Deputy Murnane O'Connor will substitute for Deputy Niamh Smyth for Question No. 73 and for Deputy O'Dea for Question No. 74.
Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions
Disability Services
Niamh Smyth
Question:73. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the status of the work under way by the national disability service and HSE procurement to develop a tender process and service specification for the delivery of assessments of need from private providers to deal with the long waiting lists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55516/23]
I would like an update on the work that is under way by the national disability service and HSE procurement to develop a tender process and service specifications for delivery of assessments of needs from private providers to deal with the long backlog in assessments of needs.
The Government is fully aware of the importance of providing assessments under the assessment of need process as set out by the Disability Act of 2005. I affirm my commitment to working to address these waiting lists. I also acknowledge that there are significant challenges that families are experiencing as a result of the current backlog, not just in Deputy Smyth's area but throughout the country.
The High Court judgment delivered in March 2022 directed that the PTA approach did not fulfil the requirements of the assessment of need, and this has further compounded the situation families awaiting AON are facing. To address these issues, an allocation of funding in both budget 2023 and budget 2024 was provided to facilitate CHOs to procure diagnostic ASD assessments through the private sector. The total amount involved in that was approximately €16 million.
Private providers are currently contracted by the HSE and lead agencies to provide assessments, ensuring the contracted providers are appropriately qualified and that any assessments or interventions are provided in line with the appropriate standards. At present, the HSE is working to finalise a procurement process for additional assessments and is in the evaluation stage of that work. As the Deputy will appreciate, I will not be able to speak about anything to do with that process due to commercial sensitivities.
Both my Department and the HSE acknowledge there is more work to be done to address the challenges facing the AON waiting lists and I am totally committed to resolving them. The roadmap for service improvement launched last October will examine the matter of AON from a broader perspective, with the further development of solutions to the challenges of AON taking account of all stakeholders.
I thank the Minister of State. As she said, we need to see this tender process. I believe we need to see the service specification for the delivery of assessments of needs. It needs to be rushed. The long waiting lists for assessment of needs, which is not a new phenomenon, should be reason enough for the national disability service and the HSE procurement team to speed up their delivery of this to ensure the long waiting lists can be tackled. I have huge issues with the staffing and so on in Carlow CDNT, which I have raised with the HSE and the Minister of State, and I thank her. I note that, at the moment, there are approximately 50 children, or maybe more, in Carlow alone waiting for their assessment. There are children who are about to go to school without having seen a therapist. That is unacceptable. I ask the Minister of State that we rush this. I am really concerned. Families are coming to my clinic every day and they are tormented. While I know the Minister of State is fully committed, as are the other Ministers, something really needs to be done urgently on this.
That is why funding has been secured in budget after budget to ensure we can address it. Only yesterday, the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, the Department and I had a meeting about AONs to ensure it is a priority, a focus and that it is actually getting the attention it requires. At the back of all of this, it is important to understand there are only so many therapists in the country. That is our problem. We are trying to fill our CDNTs. We are trying to ensure we are having assessments and that we are also delivering on interventions. It is that balance we are trying to create. From what I have seen from the procurements that have come back, there is a capacity issue in the private market as well. We do not have the desired capacity from what has come back in. It is all about people and ensuring we use the resources we have best. That is the operational piece the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman and I have tasked the HSE with, addressing how it can meet the balancing needs of intervention and assessment.
Is the Minister of State looking at plans to explore an international procurement process in parallel with the one being developed nationally? This should not be overlooked as a way to help tackle the long waiting lists. Going back to the CDNT in Carlow, we have a facility on Barrack Street in Carlow and only one room is being used at the moment. I know the staff there are doing their best and that they are understaffed but we have a beautiful facility and only one room is being used because there is no one else to fill the rest of them. There are no staff. These are huge issues across the country and I see it daily. The urgency of this really needs to be looked at. I know the Minister of State is aware of it.
I certainly will look at that CDNT in Carlow the Deputy identified with one room being used. I have to question how many staff are on that team and how it is being operationalised. I will go back again to what we set up within the Department since I transferred over. We have put a specific workforce planning group in place in the Department where we are looking at all available options and not reinventing too many of the wheels. I see that Ms Edel Quinn in CHO 1 has a complete campaign around coming home for Christmas. That is a really positive campaign she is running in Donegal. We are also looking at how we can entice and attract people who are coming home for Christmas nationally and at how the HSE is advertising. We do not have an embargo and that is one thing that the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman and I ensured we would not have. We do not have an embargo on recruitment. There is a risk assessment for management and admin but there is no recruitment embargo on any of the clinical posts we will be recruiting for.
Disability Services
Willie O'Dea
Question:74. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth when he expects the six new assessment hubs to streamline the assessment of needs process will be established to relieve pressure on service delivery, as set out in the Roadmap to improve Children’s Disability Services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55522/23]
On the same topic, when does the Minister of State expect to see the six new assessment hubs to streamline the assessment of needs process? When will they be established to relieve the pressure on service delivery as set out in her Roadmap to Improve Children's Disability Services? Will she make a statement on the matter?
