Written Answers Nos. 217-223
217. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the projected number of extra jobs targeted in each nomenclature of units for territorial statistics 3 region by 2020, by year, in tabular form, as envisaged under the programme for Government; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11149/16]
View answerThe Programme for Partnership Government provides, inter alia, that the ultimate goal of the Government will be to deliver sustainable full employment by 2020. In this context, the Government is committed to the implementation of the Regional Action Plans for Jobs, with local input, to help spread growth to all areas. The Regional Action Plan initiative brings the different stakeholders in each of the 8 NUTS III regions together to identify a range of innovative and practical actions, to be taken across a range of Departments and agencies, with clear timelines for delivery over the period 2015 – 2017. The plans will be monitored and driven in each region by Implementation Committees, comprising representatives from the Enterprise Sector, as well as the Local Authorities, Enterprise Agencies, and other public bodies in the region. Collaboration between the private and the public sector has been a core element in each plan’s development, and will be central to each plan’s delivery.
A key objective of the plans is to have a further 10 to 15 per cent at work in each region by 2020, with the aim of having the unemployment rate of each region within one per cent of the national average.
The targets for additional jobs to be created in each of the 8 NUTS III regions are included in each plan and are set out in the table.
Achieving these ambitious targets at regional level will require a renewed focus on building on regional strengths, assets and areas of competitive advantage to develop the attractive and competitive environments for business to start, grow and succeed on international markets and to attract inward investment.
|
Region |
Published Regional APJ targets by 2020 |
|
North East/North West |
28,000 |
|
Midland |
14,000 |
|
West |
25,000 |
|
Dublin |
66,000 |
|
Mid-East |
25,000 |
|
Mid-West |
23,000 |
|
South-East |
25,000 |
|
South-West |
40,000 |
|
State Total |
246,000 |
218. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the starting period from which the job targets projected up until 2020 will commence as envisaged under the programme for Government; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11153/16]
View answerIreland’s return to economic growth has demonstrated our ability, through concerted efforts across Government to focus actions on those areas that help to create jobs. We have made substantial progress since the Action Plan for Jobs process was first introduced in 2012. We can point to the considerable strides made with 1.9 million people at work today (QNHS Q4 2015) and an unemployment rate down to 8.4 percent in April 2016.
Yet, we still have some way to go.
The Programme for Government sets out a target to create an additional 200,000 jobs over the period 2016 to 2020, informed by our statement on enterprise policy, Enterprise 2025, which set out Ireland’s potential across a number of key metrics. Achieving our ambition for sustainable job growth will require a continued cross government focus on addressing the challenges and realising the ambition set out in Enterprise 2025.
To deliver on this ambitious target, in the Programme for Government we commit to maintaining the OECD endorsed Action Plan for Jobs (APJ) Process that will set out, on an annual basis, the best ideas for job creation within available resources. Building on this process, we will also implement regional jobs plans, with local input, to help spread growth to all areas. Our aim is for an unemployment rate in each region that is within one percent of the State average by 2020.
The focus on job creation is a government wide agenda, and it involves:
- One: a focus on achieving a leap forward in the capacity and the performance of enterprises based here/ and in attracting further investment : we will put in place an extra €500 million in capital funding to accelerate export led jobs growth across Ireland’s regions;
- Two: focusing investments in areas where Ireland can differentiate itself internationally – specifically Talent (education & Skills); Place-making (attractive places to live and work); Innovation (continuing to invest and stimulating increased RD&I activity by enterprises) and being Connected (including through our trade and investment linkages, collaborations and clustering): among other initiatives, we will double the number of apprenticeships by 2020 and promote creativity and entrepreneurial capacity in students; increase the capital budget for local and regional roads by 50 percent in the years ahead as the national finances are repaired; and
- Three: excelling on getting the fundamentals right in terms of finance, cost competitiveness, tax environment and economic infrastructures. The Programme for Government commits to introducing tax incentives to support our entrepreneurs and job creators, including further reducing Capital Gains Tax for new start-ups, and increasing the earned income tax credit for the self-employed. We will maintain a focus on protecting our national competitiveness from unsustainable cost growth.
