Written Answers Nos 519-531
519. Deputy Eamon Gilmore asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the additional funding to be provided to Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, following Ireland's signing of the Istanbul Convention; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46507/15]
View answerTusla, the Child and Family Agency, is the statutory body with responsibility for the provision of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence services. The Agency’s key priority is to ensure that the needs of victims are met in the best way possible. Accordingly, in 2015, a dedicated national budget of €19.5m was directed towards protecting front-line services for survivors.
As the Deputy will be aware, I announced a significant increase in the overall funding allocation to Tusla for 2016. Tusla has available to it some €676 million in funding, representing an increase of €38 million over 2015. The 2016 allocation includes specific funding of €200,000 requested by Tusla to support the implementation of obligations under the Istanbul Convention on violence against women and domestic violence. Tusla has also identified the need for further funding in subsequent years to develop services in line with the provisions of the Convention. This will be the subject of consideration in the context of overall funding to be provided to Tusla in 2017 and beyond.
Additional provision of outreach services and an increase in the number of emergency refuge spaces in the greater Dublin area are amongst specific developments planned for 2016 in order to enhance access to services for victims of domestic, sexual and gender based violence.
Tusla has also established a nationally managed structure, with a single line of accountability and a dedicated national team to support provision of accessible and high quality services. Planning for domestic violence and sexual violence services will seek to address gaps, avoid duplication and support effective delivery of frontline services nationally.
The increase in funding for 2016 significantly strengthens Tusla's base funding level and gives the Agency greater capacity to respond to current risk and anticipated demand in 2016.
The precise level of funding to be provided to domestic, sexual and gender-based violence services this year has been considered by Tusla in developing its Business Plan for 2016, which has been submitted to me for consideration.
520. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the status of an application by a person (details supplied) for a position on a panel with the Health Service Executive and Tusla, the Children and Family Agency, and wishes to change her preferred location; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46530/15]
View answerThe Child and Family Agency (TUSLA) is responsible for the employment of its own staff. Accordingly, I have asked the Agency to respond directly to you on this matter.
521. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs to respond to proposals (details supplied) from the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46609/15]
View answerA significant amount of work has been done by this Government and there are many challenges ahead in the areas highlighted by the ISPCC and others interested in the rights of children.
Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures: the National Policy Framework for Children and Young People (2014-2020) identifies five national outcomes towards which all of Government, and indeed all of society, must work to achieve for children and young people. The Framework centralises and coordinates key policy commitments for children and young people across Government, and commits to measuring progress against the national outcomes. It also establishes a robust implementation infrastructure. The ISPCC is included in this infrastructure through an Advisory Council that brings together key members of the community and voluntary sector, as well as independent experts with experience in children and youth affairs.
The primary responsibility for policy in relation to the treatment and support for young people with mental health and addiction issues lies with the Department of Health. The Health Service Executive is responsible for the provision of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, works closely with a range of care providers in respect of access to mental health, primary care, disability and other services. The Office for Internet Safety is an Executive Office of the Department of Justice and Equality with lead responsibility for internet safety in Ireland, particularly as it relates to children. The Department of Education and Skills also has an important role to play in educating young people in the responsible use of the Internet. The Department of Environment, Community and Local Government has primary policy and operational responsibility for homelessness affecting families, while the Direct Provision System is within the policy and operational remit of the Department of Justice and Equality.
Tusla is funded by my Department and has a significant role in the areas of child protection, early intervention, family support and educational welfare. Central to its role is that of strengthening inter-agency cooperation to ensure the seamless provision of such services. Tusla commenced a new Emergency Out-of-Hours Social Work Service in November 2015 in partnership with An Garda Síochána. Tusla also provides funding to voluntary organisations offering a range of counselling and support services to children and families including child counselling, made available to those who could not otherwise afford it.
The Children First Act 2015 was signed into law by the President on 19 November 2015. The Act aims to ensure that the best interests of the child are paramount in the performance by Tusla of its statutory functions. The Act also provides that organisations providing services to children will have to consider the potential for risk to children availing of their services and produce child safeguarding statements which will be available to parents and the public generally. The Act will operate side-by-side with the Children First National Guidance, which will continue as the basis for all citizens to report concerns.
Much of the above is aimed at ensuring appropriate responses to a complex range of issues which, if allowed to remain unchecked, can have detrimental impacts on a child or young person.
522. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the details of the capitation fee awarded to participating services in the early childhood capitation scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46618/15]
View answerAt present, capitation payments are provided to childcare providers participating in the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme and covers children who have reached the age of 3 years and 2 months by 1 September of the relevant year. 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 paid to services with more highly qualified staff.