The assessment hubs were one of the items the HSE delivered on time for me. I compliment the HSE and thank it for actually addressing it. It is important to say it is a big part of our PDS roadmap. It is not the silver bullet. It will not solve it, but it is putting a structure and shape to it.
At present, a combination of AON administrative and assessment hubs have been established in each CHO, with each CHO developing an approach to the establishment of a hub based on the unique circumstances that apply in the CHO as well as the capacity they have within their existing resources.
The assessment hubs will play a significant part in addressing the AON challenge, however they will not, in isolation, solve the matter. Additional capacity in the system by way of successful recruitment and retention is the key to ensuring that CDNTs have sufficient capacity for AONs and therapy interventions. This will allow families access to both and it is an issue placed extremely high on the HSE's agenda. In this regard, disability services have recently been exempted from the HSE recruitment embargo.
In addition, private providers are also currently being contracted by the HSE and lead agencies in order to increase capacity for assessments. The Department and the HSE both acknowledge that the provision of assessments is a particular challenge due to their complexity and length but significant work is ongoing.
The hubs are currently in place in all of the CHOs. Some have colocated on one particular site and others do it online, but at the end of the day they are all working and they are all recruiting the skill set that is required to have a proper pathway for the children.
I was glad to see the Minister of State launched the roadmap to improve children's disability services for 2023 to 2026 in October. I believe that the six assessment hubs to streamline the assessment of needs is urgent. Is the Minister of State going to expand on these hubs? Where does she intend to provide more hubs? That is important. There are six new assessment hubs. Will the Minister of State tell me what exactly the hub will mean today for the parents of children I speak to in Carlow-Kilkenny? That is so important. I understand the Minister of State's commitment, but she knows herself that timing is of the essence for parents waiting for an assessment. It is absolutely crucial that we get this right.
Deputy Murnane O'Connor asked specifically about Carlow, hence I brought in the answer. An AON administrative hub providing a centralised location application e-mail database, while spreading AONs across CHOs and the lead operations, is in place in Larkin House, Larkin's Cross, Barntown, Wexford. There are four assessment officers, AOs, of which three positions have been filled, four liaison officers, LOs, of which two have been temporarily assigned to an AO role to address the needs in Waterford, New Ross and Wexford and there is a backlog in filling the grade 3 and grade 2 positions. Health and well-being staff have been temporarily assigned to support the processing of the preliminary team assessments, PTAs, and the outsourcing of the service. In addition, 1.1 administrative staff remain to be recruited. The current focus is on prioritising and outsourcing of the PTAs and the backlog due to the High Court judgment. It is very clear the assessment hubs are up and running. That is an example of Deputy Murnane O'Connor's CHO.
I welcome that. I urge the Minister of State to consider further expansion of the system. I know how committed she is to the issue. I work with parents and I am aware of their concerns. The number of applications for assessment of needs under the Disability Act 2005 has risen steadily since the implementation of the system in June 2007. Some 7,612 applications for assessments of need were received in the most recent four quarters. The third quarter of 2022 and the second quarter of 2023 show the highest number of applications received in any 12-month period since Part 2 of the Act was commenced in June 2007. While I know the Minister of State is working on this and she is committed to it, it is important that we recruit and get as many staff as we can to work with the families and the children to get them assessed as soon as possible. I thank the Minister of State for all her help and support on this over the year.
The responsibility does not all lie with the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth or with the HSE, there is responsibility here as well within the Department of Education. To be quite honest, when we look at the increase since the inception of the Act in its entirety, some part of it may be because the EPSEN Act itself has not been fully enacted. It may be due to the fact that we do not have enough NEPS psychologists. I acknowledge that the Department of Education has removed the barrier for needing an assessment to access education, but it does not mean it removes the barrier to accessing a special class. It also means a person cannot access social protection rights without having an assessment. Health and assessment are needs based so we respond to the needs. The next phase of the assessment hubs is ensuring we have those responsible for education and disability and CAMHS around the table so that children are given a proper and clear pathway on the right team for their interventions.
Childcare Services
Kathleen Funchion
Question:75. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to provide an update on improving the chart of accounts mandatory for those services signed up to core funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54563/23]
This question relates to the mandatory chart of accounts for those services signed up to core funding. Some people refer to it as double accounting. I am interested in hearing if we can get some more information in regard to that and then I will expand further on it in my remaining time.
Providers that had an active core funding contract during the 2022-23 programme year must provide validated financial returns as per their core funding partner service funding agreement. Having heard the concerns Deputy Funchion spoke to there, officials in my Department have, in recent weeks, engaged constructively with key stakeholders on this requirement.
Four meetings have taken place involving members and nominees from Childhood Services Ireland, Childminding Ireland, Early Childhood Ireland, the Association of Childhood Professionals Ireland, the Federation of Early Childhood Providers, the National Childhood Network, the National Community Childcare Forum and Seas Suas as well as representatives from city and county childcare committees, Ernst & Young, and Pobal.
