Written Answers Nos. 521-537
522. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if she will provide an update on the quality assurance criteria for English language programmes; when the list of courses accredited under the accreditation and co-ordination of English language services will be made available; and the visa processing methods being used to determine course and programme eligibility. [12161/15]
View answerI remain fully committed to delivering on the Government's regulatory reforms programme in this area which I announced in September 2014 in conjunction with my colleague the Minister for Education and Skills. These reforms provide the necessary regulatory framework through which abuses of the student immigration system can be curtailed to the benefit of bona fide students and colleges alike. The Government is committed to maintaining Ireland's reputation as a high quality destination for international students and will continue to implement all necessary reforms to protect that reputation.
Work is at an advanced stage in implementing these reforms taking into account a high court judgement in respect of that part of the reform programme relating to English language courses, and I expect that full details will be available shortly.
523. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of Garda ethnic liaison officers allocated to each Garda district in the Dublin region in the years 2013, 2014 and in 2015 to date. [12170/15]
View answerAs the Deputy will appreciate, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the distribution of personnel, among the Garda Regions, Divisions, and Districts. Garda management keep this distribution under continuing review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities so as to ensure that the best possible use is made of these resources.
All members of An Garda Síochána are trained to deal with incidents of racial abuse and attacks and to treat each incident in a compassionate and professional way.
The role of the Ethnic Liaison Officers (ELO) is to liaise with representatives of the various minority communities in their Division and to establish communication links with each of these communities. Ethnic liaison officers are assigned on a Divisional basis and the numbers of officers in each Garda Division in the Dublin Region in the years in question are shown in the table.
|
No. of ELOs in DMR |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 (1st Quarter only) |
|
DMR East |
11 |
10 |
10 |
|
DMR North |
14 |
15 |
15 |
|
DMR North Central |
16 |
45 |
45 |
|
DMR South |
8 |
13 |
13 |
|
DMR South Central |
15 |
13 |
13 |
|
DMR West |
17 |
18 |
18 |
|
TOTAL |
81 |
114 |
114 |
524. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the reason cases of historical child abuse, alleged to have been carried out upon persons who were in the care of the Health Service Executive, are being investigated by the executive and not by the Child and Family Agency. [11181/15]
View answer528. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the date upon which the Child and Family Agency took over the investigation of all historical cases of child abuse under the care of the Health Service Executive or other State institutions. [11180/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 524 and 528 together.
With effect from 1 January 2014, statutory responsibility for the delivery of child welfare and protection services rests with the Child and Family Agency, which is the appropriate body to receive all reports of welfare and protection concerns relating to a child. Prior to this, the HSE had statutory responsibility for this service. These concerns can either relate to a child's welfare or where there is a concern of child abuse, that is, physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse or neglect. As the Deputy may be aware the respective roles of State agencies in the area of child protection are set out in Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children. I am not aware of specific cases the Deputy may have in mind. I have asked the Agency to comment and I will revert to the Deputy at that time.
Reporting a child abuse concern should, whether it is ongoing or historical, be reported to the Child and Family Agency and An Garda Síochána, in line with the Children First Guidance. Under Section 3.6 of the Children First (2011) guidelines, when a retrospective disclosure of abuse is made, an assessment must be taken to ensure there is no current risk to any child that may be in contact with the alleged abuser. Should risk be identified, the information should be passed to the Agency immediately who will work with other agencies, including An Garda Síochána, for investigative purposes.
While child protection and welfare services of the HSE were transferred to the Child and Family Agency on 1 January 2014, other services for children and adolescents remain with providers such as the HSE, including disability services and the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). As the Agency carries out its child protection functions, the onus remains on the service provider to ensure that adequate safeguards are in place and to examine its own role in respect of abuse disclosures. The HSE, as a service provider, could be expected to carry out investigations into its service provision, separate from those of the Agency or An Garda Síochána.
525. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of refuge places for persons escaping domestic violence per 10,000 of the population; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11390/15]
View answerThe information sought by the Deputy has been requested from the Child and Family Agency and I will respond directly to the Deputy when the information is received.
526. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs his plans to ensure that adequate affordable child care places are available for the approximately 33,000 one-parent families who in July 2015 will no longer be in receipt of the one-parent family payment, in order to ensure that this sector will not be excluded from the workplace and forced into poverty; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11870/15]
View answerThe issue of the One-Parent Family Payments is, in the first instance, a matter for the Department of Social Protection (DSP). My Department has been working closely with the DSP to streamline the implementation of a number of labour activation measures which support parents returning to the work force or availing of education or training opportunities.
The introduction of the After-School Childcare (ASCC) programme is designed to support low-income and unemployed people to take up employment. This programme is a particularly important support for one-parent families, who might not be able to access support within the family unit, by providing after-school care for primary school children of eligible parents for a period of 52 weeks. The programme contributes €40 per week for an after school place or €80 per week in situations where a pick-up service is provided to take the child from school to the childcare provider. The programme also provides a full day care rate of €105 per week, for a maximum of 10 weeks, to cater for school holiday periods. In all cases, the maximum fee payable by parents is €15 per week per child.
Under the Childcare Education and Training Support (CETS) programme, childcare services are contracted to provide childcare places to qualifying Solas or Education and Training Board (ETB) trainees or students for the duration of their courses. This programme also provides part time and after school places. Under the programme, €145 per week is provided towards the cost of a full day childcare place and the service is permitted to charge the parent up to a further €25 per week towards the cost of the place. The Programme has a budget of €17 million per year and in the region of 8,000 children are catered for annually. The programme has a funding allocation of €1.32 million in 2015, which will provide between 300 to 500 places.
The Community Employment Childcare (CEC) programme is targeted specifically at participants in the Community Employment (CE) schemes operated by the Department of Social Protection. Under the programme, €80 per week is provided for pre-school places for children up to the age of 5 and €40 per week for afterschool places for primary school children up to the age of 13, with a set charge of €15 per week to the parent in either case. The programme also provides a part time day care rate of €80 per week, for a maximum of 10 weeks, to cater for school holiday periods. Places are approved for 50 weeks. The CEC programme has an annual budget of €7.5 million to provide 2,000 places.
These programmes are in addition to the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme which provides a free pre-school year to all children in the age category 3 years and 2 months to 4 years and 7 months and the Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) programme that provides funding to community childcare services to support disadvantaged or low income families. The programmes represent an overall annual investment of €260 million and supports more than 100,000 children each year.
The funding to support these childcare programmes has been maintained despite the difficult budgetary position. I am now looking at the question of appropriate supports for child care in a wider context. To ensure that all the benefits of our full range of childcare investments are fully realised, future public investment in childcare must be evidence-based and strategically coordinated. It is crucial that we develop a coherent whole-of-Government approach to investment in childcare services and I have established an Inter-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. I have asked the Group to report to me by the Summer.
527. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he will provide support in respect of a young person (details supplied) in County Monaghan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11128/15]
View answerAs the Deputy may appreciate, it would not be appropriate for me to comment on an individual case. I have referred the information provided by the Deputy to the Child and Family Agency for immediate attention and have requested a report on the matter. I will revert to the Deputy when this is to hand.
529. Deputy Colm Keaveney asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if the Early Years Capital Programme will provide funding for the strand grants to provide natural outdoor spaces that promote active outdoor play in 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11237/15]
View answerDetails of the application process and of the projects that will be eligible for funding under the Early Years Capital Programme 2015 are currently being considered by my Department. An announcement will be made on this matter shortly.
530. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he will provide, in tabular form, the number of child-minders defined by county currently notified under the child care regulations 2006 to Tusla, the Child and Family Agency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11402/15]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Child and Family Agency to respond directly to the Deputy with the most up-to-date information.
531. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he will provide, in tabular form, the number of child-minders defined by county, currently voluntary notified to Tusla, the Child and Family Agency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11403/15]
View answerPre-school services are subject to the Child Care (Pre-School Services) (No.2) Regulations 2006, as provided for under Part VII of the Child Care Act 1991. Childminders taking care of not more than three pre-school children from different families are not required under the Child Care Act 1991 to notify their services to Tusla and are not subject to the requirements of the Child Care (Pre-School Services) (No.2) Regulations 2006. Such childminders are encouraged to voluntarily register their service with their local City or County Childcare Committee (CCC).
Pobal has provided a table which gives details of those childminders, not subject to the Regulations, but who have voluntarily notified their service to the CCC in 2014.
No. of Childminders Reported to Pobal by City and County Childcare Committees in 2014
|
CCC (County) |
Voluntarily notified to the CCC |
|
Dun Laoghaire Rathdown |
18 |
|
Dublin City |
56 |
|
Fingal |
20 |
|
South Dublin |
24 |
|
Kildare |
76 |
|
Laois |
0 |
|
Longford |
13 |
|
Meath |
0 |
|
Offaly |
0 |
|
Westmeath |
0 |
|
Cavan |
0 |
|
Donegal |
1 |
|
Leitrim |
9 |
|
Louth |
25 |
|
Monaghan |
31 |
|
Wicklow |
69 |
|
Carlow |
17 |
|
Kilkenny |
15 |
|
North Tipperary |
0 |
|
South Tipperary |
27 |
|
Waterford |
0 |
|
Wexford |
16 |
|
Cork County |
66 |
|
Kerry |
50 |
|
Limerick |
15 |
|
Clare |
32 |
|
Galway |
54 |
|
Mayo |
57 |
|
Roscommon |
11 |
|
Sligo |
21 |
|
Cork City |
26 |
|
Totals |
749 |
532. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he will provide, in tabular form, the number of child-minders who are members of the National Childminding Association of Ireland, defined by county and by identifying notified, voluntary notified or membership only status; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11404/15]
View answerChildminding Ireland is an independent national membership organisation for childminders. The Deputy should contact the organisation directly if he requires this information.
533. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he has put forward any suggestion or proposal to the Department for Finance to enhances tax relief for those families where one of the parents chooses to remain at home in order to provide child care for their family; if he will provide details of any discussions that his Department has had with the Department of Social Protection in relation to acknowledging the role that stay at home parents play; his views on the possibility of having childhood years in the home being counted as contributions under the social insurance fund; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11437/15]
View answerThe introduction of any tax relief scheme is a matter for Government and the Minister for Finance in the first instance.
My Department supports the provision of early childhood care and education by providing annually in the region of €260 million which ensures 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.
I would like to be in a position to increase our investment in the provision of childcare as resources allow. However, I am determined that all such spending, whether existing or additional, will be based on good evidence, and co-ordinated strategically, so that we achieve the best possible benefits for children.
To this end, I have established an Inter-Departmental Group which will look at childcare provision right across the 0 to 6 age group as well as to consider the after-school needs of older school-going children. 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 have asked the Group to report to me by the Summer.
534. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the services and assistance being provided in respect of a person (details supplied) in Dublin; and the steps being taken for children with such difficulties. [11539/15]
View answerAs the Deputy will appreciate, it is not appropriate for me to comment on an individual case but I have requested a report from the Child and Family Agency in relation to this case and I will revert to the Deputy when this is to hand.
I can assure the Deputy that all steps are being taken to ensure that children's needs are met. As the Deputy is aware, the Child and Family Agency was established on 1 January, 2014 and brought together nearly 4,000 staff from three separate organisations, the Health Service Executive (HSE), the Family Support Agency and the National Educational Welfare Board. This represented one of the most ambitious and far reaching public sector reforms undertaken by the Government. The Agency places a strong emphasis on prevention, early intervention, family support, therapeutic and care interventions, all of which are key to the provision of integrated, multidisciplinary services for vulnerable children and families but it cannot do this alone and relies on other sectors including health and education. This is entirely appropriate as children's health needs will be met by the HSE and their educational needs by schools. For example, some children have specialist needs that need to be met by child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS - which remains part of the HSE) as referenced in the Deputy's question.