From September 2016, I am expanding the ECCE programme to allow children to access free pre-school from the time they are 3 years of age until they start primary school. There will be three intakes of eligible children during the pre-school year: children who reach the age of 3 between April and August can access the programme from September; children who reach the age of 3 between September and December can access the programme from January; and children who reach the age of 3 between January and March can access the programme from April.
In the region of €172 million is provided annually to support the ECCE programme and the cost of the extended provision is estimated to be an additional €47 million in 2016. This includes the cost of restoring capitation rates to providers to pre-2012 levels from September 2016. From that date the standard capitation rate of €64.50 and higher capitation rate of €75 per week will apply.
523. Deputy Jack Wall asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if a child (details supplied) in County Kildare can benefit from the early childhood care and education scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46620/15]
View answerAt present, children qualify for the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme when they are within the qualifying age range which is 3 years and 2 months to 4 years and 7 months in the September of the relevant year. This means, for example, that children born between 2 February 2011 and 30 June 2012 qualified for free pre-school from September 2015. Children who turn 3 from 1 July 2012 are below the age range for eligibility for ECCE in the 2015/2016 programme year but will qualify for the 2016/17 programme year.
The recent Budget decisions, which introduced an extended provision under the ECCE programme that allows children to access the free pre-school programme from the time they are 3 years of age until they start primary school, come into effect from September 2016. This extended provision, when fully rolled out, will mean that children will have access to free education - either in pre-school or primary school - from the age of three. The start up date for the introduction of this new measure was decided so as to allow pre-school providers an adequate timeframe to make any necessary infrastructural or service changes and to put in place extra staff resources to accommodate the additional numbers benefiting from the programme, which is estimated to increase from 67,000 to 127,000 in a given programme year.
I am conscious that, depending on their date of birth, some children enrolling in the ECCE programme in September 2016 will not benefit from this extended free pre-school provision. I am also aware that, when the programme is fully in place (i.e. from 2017), there will be some children will benefit for a shorter extra period of free pre-school than others. Again, this will depend on the child's date of birth and the age at which they make the transition to primary school. Ultimately however, when this extended programme is fully in place, all children will be better off than in the present programme. Indeed, the net effect of the improvements for children overall will be an increase of an average of 23 weeks over the current programme. I think that this is a significant step forward for children and their families.
524. Deputy Colm Keaveney asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the names of the persons he has nominated to serve in positions carrying remuneration, other than out-of-pocket expenses, on commissions, industrial, assurance, semi-State or other similar concerns; the amounts received annually in respect of each appointment; the name of the concern to which the appointment was made during the years 2011 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46659/15]
View answerAs Minister I may nominate and appoint individuals to bodies within my Department's remit (subject to Government approval in certain circumstances) and nominate individuals to bodies under the remit of other Ministers.
I have set out below relevant details since my appointment as Minister for Children and Youth Affairs on 11th July 2014 and the respective remunerations.
Adoption Authority of Ireland (nominated and appointed)
|
Board Member |
Annual Remuneration |
|
Dr. Geoffrey Shannon (Chair) |
€63,120 |
|
Orlaith Traynor |
€7,695 |
|
Paul Harrison |
€7,695 |
|
Dr. Helen Buckley |
* |
|
Anne O'Flaherty |
€7,695 |
|
Patrick McMahon |
€7,695 |
|
Dr. Imelda Ryan |
€7,695 |
* It should be noted that in line with the 'One Person One Salary' principle, no public servant is entitled to receive remuneration in the form of board fees, save for situations that are provided for in statute.
Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related matters) - (nominated and appointed)
|
Commissioners |
Annual Remuneration |
|
Judge Yvonne Murphy (Chair) |
€172,710 (High Court Judge equivalent remuneration) |
|
Professor Mary E. Daly |
€585 per diem (approx. 110 days per annum) |
|
Dr. William Duncan |
€585 per diem (approx 110 days per annum) |
National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (nominated)
|
Council Member |
Annual Remuneration |
|
Avril McMonagle |
Details with the Department of Education and Skills |
525. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of annual subscriptions to external membership bodies and groups his Department has including the cost and details. [46738/15]
View answerTable:
|
Membership |
Fees 2015 |
|
Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) |
€446.03 |
|
Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) |
€347.9 |
|
Law Society of Ireland |
€85 |
|
Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) |
€290.22 |
|
Association for Criminal Justice Research and Development Ltd (ACJRD) |
€155 |
|
Health & Social Care Professionals Council (CORU) |
€100 |
|
Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) Training Ltd |
€250.52 |
|
Institute of Public Administration (IPA) |
€4000 |
|
Data Protection Commissioner |
€430 |
|
British Association for the Study and Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect – (BASPCAN) National Office |
€362.38 |
|
Survey Monkey |
€300 |
|
The Institute of Certified Public Accountants (CPA) |
€544 |
|
Irish Association of Social Workers (IASW) |
€170 |
|
Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD) |
€267.41 |
|
IRN Publishing |
€773.90 |
526. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of annual subscriptions to newspapers or magazines his Department has including the cost and details. [46739/15]
View answerNewspapers and Magazines are not directly subscribed to by my Department, they are purchased from a distribution company.