Arising from this engagement, my officials have developed proposals to significantly simplify and streamline the reporting requirements under core funding. Updated financial reporting requirements were shared with providers yesterday, and include five key initiatives aimed at streamlining and simplifying the process for providers. There will be a transition phase for years 1 and 2 of core funding, during which the reporting requirements will be significantly reduced. There will be a significant reduction in the number of items against which services will have to report expenditure. In addition, a detailed breakdown of staff expenditure across qualification level will be no longer required. There will be a similar reduction in the number of income reporting requirements. There also will be a reduction in the administrative complexity of reporting for multisite organisations. My Department is exploring additional supports, including targeted financial supports, for partner services that may need it.
These changes were communicated to providers yesterday. I am sure the providers and their representative bodies are examining them now. Following that engagement, I hope they will meet a significant number of the issues that providers raised. My officials are now working to support providers in preparing to submit these returns, through the delivery of training and the design of targeted financial supports for those who need them. Importantly, the date for submitting financial returns has been extended to 22 March 2024.
I thank the Minister. I had all my points ready on the stuff I was going to give out about, but I do not have to say them now. It is great to come in and hear about progress on an issue. That is really welcome. Issues were raised in offices and elsewhere but they were also raised at the committee, as the Minister is aware. The Association of Childhood Professionals and the Federation of Early Childhood Providers brought it up. It is good to see the right thing was done, people sat around the table and came up with solutions.
From what the Minister says, it does seem there was broad agreement at the meetings which were attended by a number of representative groups. That is very welcome. The Minister himself acknowledged that it was not that anyone was doubting the need for oversight and accountability it was just the fact that, as we often raise in here, it involved more of a burden in terms of paperwork and administrative work for the early years sector. It is great that there is an extension of the timeframe and some agreement on how it will work. If it is okay, I might raise the pay talks in my next contribution.
We heard the issues that have been raised by Deputies and following the committee hearings that were held. I heard them myself in my constituency and around the country when meeting childcare providers. We have moved significantly. I am not going to say the agreement from groups was 100%, but we have moved significantly to address many of the key concerns that were raised. It is important to remember that the reason we are seeking these financial returns is to get the best information possible about income and expenditure for services so we can better direct core funding.
As the Deputy knows, I secured an extra €45 million for core funding in year 3. Some of that is allocated, but around €20 million is not allocated. We want to understand what services need the most supports. That is why we asked for this detailed information. However, we also wanted to work with providers and we have been able to tone down significantly what we are asking for this year.
I thank the Minister. The following is not really related to the question so he might have to come back with this information, but we have the opportunity. In regard to the pay talks, and it came up at the recent Estimates as well, there have been savings, and when we questioned those, it was that the money for the pay talks had to be returned to the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform. Unfortunate does not even describe it when money that is secured has to be handed back. Will that delay the process? Is there any update on the pay talks? Some of the issues the Big Start campaign at SIPTU has raised is that there had been agreement on the graduate pay level. Where it was required to have three years' service, as part of the pay talks the deal was that, once graduates had their qualifications, they were eligible for the higher rate. Everything rests in relation to the pay talks. Can the Minister give any updates either now or in a written response?
I welcome the changes the Minister is making in the burden being placed on childcare providers. However, it would be remiss not to express the deep frustration many of them feel. I take the point that the Minister must have accountability and transparency for money spent. However, an obligation of this nature to ascertain how he might better spend the money looks to me like taking a sledgehammer to crack a nut. There are many other ways to find out the make-up of the cost structure of childcare providers in trying to see how to direct future funding. Many providers feel the money is tight as it is and this was an extraordinary request. I have the documentation here and you would want an accountant to do this. Many of these are not providers on that sort of scale so there needs to be an understanding of the small nature of these businesses and the administrative burden the hive is already creating for them.
I will take Deputy Bruton's points first. Having listened to the sector, we have made significant changes to the document he showed there. He is right. Remember the sector is very wide and the nature of providers is very different. We cannot have a one-size-fits-all approach but that is how we need to understand what is the cost base of that small service down the road operated out of someone's house versus a 100-child large service. We have to get into that detail and we cannot get a one-size-fits-all information. That is why the detailed information has to be obtained from individual services. However, we have listened on that point and a wider review of the administrative burden is taking place at the moment outside of these financial reports. I very much heard the concerns about administrative burden and we are taking actions to reduce it.
In regard to the pay talks, they are still ongoing. I am frustrated. I really thought the new agreement would be in. Because it has not come in, some of the money we dedicated towards removing the three-year rule has to be given back to the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform - from my cold dead hand but that is the way it goes. I urge both sides to get that agreement so that we can have the money that is available, flowing to services so that they can increase pay for staff who richly deserve that increase.
