Written Answers Nos. 122-129
122. Deputy Lucinda Creighton asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the total number of representations in written or oral form she or her officials or advisers have received from a person (details supplied) seeking persons to be appointed to positions that fall under her remit since March 2011; if she will provide the details of these persons about whom the Member made representations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4278/15]
View answerI wish to inform the Deputy that there is no written or oral record held by my Department of any representations, from the individual concerned of the nature referred to by the Deputy being received by myself or my predecessors, nor is there a record of any being received by any of my officials or advisors or those of my predecessors, during the period in question.
123. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he will provide a commitment to raising the current level of spending of 0.2% of GDP to the European average of 0.7% of GDP on early childhood education; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4119/15]
View answer124. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he will ensure that all child care services are affordable and high quality by provision of State subsidies linked to quality delivery; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4117/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 123 and 124 together.
My Department supports the provision of early childhood care and education by providing annually in the region of €260 million to provide for three childcare support programmes that make childcare services more affordable and ensure that more than 100,000 children have access to quality childcare. This high level of support has been maintained despite the difficult budgetary situation that prevailed in recent years.
It is clear that accessibility, affordability and high quality childcare can play a critical role in achieving a number of Government priorities, including improving educational outcomes for children, reducing poverty and increasing parents' participation in the labour market. To ensure that all the benefits of childcare investments are fully realised, future public investment in childcare must be evidence-based and strategically coordinated. I am establishing a cross-Departmental group to look at the provision right across the 0 to 6 age group as well as to consider the after-school needs of older school-going children. It is crucial that we develop a coherent whole-of-Government approach to investment in childcare services.
This new group will include representatives of the Department of Education and Skills, the Department of Social Protection, the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, the Department of Finance and the Department of the Taoiseach and will be led and supported by my Department. I will be asking that the work of this group be carried out within a relatively short time frame and I expect that the group will be in a position to report to me in the Summer.
I wish to point out to the Deputy that, while the annual spend on childcare related programmes has been in the region of 0.2 per cent of GDP in recent years, this expenditure does not include expenditure under other early intervention programmes or by other Departments on early years' programmes and services and therefore does not represent the full extent of State expenditure.
While it is my objective to incrementally develop the early child care and education programmes over the term of this Government as resources permit, it is the case that expenditure and funding requirements are generally considered as part of the annual estimates cycle and budgetary process. It is not possible for me at this time to determine what decisions may be taken by Government in the context of future budgets and how these decisions will impact on expenditure allocations for programmes and services falling within the Vote of my Department.
125. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he will examine the current basic capitation rates for the free preschool year linked to national agreed pay scales with a view to increasing same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4118/15]
View answerThe Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme provides for one free pre-school year for all eligible children before commencing primary school. A standard capitation fee of €62.50 per week per eligible child is paid to participating childcare services with a higher capitation fee of €73 per week per eligible child available to services with more highly qualified staff.
The Government succeeded in maintaining the pre-school year on a universal and free basis despite the difficult budgetary situation that prevailed in recent years. While considerable progress has been made in correcting the overall budgetary situation, the funding available to my Department following the completion of budgetary process this year does not allow for an increase in the capitation paid to childcare providers. As the economy improves and the public finances recover, I would hope that the capitation rates for all childcare programmes could be improved.
Childcare services in this country are provided by private commercial and community childcare services and the level of remuneration provided to childcare workers is a matter for the individual management of each service. There are currently no national pay scales that provide for the level of pay of childcare workers.
126. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he will provide free child hours and continuing professional development, CPD, days, as part of all Government-funded schemes, to enable those working in the early childhood sector to implement fully the national curriculum and quality framework; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4160/15]
View answerIreland, like many other European countries, does not provide for mandatory Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for early years practitioners. I would like to be in a position to provide for mandatory CPD but first I would like to see early years practitioners meet the new minimum qualification requirements.
The Deputy may be aware that as part of the Early Years Quality Agenda aimed at improving the quality of childcare services, new qualification requirements for childcare staff working directly with children were announced last year. To support staff who are seeking to meet the new qualifications requirement, funding of €3 million is being made available over the two years 2014/2015 under the Learner Fund.
A National Early Years Quality Support Service, Better Start, has been introduced under the Early Years Quality Agenda. As part of that service, funding has been provided to allow for the recruitment of 30 graduates in early childhood care and education to work directly with services to improve quality, including assisting services in the implementation of the Síolta Framework and the Aistear Curriculum. The new service will work closely with the City and County Childcare Committees and the Voluntary Childcare Organisations to support service providers in improving the quality of their services. The work of the service will be based on a new Practice Guide based on Síolta and Aistear, which is currently being developed by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA).
127. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he will respond to a request from survivors of a residential home (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4234/15]
View answerSince the decision to establish this investigation was announced, there have been calls for the inclusion of a wide range of institutions in the list of Mother and Baby Homes. In responding to these calls it is important to be clear on what we want this investigation to examine and that we are clear and realistic as to our approach and expectations here. My sole objective is to establish a focused Commission, which can effectively utilise all the necessary powers, to establish relevant facts in a reasonable time frame. On the basis of the available information it would not be appropriate to consider places which were children’s homes, infants’ homes or functioned as orphanages, as being Mother and Baby Homes. These institutions did not provide the specific range of services, in particular supervised ante and post-natal facilities to single mothers and their children which are the central focus of this investigation, in the manner of the homes listed in the terms of reference.
As I have previously stated, it would not be accurate to suggest children’s homes and orphanages are excluded from this Investigation as the relationships of Mother and Baby Homes with such institutions will be explored by the Commission as required by Article 1(VII) of the investigation and in the academic social history module. The Commission will investigate evidence of patterns of referral, relationships and co-operation with other entities and intermediary organisations. This will allow for examination of the practices and procedures pertaining in such institutions including intermediary bodies involved in the placement of children.
While I do appreciate that there are many additional matters which some might like to be included, and I have responded to the specific issue raised on a number of occasions, it is important to be clear that this is not an investigation into all and every type of institution. It is also the case that other inquiries examined issues relating to a wide range of care settings including children’s homes. As we know a major investigation into historical child abuse has already been conducted by the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse. Its remit was to inquire into the abuse of children in institutions in the period 1940 to 1999 and the broad definition of institutions covered included settings such as the Westbank Orphanage.
I am satisfied that the independent Commission has sufficient scope to examine a broad range of concerns, and to make a determination on their relevance to the central issues in question, and where appropriate to make any recommendations to me which the Commission deems necessary. In this regard, I hope that this will reassure those who feel that the process to date may not have fully uncovered information relevant to their specific circumstances.
128. Deputy Lucinda Creighton asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the total number of representations in written or oral form he or his officials or advisors have received from a person (details supplied) seeking persons to be appointed to positions that fall under his remit since March 2011; if he will provide the details of these persons about whom the Member made representations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4269/15]
View answerI would like to inform the Deputy that since the establishment of my Department in June 2011, no representations in written or oral form have been received from the Member concerned seeking persons to be appointed to positions that fall under my Department's remit.
129. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the progress to date in respect of an appeal for a medical card in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare which was submitted on 9 December 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4082/15]
View answerThe Health Service Executive has been asked to examine this matter and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible.
The Health Service Executive operates the General Medical Services scheme, which includes medical cards and GP visit cards, under the Health Act 1970, as amended. It has established a dedicated contact service for members of the Oireachtas specifically for queries relating to medical cards and GP visit cards, which the Deputy may wish to use for an earlier response. Contact information has issued to Oireachtas members.
If the Deputy has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days, please contact my Private Office who will follow up the matter with them.