Only a strong economy supporting people at work can pay for the services needed to create a fair society. It is entrepreneurs and businesses that create jobs. Our aim is to provide a supportive environment for enterprise and employment and to ensure that we deliver on our ambition for more inclusive prosperity. The focus on sustainable job creation requires continued and concerted efforts as Ireland operates in an intensely competitive global environment.
Our employment targets are ambitious, but achievable. It is our ambition that the benefits of recovery will be experienced throughout the country.
219. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the action she has taken to protect jobs in a company (details supplied) since the appointment of an examiner to it; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11154/16]
View answerExaminership is a process by which a company is placed under the protection of the court for a period of time during which all claims against it are, for the most part, frozen and during which the company’s difficulties are investigated and a survival scheme is formulated. The purpose of an examinership is to facilitate the survival of the company and the whole or part of its undertaking as a going concern. Examinership allows some breathing space for potentially viable but ailing companies. The main advantage of examinership is the court protection afforded to the company from any actions brought by larger creditors to the detriment of all, including employees. The process involves the appointment of an examiner who will then consider various “rescue plans” (such as restructuring) designed to get the company back on its feet. During an examinership (a period that lasts 70 days but can be extended to 100 days) a company continues to trade and operate as usual.
As the company concerned is under the protection of the Court it would be inappropriate for me to comment further.
220. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the financial resources she will provide under the school completion strategy; the funding allocated to approve school completion rates over each of the past six years, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11044/16]
View answerThe School Completion Programme aims to retain young people in the formal education system to completion of senior cycle and to generally improve the school attendance, participation and retention of young people who are risk of educational disadvantage. The programme is a targeted intervention aimed at school communities identified through the Department of Education and Skills’ DEIS Action Plan for Educational Inclusion. It provides targeted supports annually to approximately 37,000 children.
Since 1st January 2014, Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, under the remit of my Department, has operational responsibility for the School Completion Programme, including the allocation of funds to local projects. A review of the programme was undertaken by the Economic and Social Research Institute on behalf of Tusla and published in October 2015. Tusla has taken a number of actions to address the findings in the review and to strengthen the operation of the programme for the future.
Improving attendance and participation in education, particularly for vulnerable children, is an important priority for me as Minister for Children and Youth Affairs. The Programme for Government commits to publishing a new School Completion Strategy to further improve school completion rates, particularly in disadvantaged areas. I and my Department will work closely with the Minister for Education and Skills, in developing the new Strategy and in the context of the Government programme commitment to a new Action Plan for Educational Inclusion to secure good educational outcomes for all children, especially those at risk of educational disadvantage.
The detailed information, requested by the Deputy, about the funding allocations for the School Completion Programme in the past six years is as follows:
|
2016 |
€24.756m |
|
2015 |
€24.756m |
|
2014 |
€24.756m |
|
2013 |
€26.456m |
|
2012 |
€28.256m |
|
2011 |
€30.258m |
|
2010 |
€31m |
221. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she will accommodate the extra preschool year in full in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11129/16]
View answerIn Budget 2016, my Department announced a significant expansion to pre-school provision under the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme. This measure, which will be introduced from September 2016, means that children will be eligible to start free pre-school when they reach the age of 3, and continue to avail of free pre-school until they start primary school (once the child is not older than 5½ years at the end of the pre-school year i.e. end June). Following the introduction of the expanded programme there will be three opportunities each year - in September, January and April - for eligible children to enrol for the free pre-school provision. This will ensure that children aged 3 or over have the opportunity to enrol as soon as possible after their third birthday.
The expansion of the ECCE programme will see the number of children benefitting from the Programme rise from around 67,000 to around 127,000 in a given programme year. For the 2016/17 programme year, it is estimated that 89,500 children will be eligible to enrol in the Programme from September 2016, an additional 22,000 from January 2017 and a further 15,500 from April 2017.
My Department made detailed information available to the City and County Childcare Committees (CCCs), including Kildare CCC, at the beginning of this year indicating the number of children, by every electoral division across the country, who would be eligible for an ECCE place in September 2016, January 2017 and April 2017. My Department continues to work closely with the City and County Childcare Committees to match this data against their reported capacity in the sector to meet the increase in demand. This exercise is almost complete. Where any capacity issues are found, I will be asking the relevant City / County Childcare Committee to work intensively with my Department to resolve the issue.