The Agency and the HSE have a Memorandum of Understanding and a Joint Protocol for inter-agency collaboration in place which underpins service provision for those children attending services provided by both agencies. The Memorandum of Understanding sets a partnership agreement between the HSE and the Agency whereby pre-establishment levels of service are maintained across both organisations. The objective of the Joint Protocol is to specify a pathway and associated responsibilities for children and families whose needs cross between the HSE and the Agency.
Both the Memorandum of Understanding and the Joint Protocol are subject to regular monitoring and review to ensure that they are working effectively in the best interests of children and families. Additionally, the Agency and the HSE are working to finalise a service level agreement to underpin the provision of psychological services by the HSE which will assist the Agency in fulfilling its statutory obligations. The service level agreement with the HSE will determine the quantum of service needed to meet the Agency's requirements and will be an interim arrangement pending the Agency providing the service directly.
535. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he will act to ensure the adequate provision of social workers to ensure the needs of the 3,000 plus children at risk are met; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11654/15]
View answerThe impact of vacancies on service provision is risk-assessed on an ongoing basis. Such risk-assessments take account of issues such as case loads and referral numbers. Where necessary, temporary staff are brought in to cover vacancies, until such vacancies are filled on a permanent basis.
The Child and Family Agency (TUSLA) has advised that there were 1,396.55 whole time equivalent social workers employed at the end of January 2015 and that they are currently recruiting an additional 203 social workers.
I have identified the number of open unallocated cases which are classified as being of a "high priority" as an issue of concern and have asked the Child and Family Agency (TUSLA) to develop an action plan setting out proposed measures, having regard to the current, or required resource base, to tackle the issue.
536. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the way in which Tusla engages with school attendance issues; the number of days a child has to miss before it will intervene; the number of interventions on this matter it has made each month since it was established, set out in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11760/15]
View answerThe Child and Family Agency, established in 2014 under the aegis of my Department, has statutory responsibility in relation to school attendance and supports for young people at risk of educational disadvantage. Through its Educational Welfare Service, the Agency responds to instances where children are not attending school regularly, leading to concerns for their educational welfare.
Under the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000, schools are obliged to record and monitor daily attendance and to report absences to the Agency in specific circumstances; such as where a child is absent for 20 days or more, where a child is expelled or suspended for six days or more cumulatively, or where the principal of a school has concerns about the educational welfare of a child.
While Educational Welfare Officers have a number of statutory powers in relation to school attendance, much of their work involves early prevention and targeted intervention with children and families, in collaboration with schools and other support services. Where school attendance problems arise for a child, the Agency concentrates on finding solutions within a collaborative intervention framework involving children and their families, schools and other relevant agencies. This work of the Educational Welfare Service falls into two key categories, namely the provision of a brief intervention designed to resolve a school attendance issue with a child before it escalates or the provision of intensive intervention, where problems of poor school attendance are manifestation of more complex and deep rooted issues for the child and his or her family which require significant time and on-going support from the Educational Welfare Officer to ensure progress.
The information sought by the Deputy has been requested from the Child and Family Agency and I will respond directly to the Deputy when the information is received.
537. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of staff members employed in the National Educational Welfare Board for each of the past five years; the number of staff on sick leave or maternity leave; and if those staff members have been replaced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11761/15]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware the functions and operational responsibilities of the former National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) are now part of the Child and Family Agency, which was established on 1st January 2014. Since this date the staff of the former NEWB, including its Educational Welfare Officers, have transferred to the new Agency. The three service strands formerly under the remit of NEWB – the statutory Educational Welfare Service, the School Completion Programme and the operation of the Home-School Community Liaison Scheme under the Department of Education and Skills' DEIS Action Plan for Educational Inclusion – collectively form the Educational Welfare Services of the new Agency. Within the Agency, the statutory Education Welfare Service has specific responsibility for the Agency's general function to ensure that each child attends a recognised school or otherwise receives a certain minimum education. The appointment of Educational Welfare Officers is a function of the Child and Family Agency.
The information sought by the Deputy has been requested from the Child and Family Agency and I will respond directly to the Deputy when the information is received.