The current order as below, is Monday to Friday (no weekend or public/bank holiday papers) so quantity purchased can vary each month.
|
Publication |
No. Purchased |
|
Irish Times |
2 per day |
|
Irish Independent |
2 per day |
|
The Examiner |
2 per day |
|
The Star |
2 per day |
|
The Sun |
2 per day |
|
Daily Mirror |
2 per day |
|
The Herald |
2 per day |
|
Daily Mail |
2 per day |
|
The Phoenix |
8 per month |
|
The Economist |
4 per month |
|
Farmers Journal |
4 per month |
The amount paid in 2015* was €3037.45. (To end November - Invoice for December to be received)
My Department also uses the services of a media/press cuttings service. The cost of this service in 2015* was €19,499.85 (To end November - Invoice for December to be received)
My Department pays for access to the Irish Times Archive Service.
Amount paid for 2015/2016 - €384.01.
A statutory fee is paid by my Department to Newspaper Licensing Ireland (NLI) Ltd. to legally access, use and share articles and content from a range of national and regional newspapers, magazines and international publications. This fee was €1,538.60 for 2015.
527. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the annual cost to his Department of advertisements placed on its behalf in newspapers, magazines, television and radio, and social media. [46740/15]
View answerThe Department of Children and Youth Affairs website is the primary resource in providing information for use by the public and an essential communications tool for my Department.
My Department occasionally uses free tools e.g. Twitter and YouTube, to communicate with the public.
On occasion, my Department may provide public information through other media e.g. electronic, broadcast and print media where a requirement for alternative platforms of information is required.
In 2015 my Department spent the following on advertising as referred to in the question.
€60,977.44 spent in relation to public radio and print media advertisements re the establishment of the Commission of Investigation (Mother & Baby Homes and Certain Related Matters)
€6279.15 in total spent with regard to Department advertisements in the State Directory; Golden Pages phone books & website; and eircom phone books for 2015/2016.
528. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if a grant or funding is available to assist an organisation (details supplied). [46886/15]
View answerA capital grant funding scheme for play and recreation was introduced in 2013 to provide capital funding to support new and existing play and recreation facilities for children and young people. The total amount of funding made available each year is €250,000. A maximum grant of €20,000 is allocated to each Local Authority. Applications are invited through the membership of the Local Authority Play and Recreation Network for projects which provide:
- New and innovative play and recreation spaces and facilities (New and innovative projects can include new facilities, equipment, designs and/or the utilisation of non-traditional play spaces)
- Refurbishment or upgrading of existing play and recreation spaces and facilities
I strongly support the ideal of all children having access to play facilities. Accessibility and safety are key criteria for funding under my Department's Capital Grant Scheme for Play and Recreation. The relevant criteria are:
A. All facilities and equipment funded under the DCYA Capital Grant Funding Scheme for Play and Recreation 2015 must be accessible to children and young people with special needs
B. All facilities and equipment funded under the DCYA Capital Grant Funding Scheme for Play and Recreation 2015 must be youth-friendly and safe
Unfortunately my Department does not have a mechanism to provide funding for play facilities other than through this Capital Grant Scheme.
We will continue to stipulate, however, that all facilities funded under the DCYA Capital Grant Funding Scheme for Play and Recreation are accessible to all children.