Mother and Baby Homes
Seán Canney
Question:76. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will consider extending the DNA testing to family members who are cousins to identify remains at the mother and baby home in Tuam as a result of advancements in the science of DNA testing since the Bill was enacted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54569/23]
We discussed this before, but with the advances in the science of DNA testing, can we now allow for family members outside of the sons, daughters, grandsons and granddaughters to have their DNA sampled to try to identify their families within the mother and baby home in Tuam?
We have discussed this before. In October 2022, the Government made an order under the Institutional Burials Act 2022 to direct an intervention at the site of the former mother and baby institution in Tuam. The Government order specifies that the functions of the director of authorised intervention in Tuam include carrying out an identification programme to seek to establish familial links. In May, I appointed Mr. Daniel MacSweeney to the position of Tuam director.
The 2022 Act provides that the participants in an identification programme must satisfy the director that they are eligible family members. The Act defines an eligible family member as a person who has reasonable grounds to believe he or she is a child, parent, sibling, half sibling, grandparent, grandchild, aunt, uncle, niece or nephew, whether of the whole blood or the half blood, grandniece or grandnephew of the person who is buried at an intervention site. During the development of the legislation I significantly expanded the list of family members who can participate in an identification programme under the general scheme. The published Act takes full account of recommendations put forward during the pre-legislative scrutiny process and reflects a further expansion I made during the legislative process in line with scientific advice. We got advice that a wider group could be brought in, in a successful way, and we amended the legislation accordingly. The advice outlined a justification for the expansion of the list of eligible family members in line with technological developments but highlighted scientific challenges with the inclusion of cousins.
It should be noted that the legislation provides that family members, not limited to the participants in an identification programme, are provided with regular updates on developments at the site by the director. In addition, final arrangements for remains that are recovered but not identified will have regard to the wishes of persons who believe they have family members buried at the site.
I appreciate the Minister’s response. I understand he did amend and tried to be as flexible as possible within the advice given. However, there may have been further advances in science since the legislation was enacted and some people have been on to me and the Minister about having an opportunity to have their DNA and that of their cousins tested and used. I have met the director on site a few times and he is a very good appointee. If that possibility is there, could that opportunity be left open for people who are cousins to offer their DNA to the director? As science develops and progresses, that could be something that would identify some of these remains.
The legislation sets out who can give DNA at the moment. Obviously legislation can be changed. If there is a clear scientific basis that we will be able to identify with at least a similar degree of precision, I have no stated objection against making that change. If something specific has changed in the past 12 months, I am happy to look at it. I am not sure if the Deputy has something specific he wants to draw to my attention. It was explained to me that by going down a generation and particularly by going out a generation, the chances are halved. Very quickly, by the time you get to cousins, the actual chance of a successful identification becomes very low. It is important we do not raise false hope. That is why I drew the line where the scientific advice was. We have a reasonable chance of providing an identification. That is why the line is drawn where it currently is.
I will pass on the information I have. I believe it is important that where families want to try to get an identification of a family member they believe might be there, it is important we facilitate that as best we can. Can cousins give their DNA sample to the director? He can then use those samples if he feels the science is there or if there are unidentified bodies that maybe could be identified, even with a smaller chance. We could perhaps consider that during the course of the excavation and what is going on there.
I recently established an administrative scheme to allow for the collection of samples on a purely voluntary basis from elderly and vulnerable people in advance of the start of the statutory identification programme. Any person can contact the office of the director of authorised intervention for details. We thought that was important, recognising the age of some of the people involved, something the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, also mentioned to me, and that the process of the statutory scheme is being set up. I recognise the work Mr. MacSweeney is doing and the detailed work to facilitate all elements, including the identification scheme and the actual excavation and retrieval of the remains, all which is incredibly sensitive.
I am not saying "No" to any future amendment of the legislation, but it must be based on a clear scientific change. If we get information that shows the science has developed to allow precision for family members more distant from the person whose remains are in the site in Tuam, I am open to considering that.
Question No. 77 taken with Written Answers.
International Protection
Richard Bruton
Question:78. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will outline the progress in integrating those in temporary protection from Ukraine and who have refugee status into work, education and community activity; and whether further policy initiatives are under consideration to improve integration. [55781/23]
Although the Minister and the Government have announced changes in respect of new people coming from Ukraine, there is a continuing issue relating to the success of integration policies. The Minister of State, Deputy O'Brien, has the national integration fund, but there is a need for further initiatives in this sphere, given the scale of arrivals, with 125,000 people to be integrated into communities.
Since early 2022, Ireland has provided accommodation to more than 99,000 people, between those fleeing Ukraine and international protection applicants. This includes more than 73,000 beneficiaries of temporary protection and more than 25,000 international protection applicants currently in IPAS accommodation. Prior to the war in Ukraine, there were 8,300 applicants for international protection in State-supported accommodation. My Department is focused on the provision of immediate temporary accommodation for beneficiaries of temporary protection who seek it. BOTPs can access the labour market on arrival in Ireland, as well as education and health supports. International protection applicants can be granted permission to access the labour market if they have been waiting six months or more for the first decision on their application.
