statutory authority to audit disability standards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25801/23]
I am asking this question on behalf of Deputy Niamh Smyth. What steps are the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, and her Department taking to improve the monitoring and oversight of disability services? Are there plans to introduce a statutory authority to audit disability standards? Will she make a statement on the matter?
One of the central principles and opportunities relating to the transfer of functions was to ensure a legally and operationally robust governance framework that provides for the appropriate budgetary and performance management of the specialist disability services delivered by or on behalf of the HSE.
The legislative framework in place since the commencement of the Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022 is underpinned by a suite of co-operation and reporting arrangements to provide for close collaboration between my Department, the HSE and the Department of Health. Responsibility for the delivery of these specialist services remains with the HSE following the transfer. Importantly, the HSE has its own governance arrangements with individual service providers and continues to implement and monitor these.
On quality standards, HIQA is an independent authority that was established under the Health Act 2007 to drive continuous improvement and monitor safety and quality in Ireland's health and personal social care services. The Health Act 2007 requires all providers – public, private and voluntary organisations – to identify residential services that meet the criteria for a designated centre and to apply to the chief inspector within HIQA to have those centres registered.
Separately, the Minister for Health is developing a regulatory framework for home support providers, with the aim of ensuring that all service users over 18 years are provided with high-quality care. It will comprise primary legislation for the licensing of providers, secondary legislation in the form of regulations – minimum requirements – and HIQA national standards.
On disability day services, the HSE has implemented a continuous quality-improvement approach within adult day services since 2019 by means of voluntary interim standards for new directions. The interim standards are based on a framework devised by HIQA, closely aligned with the new directions policy.
I thank the Minister of State. While I welcome her statement and am aware of how she works with all the various bodies, including HIQA, we are hitting a crisis. If we consider the pay and conditions in section 39 organisations, we will see what they are causing in the various departments. In addition to considering pay and conditions, we need to consider recruitment.
I wish to refer to a certain case I have been dealing with. I thank the Minister of State for her work on it. She and the Department of Health have allocated funding for a certain gentleman to go into the home of a service provider. The service provider, which does an excellent job, tells me it has no workers and will not be able to facilitate the man as a consequence. While I acknowledge the commitment and work of the Minister of State and the Minister, we are hitting crisis point. If we do not sort out the pay and conditions of section 39 organisations, put appropriate funding in place and recruit staff, it will not be addressed. This is a matter within the remit of both the Minister of State and Minister but I am panicking because the man is meant to go to the home shortly.
I thank the Deputy. She hit on several key elements but the core one she speaks about is the recruitment and retention crisis that our health and social care professionals and providers are facing. While I hear what the Deputy is saying about recruitment and retention in section 39 organisations, I do not believe the issue is unique to them; it arises right across the board. The section 38 organisations are experiencing it, as is the HSE, although not to the same extent as the section 39 organisations. The Minister and I are working tirelessly to work the levers of all our colleagues in the Government to impress on them the importance of addressing this matter. To be honest with the Deputy, no one is better placed than her when it comes to forcing the hand of any Minister who sits in this row in providing the vital supports needed by our section 39 colleagues.