529. Deputy Anne Ferris asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the safeguards that exist within his Department to ensure that no bias, either subjective or objective, is allowed to taint decisions around legislative drafting and prioritisation, including for example, procedures to ensure that no person who is profoundly adverse to the idea of providing identifying information to adopted persons is able to influence the ongoing and unacceptable delay in bringing the adoption information and tracing Bill to final stages, to the point that this legislation which is so important for so many persons is now at grave risk of not being enacted; the steps he is taking to ensure that the legislation will be brought to Dáil Éireann before the election is announced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46891/15]
View answerThe Government approved the publication of the General Scheme and Heads of the Adoption (Information and Tracing) Bill 2015 last July. The Bill is intended to facilitate access to adoption information and operates on the basis of a presumption in favour of disclosing information in so far as is legally and constitutionally possible. The Bill will, for the first time, provide a statutory basis for the provision of information related to both past and future adoptions. It will provide clarity around the information that can be provided and the circumstances in which it can be provided.
I referred the General Scheme and Heads of the Bill to the Joint Oireachtas Committee for Health and Children for pre legislative scrutiny and the Committee published its Report in November last. Following consideration of the Report, I approved a revised scheme amending the previous suite of measures that were put in place to balance the right to identity of the adopted person with the right of the birth parent to privacy and to be let alone.
The Government approved the drafting of this Bill on the basis of the published General Scheme and Heads of Bill, subject to any further changes agreed between the Attorney General and the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, taking account of the Report of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children on the Pre-Legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme and Heads of the Bill.
I have sought legal advice on the constitutionality of the revised proposals developed on foot of consideration of the recommendations of the Report of Joint Oireachtas Committee for Health and Children. Following receipt of these advices, amendments to the Heads and General Scheme of the Bill will be made and the Office of Parliamentary Council will be requested to draft a Bill. I have stated previously that the development of this legislation has been challenging on the basis of the complexity of the constitutional issues involved. However I can assure the Deputy that that this matter has been prioritised in my Department's work programme and that it is being progressed within my Department as quickly as possible.
530. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs his plans to extend the community childcare subvention scheme to private crèches before September 2016 in areas where there is no community crèche within 3.2 km. of the existing private crèche to ensure universal access to this scheme to all parents; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1023/16]
View answerBudget 2016 makes provision for additional childcare places under the Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) programme which provides affordable childcare for low income families. Based on current take up and expenditure, it is estimated that the additional €16 million in funding will provide for a further 3,200 full-time equivalent childcare places or about 8,000 children each year.
These new childcare places will be available through community/not-for-profit childcare providers and, for the first time, through private childcare providers. It is envisaged that these places will be targeted at private providers in areas with identified need and where no community/not-for-profit providers are available. My Department will be working closely with the local City and County Childcare Committees and Pobal to identify areas of need.
531. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the schemes in place to fund family centres and preschool and afterschool services in disadvantaged communities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1025/16]
View answerIn relation to family centres, Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, provides services and support to local communities through its Family and Community Services Resource Centre (FRC) Programme. Tusla provides core funding to its established network of 107 Family Support Centres nationwide, and two outreach Centres.
The FRC programme is Ireland’s largest family support programme delivering universal services to families in disadvantaged areas across the country based on a life-cycle approach. The aim of the FRC programme is to combat disadvantage and improve the functioning of the family unit. Each FRC operates autonomously working inclusively with individuals, families, communities, and both statutory and non-statutory agencies. The programme emphasises involving local communities in tackling the problems they face, and creating successful partnerships between voluntary and statutory agencies at community level.
Tusla allocated €13.09m in 2015 to support these Centres around the country, and will continue to fund this programme in 2016.
In relation to pre-school and after school services, the Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) programme provides funding to community childcare services to enable them to provide quality childcare, including after-school care, at reduced rates to disadvantaged and low income working parents. While these community services are generally located in disadvantaged areas, all parents that satisfy the eligibility criteria and who are enrolled in a participating community service are eligible to apply for subvention support.
In addition to the CCS programme there are a range of programmes implemented by my Department to assist qualifying parents to access quality and affordable after-school childcare. These include:
- The After-School Childcare (ASCC) programme that provides after-school care for primary school children of eligible parents for a period of 52 weeks. Eligibility for the programme is determined by the Department of Social Protection.
- The Community Employment Childcare (CEC) programme, which is targeted specifically at participants in the Community Employment (CE) schemes operated by the Department of Social Protection. Eligibility for the CEC programme is determined by the Department of Social Protection.
- The Childcare Education and Training Support (CETS) programme, which provides childcare places, including part-time and after-school places, to qualifying Solas or Education and Training Boards (ETB) trainees or students for the duration of their courses. Eligibility for the CETS programme is determined by the Department of Education and Skills.
- The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme is a free and universal programme to which all children have access. The objective of the programme is to make early learning in a formal setting available to eligible children before they commence primary school.
The total funding provided by my Department to support these programmes in 2016 is €345 million, an increase of €85 million from 2015.