The Department of the Taoiseach co-ordinates the whole-of-government response to Ukraine. Other Departments and agencies are also involved in this response and the integration of BOTPs and international protection applicants. The cross-government Ukraine response is being supported by community response forums at local authority level, which provide assistance to those fleeing the war in Ukraine, as well as to international protection applicants. The forums include representatives from NGOs, volunteers, the HSE and others at community level throughout the country who are contributing to the welcoming and integration of new arrivals.
A new community engagement team was established in September. Its role is to engage with communities to assist with the arrival of asylum seekers and those seeking protection from the war in Ukraine. The team engages with communities to assist with the welcome and integration process for new arrivals.
The programme for Government committed to developing and implementing a successor to the migrant integration strategy, which concluded in 2021. Work is currently under way to develop a new national strategy, which will build on the momentum of its predecessor and address ongoing and emerging needs in supporting migrant integration in Ireland.
I thank the Minister of State. I recognise the extraordinary efforts his Department and the wider Government services have put into this task. At a time when some people are trying to undermine the work of the Government and create division within the community, we need to step up our innovation in the approach to integration. There is a need for funds that involve local community organisations, such as the GAA or partnership companies, which are a very powerful local group. It is about addressing challenging issues such as the lack of childcare for young mothers, for example, who are trying to take part in language courses and advance themselves. As there are so many elements to integration and 125,000 people to reach, we need to have a fund on a bigger scale than the one the Minister of State is now trying to manage. I call for that strategy to be brought forward quickly in order that we can see genuine innovation in this space beyond what is already being done.
I do not have enough time to list all the things we are doing, but we have a range of funds, including local funds and national funds. For example, the grants under the national integration fund and the asylum migration fund will be announced in the first quarter of next year. There are many other important initiatives. Each local authority has a local economic and community plan. They should be addressing migrant integration in that space. We have funding rolled out to local authorities to appoint local authority integration teams. Some of them have started that process and some teams are in place.
We are now seeing Ukrainians joining the community employment and Tús schemes, which fall under one of my other Departments, namely, the Department of Social Protection. There are 145 on CE schemes and 277 on Tús. The right to work after six months has made an enormous difference to the integration of international protection applicants. It has probably been one of the most positive policy changes in recent years. It is assisting integration. More than 16,000 Ukrainians are in employment and we are endeavouring to boost that number.
I welcome the reference to flexibility in the context of Tús and community employment. That can be a win-win, given that many voluntary schemes are struggling to find participants. Perhaps the Minister of State should look at partnership companies specifically. In my area on the north side of Dublin, they are trying to deliver services to support families, but they are very overstretched. As they have that infrastructure and experience, this might be a resource that could effectively channel money from the Government into programmes.
I am happy to take the opportunity to acknowledge the work of partnership companies. They are probably one of our key partners on the ground that are facilitating integration, particularly through the social inclusion and community activation programme. We have an additional €10 million allocation for work with Ukrainians and international protection applicants that we secured last year, but also for 2024. In addition to that, we secured an increase in the budget of 6% under SICAP. I acknowledge the amazing work being done by SICAP via local development companies throughout the country.
I will briefly mention an interesting initiative that ETBs in Cork and Dublin have established to assist international protection applicants and Ukrainians who have qualifications in the areas of gynaecology, palliative care, neurology or dermatology, as well as paramedics and physiotherapists, to improve their English language skills in order that they can go more directly into the labour market at their level. There are many initiatives across several Departments that are doing really good work. The development of the new national integration strategy will allow us to build on them and respond, particularly in the context of the past 18 months and the challenges they have brought.
Questions Nos. 79 and 80 taken with Written Answers.
Mother and Baby Homes
Seán Canney
Question:81. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if his Department will allow for the redress scheme for survivors of mother and baby homes to be extended to include survivors who spent less time in a home than the current threshold of six months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54568/23]
With regard to the redress scheme for survivors of mother and baby homes, the legislation that was passed excluded those who were not in a mother and baby home for six months or more. Has the Minister considered reviewing that legislation? A significant number of people are very upset at their exclusion. It is not so much about compensation; it is more about recognition that they spent time in the mother and baby home. These people seem to have been cast adrift.
The mother and baby institutions payment scheme will provide financial payments to an estimated 34,000 people, some 19,000 of whom will also benefit from an enhanced medical card or health support payment. The benefits are in recognition of experiences while resident in mother and baby and county home institutions. The overall cost of the payment scheme is €800 million.
The Government proposal for the payment scheme was developed following deliberations on the very complex issues in question. They were informed by a consultation process, as well as a report and proposals from an interdepartmental group. The Government ultimately decided on proposals which were, in overall terms, broader than those proposed by the interdepartmental group or the commission of investigation. The scheme will provide a general payment that rises based on time spent in an institution, with eligibility determined by residence as verified by institutional records. Applicants will not be required to bring forward evidence of abuse. All mothers who spent one night or more in these institutions are eligible for the scheme.