The Department announced earlier this year the introduction of an Early Years Capital Programme 2016 with total funding of €4 million available. This funding was targeted at early years pre-school providers that are making alterations to their services to accommodate the increased numbers of children eligible for the free pre-school provision following the decision to expand the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme. The maximum grant available under this programme is €10,000. The closing date for applications was 8 April, 2016.
222. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the status of an application under the early years capital grant 2016 (details supplied) including when she will make a decision on it; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11014/16]
View answerCapital funding of €4 million is being made available through the Early Years Capital Programme in 2016 for early years pre-school services, both private and not-for-profit/community, that are intending to expand their service to provide for more capacity in the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme. The maximum grant available under this programme is €10,000. The closing date for applications was 8 April, 2016.
Pobal is responsible for the administration of this funding scheme on behalf of my Department. I have been advised by Pobal that an appraisal process is underway and that recommendations for approval of funding, in line with the published criteria, will be with my Department by early June. The award of funding will be based partially on evidence of current need and/or projected future demand for additional ECCE places in 2016/2017 in the catchment area of each applying service. The relevant City/County Childcare Committee will assist Pobal with demand versus supply data. Value for money is also an awarding criteria and the costs-grant requested relative to the number of ECCE places being created will be taken into account when evaluating grant applications.
I have been advised by Pobal that an application from Doodlebugs Creche & Montessori has been received and that it is currently in the appraisal process.
Grant agreements will be issued to successful applicants in July 2016. The date by which a service's grant and own funds must be fully spent and reported to Pobal is 31st December 2016.
223. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the funding available for the provision of special needs assistants under the early childhood care and education scheme for the upcoming term beginning in September, 2016; the number of additional posts that have been funded; the timeframe for recruitment of the posts; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11047/16]
View answerIn November 2015, a new model for supporting children with a disability to access the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme was launched. The Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) is a cross-Government initiative, led by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, and involving the Department of Health, the Department of Education and Skills and others. The model will deliver seven levels of progressive support, moving from the universal to the targeted, to enable the full inclusion and meaningful participation of children with disabilities in the ECCE programme. These are:
Level 1 -An Inclusive Culture: includes training dedicated Inclusion Co-ordinators in pre-schools, and a small capitation increase for particular childcare services to support fully inclusive practice;
Level 2 - Information for Parents and Providers: includes development of a national website and information packs for parents and providers;
Level 3 - A Qualified and Confident Workforce: resourcing formal and informal training for early years practitioners to support more inclusive provision;
Level 4 - Expert Educational Advice & Support: enhancing the Better Start Early Years Specialist Service so that practitioners have prompt access to advice and support from experts in early years education for children with disabilities;
Level 5 - Equipment, Appliances and Minor Alterations: the provision of specialised equipment, appliances or capital grants towards the cost of minor building alterations so that children with disabilities can participate in pre-school;
Level 6 - Therapeutic Intervention: additional resources to enable access to HSE therapeutic services, where these are needed to allow a child enrol, and fully participate in, pre-school.
Level 7 - Additional Assistance: where the supports available at levels 1-6 are not sufficient to meet a child’s needs, additional capitation can be made available to childcare providers to support the pre-school leader to ensure children’s full participation. This could include, for example, buying in additional support, or, in particular circumstances, reducing the staff:child ratio.
Work is well advanced across many elements of the model with a view to introducing the initiative from September 2016. It is intended that service providers and parents will be able to submit applications for supports under the new model from June 2016 onwards to allow them to plan for pre-school enrolment in September 2016 and to ensure that children will begin to benefit from these measures from that point forward.
Funding of €14.35 million has been provided by my Department for the implementation of the scheme in 2016. The model will build incrementally over a number of years with full implementation costs in 2020 estimated at almost €40 million.
Finally, the Deputy has asked specifically about funding for the provision of Special Needs Assistants. The model does not involve the provision of special needs assistants and the Department of Children and Youth Affairs does not fund such services. The HSE does, on an ad hoc basis, make some supports available and it is expected that these arrangements will continue until the new model has been established.
