Written Answers Nos. 456-469
456. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs to outline the way in which families can access play therapy for their children through the public system; the criteria to access such a service; if there is a waiting time for access to this service; the way in which homeless children can access this service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51966/17]
View answerTusla, the Child and Family Agency provides a range of services to children experiencing a wide variety of social, emotional, and behavioural problems. Play therapy is an important element of service provision, both in order to assess the needs of children, and to determine the care and supports required in each case.
I have asked Tusla to provide the information requested directly to the Deputy.
457. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs to set out the funding provided by her Department to each member of a group (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51431/17]
View answerDetails of the funding provided by my Department to the members of the group and the nature of the disbursements in each of the past two years are set out in the following table:
|
- |
2015 |
2016 |
Purpose of payments |
|
BeLong To |
€199,585 |
€189,484 |
Provision of youth services |
|
ICTU (Irish Congress of Trade Unions) |
€6,925 |
€7,098 |
Youth Officer Grant Funding |
458. Deputy Tom Neville asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she will address a matter regarding an additional preschool year for a child (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51619/17]
View answerOverage exemptions were introduced at the onset of the ECCE programme, at that time only operated for a 38 week period, or one programme year. For some children with special/additional needs, attending preschool five days a week was not feasible and so therefore an allowance was made. Their ECCE place was split over 2 years, e.g. a child may have availed of 3 days ECCE provision in year one and 2 days in year 2. In order to facilitate this, in the cases where the child would have been overage for ECCE in the latter year, an overage exemption was approved. This provision of an overage exemption by the DCYA for the ECCE programme was never intended as a mechanism to delay a child’s entry to primary education.
Given the extension of the ECCE programme in 2016/2017, the further extension of the Programme to two full years from September 2018, and the introduction of AIM in June 2016, it is clear that the initial premise for provision of an overage exemption from the upper age limit for the ECCE programme is no longer valid.
AIM is a model of supports designed to ensure that children with disabilities can access the early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme. The AIM Early Years Specialists will work with the parents (and guardians), providers, Special Education Needs Organisers (SENOs) and others (as appropriate) to support the child’s transition to primary school. On this basis, no applications for overage exemptions will be accepted for the ECCE programme from the 2018/2019 Programme Year. Any concerns with regard to a child's transition to primary school should be referred to the Better Start Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) application process.
Parents, guardians and providers are advised to engage with the AIM process where a concern in relations to a child's transition to primary school is identified. More detailed information on AIM can be found at www.preschoolaccess.ie.
The Department of Education and Skill (DES) also provides for the education of children with special educational needs through a number of support mechanisms, depending on the child's assessed disability.
459. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if correspondence from a group (details supplied) in County Donegal in which a number of concerns are outlined with respect to paediatric diabetes services in the county has been received; if a reply has issued to this correspondence; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51843/17]
View answerI can inform the Deputy that I have received the correspondence in question. I replied to the person concerned. The contents have been noted but the subject in question is for the Department of Health. I have forwarded the correspondence to Minister Simon Harris TD, Minister for Health, for his appropriate attention and direct reply.
460. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs to set out the number of freedom of information requests received by her Department to date in 2017; the number fully or partially granted; and the number refused. [51846/17]
View answerThe number of Freedom of Information Requests that were received in 2017 is 87.
|
Granted |
28 |
|
Part Granted |
36 |
|
Refused |
14 |
|
Withdrawn |
3 |
|
Pending |
6 |
461. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs to set out in tabular form the number of freedom of information requests received by her Department to date in 2017; the number of which the period of consideration was completed within four weeks of the receipt of the request; and the number of which the period of consideration was extended by up to four weeks in view of the fact that the necessary resources to complete the request within the original timeframe were not available. [51863/17]
View answerThe number of Freedom of Information requests received so far in 2017 is 87. In a small number of cases a decision would issue shortly after the due date for response.
A time extension of up to 4 weeks under Section 14(1) of the FOI Act 2014 was sought in only 1 case due to volume of records involved.
462. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs further to Parliamentary Question No. 49 of 28 November 2017 to indicate the date on which she plans to publish the report; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51946/17]
View answerI propose to bring the Expert Technical Group report to cabinet next week and, with the agreement of Government, publish the report shortly thereafter.
463. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs to set out in tabular form the net number of social workers hired each year since 2011 to date in 2017. [52059/17]
View answerI have asked my officials to forward the question to Tusla so that they can correspond with you directly on this matter.
464. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs to set out in tabular form the targets that Tusla has set for the hiring of additional social workers in each year since 2014 to date in 2017. [52062/17]
View answerI have asked my officials to forward the question to Tusla so that they can correspond with you directly on this matter.
465. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development to set out the funding provided by his Department to each member of a group (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51443/17]
View answerI assume the Deputy is referring to funding provided in 2017. However where allocations relate to multi-annual funding, these figures are given. Please see the following tables.
|
Scheme of Supports for National Organisations in the C&V Sector (SSNO) Funding Programme |
Period |
Amount € |
|
National Women’s Council of Irl. |
2016-2019 |
270,000 |
|
BelongTo |
2016-2019 |
269,990 |
|
Rape Crisis Network Ireland |
2016-2019 |
269,990 |
|
Social Partners Funding |
Period |
Amount € |
|
National Women’s Council of Ireland |
2015-2017 |
56,520 |
|
Social Inclusion and Communities Unit Funding |
Period |
Amount € |
|
Community Work Ireland |
2017 |
6,000 |
466. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development to outline his plans for future local improvement scheme funding of lanes in County Wexford; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51468/17]
View answerMy Department wrote to Local Authorities last August to establish the level of demand for a Local Improvement Scheme (LIS) this year. The LIS is a nation-wide scheme that supports improvement works on private and non-public roads. The Local Authorities were advised that any requests for funds would be subject to their capacity to complete any proposed works in 2017, and the availability of funding.
I announced the provision of €10 million for a Local Improvement Scheme (LIS) on the 21st September and subsequently announced an additional €7.4 million to this scheme on the 27th November.
As part of this process Wexford County Council submitted a list of potential works with a value of €542,151 under the first round of the LIS Scheme. Wexford was allocated €360,000 in Round 1 in September, and a further €134,493 in Round 2 in November, giving a total allocation of €494,493.
It is a matter for the Local Authorities to determine which roads they wish to prioritise from the funding allocated to them from the lists submitted as part of the funding process.
€10 million has been allocated for a Local Improvement Scheme in my Department's Estimate for 2018 and details regarding the operation of the scheme will be made available early in the New Year. The budgetary allocations for 2018 are provisional and subject to the publication of the Revised Estimates Volume for Public Services.
467. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if funding will be provided to County Laois for a service (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51489/17]
View answerMy Department’s Community & Voluntary Supports & Programmes provide a cohesive framework of support for the community and voluntary sector. €3.5m was provided in 2017 under this programme to support 21 Volunteer Centres, 8 Volunteer Information Services (VISs) and a number of national volunteer-supporting organisations, such as Volunteer Ireland. Each VIS, including Laois, was allocated some €11,000 in 2017 for the service it provided.
Volunteer Centres maintain their own premises, are responsible for all their overheads, engage a minimum of at least two full time employees, facilitate a drop in service for potential volunteers, and carry out a host of functions associated with Volunteering e.g. training courses, seminars, volunteer evenings, workshops.
Volunteer Information Services provide a valuable service in the promotion of volunteering in areas not covered by a Volunteer Centre. They act as a catalyst to encourage volunteering amongst all age groups and also act as a conduit to match suitable volunteers with host organisations. While the aims of the Volunteering Information Services are the same as Volunteer Centres, the difference between the two is that, in the case of Volunteer Information Services, the majority are hosted within local development companies, and supports are offered by means of a website or webpage.
It is envisaged that the level of funding available under this programme in 2018 for Volunteer Centres and Volunteer Information Services will, as far as practical, continue to reflect the costs associated with running the service provided by both types of organisations.
468. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development to outline the process to qualify for charitable status; the timeframe for such applications; the number of applications received in the past three years; the number of applications approved; if there is sufficient staff in the section to deal with applications in a timely fashion; the status of an application (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51526/17]
View answerI am assuming the Deputy is referring to the registration process administered by the Charities Regulator as distinct from the granting of charitable tax status for the purposes of the tax code. The latter is administered by the Revenue Commissioners and my Department has no function in that scheme.
Section 39 of the Charities Act 2009, provides the regulatory basis for organisations to register with the Charities Regulator. In order to apply for charitable status an organisation must provide evidence that it:
- Operates in the Republic of Ireland
- Exists for a charitable purpose(s) as set out in the Charities Act 2009,
- Promotes this charitable purpose(s) only,
- Carries out all activities to further this charitable purpose,
- Exists to benefit the public or a section of the public in Ireland, or elsewhere, through its charitable purpose(s), and
- Is not an excluded body.
Applications are made to the Regulator by way of an online form. Applicants must provide a constitution, details of all addresses it operates from, safeguarding and risk assessment policies (as appropriate), details of bank accounts, details of how it intends to raise funds and use those funds on charitable activities, details of proposed persons who will be responsible for the affairs of the organisation and financial and accounting information. When an application is submitted it is processed by way of a completeness check to ensure that all the required information has been provided by the applicant. Once it is deemed full and complete, the next stage is an assessment of the application by a case officer. A recommendation by a case officer will proceed for decision by the Chief Executive Officer. My Department is advised that the current average time for a decision from submission of all relevant information is approximately six months but can be less or more depending on the complexity of the application and the responsiveness of the applicant to any queries raised.
The Charities Regulator commenced its functions from a standing start in October 2014, since then the Regulator has received applications as follows:
|
Status |
To End 2016 |
2017 |
Totals |
|
Applications Deemed Complete |
331 |
546 |
877 |
|
Awarded Charitable Status |
64 |
307 |
371 |
The Charities Regulator has also awarded Charitable Status to 1,372 schools (1,352 in 2017).
I am advised that the Regulator has recently increased staffing in this area to 6 case officers (from three) with a resulting increase in cases awarded. It is expected that this trend will increase in 2018 with the launch of a new digital platform, a simplified application system for small community and voluntary organisations and the publication of guidance which will assist applicants. I am satisfied that the Regulator has been provided with sufficient resources to execute its regulatory function.
Pursuant to the Charities Act 2009 the Charities Regulator is required to be independent in the performance of its functions. I am advised that it is the policy of the Charities Regulator not to comment in relation to specific applications for registration or any pre-investigation work because to divulge information to a third party could prejudice a future decision.
469. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development to set out the funding provided in his Department's Estimate for 2017 for the rural recreational scheme, the CLÁR programme, the town and village renewal scheme and the rural economic development zone initiative; the expenditure incurred under each scheme to date in 2017; the projected expenditure in each scheme before the end of 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51765/17]
View answerMy Department delivers a variety of schemes that support the sustainable development of rural communities in line with commitments in the Programme for Government and the Action Plan for Rural Development. These include the Town and Village Renewal Scheme, the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme, and the CLÁR Programme.
The following table details the budget allocations and expenditure for Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (also referred to as the "Rural Recreation Scheme"), the CLÁR programme, and the Town and Village Renewal Scheme. The REDZ scheme was not delivered as a stand-alone-scheme in 2017. However, the 2017 Town and Village Renewal Scheme includes components of the REDZ approach, to encourage cooperation between towns and their outlying areas, or between towns in close proximity.
In addition to the schemes listed on the following table, I have also allocated €10.7 million to the Local Improvement Scheme, as well as funding to other rural development initiatives such as the Walks Scheme, the Tidy Towns competition and support for Agricultural shows.
|
Scheme |
Budget 2017 |
Expenditure as at 1st December 2017 |
Projected Out Turn 2017 |
|
Town and Village |
€12,000,000 |
€442,120 |
€882,120 |
|
Outdoor Rural Recreation |
€6,283,000 |
€2,124,977 |
€2,264,977 |
|
CLÁR |
€5,100,000 |
€3,840,685 |
€4,040,685 |
|
REDZ |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