Redress comes in many forms. In the context of children who spent less than six months in an institution and were adopted or otherwise separated from their birth family, the overwhelming priority need expressed through extensive engagement is access to records. For those children who spent short periods of time in an institution during their infancy, the action plan provides a response to their needs through the Birth Information and Tracing Act 2022 and the investment that has been made available to support implementation of this legislation. Since the information and tracing service under the Act came into being in October 2022, more than 8,500 applications for birth and early life information have been processed and provided.
Many people have been able to find out information about their origins through this legislation. Of course, both the payment scheme and Birth Information and Tracing Act 2022 are part of a wider package of measures of 22 actions set out in the Government's action plan.
What survivors are saying to me is that there is no clinical or medical reason somebody who spent six months or less in a mother and baby home would have been treated differently from somebody who spent more than six months there. They fail to see what the criteria are. I know there is an interdepartmental group, but they are saying that they spent time in these mother and baby homes. They suffered and had trauma and they are carrying that with them. There is no medical or any other scientific threshold by which these survivors should be left out of the redress scheme.
While they have gotten help in terms of the tracing and all that goes with that, when we look at what is available, such as GP cards and all that type of thing, they are an ageing population, and it is incumbent on us all to do something for these people more than what is being done at the moment.
In terms of our response to everybody who spent time, even one day, within a mother and baby home or county home institution, we have set out the action plan with a range of actions. The initial action was the State apology by An Taoiseach delivered in early 2021 to all people who spent any time in these institutions. In terms of other elements, however, as I said, the information and tracing element is providing information now to more than 8,500 people. There is the record and memorial centre in Seán MacDermott Street, work on which is taking place right now. That will stand as a site of conscience to those who spent time within these institutions. There is the availability of free counselling to anyone who was in one of these institutions through the National Counselling Service, NCS. Our Department is focused now on getting this scheme up and running. There is a review clause in the scheme. This scheme will be reviewed through its operation, but right now, the priority is to get that scheme up and running as quickly as possible for those 34,000 people who are eligible.
Deputy Canney will speak and then we will have a supplementary question.
The biggest gripe or the biggest regret these people have is that although there has been legislation, and it is all very good, a divide has been created. People are being treated differently because of a six-month timeframe. I believe that is wrong, and the people who are affected by this are genuinely upset about it. They cannot understand or get their heads around the fact that they are being treated differently for being in one of these institutions for up to six months from a person who was in for six months and one day. What is the difference? There are no medical, scientific or any other criteria that can be used to define the difference. There is no way to do so. They are all survivors, and they feel they should all be treated the same.
I call Deputy Murnane O'Connor.
I have received several questions and queries about when the mother and baby scheme will be open for applications. As the Minister knows, the long-awaited redress scheme for survivors of mother and baby homes was signed into law in July. I can honestly say, like the Minister, that the survivors who have contacted me not getting any younger. They deserve and need the scheme up and running as soon as possible. I am aware that since July, the Department has been working on the structures to deliver the scheme. While many of us understand that it may take a number of months, the Minister needs to get the scheme up and running and it needs to be operational. We are going into 2024 and there are 34,000 survivors. It needs to be up and running. I ask the Minister now whether he can get us a timescale as soon as possible.
The action plan the Government brought forward in response to the commission's report is directed at all survivors, irrespective of the time they spent in an institution. There are various elements to that action plan. The institutional payment scheme is one important element, but it is not the sole element in terms of the Government's response. I outlined in my earlier response to Deputy Canney the universal elements of the action plan.
I agree with Deputy Murnane O'Connor. I understand the concern among survivors in terms of being able to make their applications. We have designed the legislation so that some of those survivors who are older or ill will be able to be prioritised. This is going to be a big scheme to which 34,000 people will be applying.
We know that when the birth information system was set up within Tusla and the Adoption Authority of Ireland, we did not have enough infrastructure from day one, and that caused delays. We want to avoid that in this situation, which is why we have been bringing on staff, updating the necessary IT infrastructure and, again coming from the recommendations of committee on which Deputies Murnane O'Connor and Funchion sat, making sure there is trauma-informed training for the staff in appreciation of the very difficult situations that many of the people who will be applying to the scheme underwent in these institutions. We hope to have the scheme open for applications in quarter 1 of next year.
Direct Provision System
Kathleen Funchion
Question:82. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth when he expects to publish the White Paper on ending direct provision; the steps his Department is taking to address some of the recommendations highlighted in the Ombudsman for Children’s report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54565/23]
I will just double-check that this is the question regarding the White Paper and the ombudsman's report because I had my question order incorrect.
This question follows on from the discussion we had in this Chamber two weeks ago about the report of Dr. Niall Muldoon, the Ombudsman for Children. It gives us an opportunity to discuss again some of the recommendations that came up in that report and in the initial White Paper on Ending Direct Provision. Can the Minister give us some more information or any more timelines in that regard?
As of 5 December, just over 100,000 Ukrainian nationals have been granted temporary protection in Ireland. As the Deputy knows, we are accommodating approximately 75,000 of those in State-provided accommodation. We are also accommodating just over 26,000 people in the international protection system. In that context, the underlying assumptions upon which the initial White Paper was published in February 2021 need to be examined. That foresaw 3,500 people arriving into the system per year. Last year, we saw 15,000 arrivals and this year, we will probably see approximately 13,000 people arrive into the system.
With regard to the steps my Department is taking to address some of the recommendations in the Ombudsman for Children’s report, I would like to state that the Department is working to procure new accommodation and to transition current residents from emergency accommodation centres to more permanent accommodation within the portfolio. The revised White Paper implementation approach will focus on increasing the State-owned permanent accommodation capacity to build an appropriate system to meet an increasing need.
With regard to the recommendation for the International Protection Accommodation Service, IPAS, to put in place a robust quality assurance mechanism, including an independent inspectorate, my Department has put in place a number measures to address concerns that include monitoring of permanent centres for adherence to national standards; a vulnerability assessment programme; resident clinics; the publication of the revised IPAS child safeguarding statement; and the provision of child protection briefings to managers and staff at IPAS centres.
Finally, with regard to the third recommendation, IPAS will continue to prioritise children and address their vulnerabilities in accordance with the requirements of the EU reception conditions directive. IPAS will continue to engage with all staff in centres that accommodate children in the international protection system to ensure they complete Children First training, have a designated liaison person assigned and adhere to the Children First legislation and guidance.
As we said previously in this Chamber on the day of that debate, we really are very lucky to have Dr. Niall Muldoon and his team. When he highlights an issue, he really does it because it needs to be highlighted. As we know, we have so many children living in direct provision, which includes a combination of children who are here as unaccompanied minors. That combination is the most heartbreaking and worrying because, obviously, they do not have an adult or family member looking out for them. Then, we have children who are here maybe with family, or some of their family, at least. It is really important that we are taking every step.
I particularly want to focus on what the Minister said regarding one designated or dedicated person in each centre, if I picked that up correctly, who is specifically for children and can go the centres to raise awareness. Is that something we currently have or is that something we are bringing in? The Minister might expand on that because it is a good idea and a very good point. That will alleviate many of the issues and difficulties.
In the same way that a school must have a designated liaison person in terms of its implementation of Children First, so must IPAS centres which have children there. I am aware that not all of them have children there, but those that do have to require that. We have an officer in our Department making sure there is compliance with that because that is absolutely essential.
I acknowledge the work the Ombudsman for Children has done in terms of highlighting imperfections. There are many imperfections in the system. I absolutely recognise that. Working with our Department to improve them is really important. His focus in the report we discussed was on children within the system, usually with their parents. There is work taking place, in terms of the work we are doing with the child and young people's service committee, CYPSC, all over the country to do more in-reach into international protection accommodation where there are children and also work we are doing directly with Tusla in terms of the use of new family support workers who go into international protection centres where there are children and work with the parents there in terms of providing additional supports.
I thank the Minister for clarifying that point in relation to the designated person. He will probably share my view that State-owned accommodation is where we have to go. Obviously, in an emergency situation or when something is unfolding, one has to respond in real time. There are such situations. If we are all being honest with ourselves, there are a lot of people making significant amounts of money from this and there will always be a question mark. I would say that about anything to do with care. I would like to see a situation, for example, in the foster care system, where we only have State-owned facilities or else foster families, but we are not looking at the private sector. Those two things should not be together. It is the same in relation to this. I am aware there have been some moves, but is there is any other information that the Minister can give us on how exactly he sees that rolling out or how he sees us acquiring more State-led and State-run accommodation?
In terms of the future obligation on the State to accommodate an increased number of protection applicants from what we were dealing with over the past ten years, I have been clear that I believe we need to have a much higher percentage of those applicants accommodated in State-owned accommodation. Where we have State-owned accommodation, we have better control over the conditions. We have better control of the location as well and we can locate these around the country rather than having accommodation focused in particular areas. Importantly, as Deputy Funchion raised, there is also a value-for-money issue as well. Certainly, when one looks at it over a ten-year period, the State makes a saving if it puts in the capital investment in terms of State-owned accommodation rather than using providers. Going forward, because of the significant increase in the number of international protection applicants, it will have to be a mix. There will be some private providers continuing to provide accommodation but we have to grow that State-owned element where we have much greater control of conditions and locations. We can plan it much better, including in terms of ensuring value for money for the taxpayer.
Early Childhood Care and Education
Jennifer Murnane O'Connor
Question:83. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth how the funding increase for his Department announced in budget 2024 will provide for an expansion of targeted access and inclusion model supports to children in County Carlow beyond time spent in the ECCE programme, both in term and out of term; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55524/23]
I ask the Minister how the funding increase for his Department announced in budget 2024 will provide for an expansion of targeted access and inclusion model supports to children in County Carlow beyond time spent in the ECCE programme, both in term and out of term, and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The award-winning access and inclusion model, AIM, has supported more than 27,000 children with a disability to access and meaningfully participate in the ECCE programme since it was first introduced in September 2016. A commitment to expand AIM beyond the ECCE programme was first made in the First 5 strategy. The fulfilment of this commitment is informed by an independent evaluation of AIM, which has just been completed and which I will publish in January. All participants in that evaluation - teachers, parents, educators and providers - supported the expansion of AIM supports to hours outside the ECCE programme.
In budget 2024, I was pleased to be able to secure an additional €14 million for AIM. Some €7 million of this allocation will support the increasing cohort of children with a disability requiring AIM supports to access and meaningfully participate in the ECCE programme. An addition €7 million provides for an expansion of targeted AIM supports to these children beyond time spent in the ECCE programme, in term and out of term from next September. The full-year cost of this development will be €21 million. The specific rules underpinning this extension are currently being developed. However, the intent of the additional funding is to support ECCE-enrolled children with a disability to remain in services for the full day if they wish to do so.
The precise allocation model for this expansion of AIM is currently under design. I will communicate in early 2024. Information relating to individual counties will not be available until the expansion is in place. Actual uptake will depend on a range of factors, including parental choice. It is my ambition that, over time, all children with a disability enrolled in early learning and care services will have access to supports under AIM. To this end, my officials will next consider how younger children with a disability, who are not old enough yet to register for the ECCE programme, could also be supported through AIM.
I welcome the increase of €14 million announced in budget 2024 for the access and inclusion model. I also welcome that the Minister has said €7 million will be allocated to support children with a disability requiring these supports to access and meaningfully participate in the ECCE programme.
I want to ask the Minister about therapies and supports. Can the Minister outline what these supports and therapies for children with disability will be? What other supports will be put in these schemes for them?
I would also like to ask the Minister about the expansion of services for children with complex needs and respite for children. Will the Minister provide an update on that? While I welcome the Minister's commitment on this, it is important for children with a disability and their families that they get as much support as possible here.
What we are achieving with AIM is obviously very much focused on early years and allowing the greatest degree of integration possible in order that children are able to participate within the mainstream ECCE programme, initially just for three hours per day, five days a week, but subsequently increasing that according to the additional funding.
Children with a physical, intellectual or sensory disability have a range of other needs. Many of those are being addressed under the children's disability network teams that the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, spoke about earlier on. We are acutely conscious of the insufficient level of staffing across many of our CDNTs. That is why I and the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, published the roadmap for progressing disability services a number of months ago and why, later this afternoon, Deputy Rabbitte and I will be publishing the disability action plan setting out our steps to improve capacity in disability services for adults and children over the next three years and the investment that will be needed to secure that.
I welcome that. It is important that funding is addressed in these areas. I welcome the commitment of the Minister and the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, to this. I note my colleague is trying to get in on this question. I thank the Minister for his answers this morning.
I have spoken to the Minister on a number of occasions about the need to introduce large-scale grant aid towards the provision of childcare centres. As the Minister will recall, some time ago there was grant aid available of up to €1.1 million to assist community organisations providing much needed childcare. Some of the childcare facilities that were developed at that time need to be upgraded. There are other areas that need new childcare facilities. I hope the Minister can have a very substantial increase in grant aid to assist both private providers and community organisations to provide new and additional childcare accommodation.
The Deputy has raised this with me consistently over the past year. I am delighted to be able to say that earlier this week I announced pillar 2 of Building Blocks - the capacity grants. These are capital grants available to childcare providers, as the Deputy says, in the community and private sectors, to increase their capacity and grow the number of children they can provide services to. Some €15 million will be available in 2024 and a further €20 million will be available in 2025, or €35 million across those two years.
This will be very important in addressing issues of under-capacity. We know that there is a lack of capacity in certain parts of the country. The allocation for 2024 was announced recently. Services will be able to make applications and support them in the context of the work that we are doing, particularly by examining those areas of the country where there is undersupply.
I very much welcome that. I know that there are such communities right throughout the country. There are a number of small towns in my constituency about which I spoke to the Minister that will warmly welcome substantial grant aid. In many of our smaller towns, villages and rural communities, there is a great demand for childcare places because the population is increasing. It is essential that we provide enough childcare facilities in communities in order that people will not have to go elsewhere to seek such services.
I thank the Deputy very much. The capital grants are a key part of our ability to expand capacity. It is important to note that the core funding we have introduced is also being used to expand capacity. We have added money in each of the two years since it was initially introduced to allow for a growth in capacity. Many services are actually expanding capacity as a result of the extra funding that has been provided.
On a final point, and it is one we have spoken about, there will be a significant amount of housing built over the coming years under Housing for All. There are requirements to provide childcare facilities when a certain number of houses are delivered. We know that those services and buildings are not always delivered or are not always designed appropriately. My Department is working with the Department of housing and local authorities to ensure how we can better achieve the delivery of those early learning and care facilities which will be so important to new communities all over the country.
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