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Tuesday, 7 Jul 2020

Written Answers Nos. 575-594

National Lottery Funding

Questions (575)

Emer Higgins

Question:

575. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the amount made available to organisations through national lottery funding during the first year his Department provided such funding; the amount that will be made available to organisations through National Lottery funding in 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13774/20]

View answer

Written answers

The Department of Children and Youth Affairs operated a discretionary National Lottery Funding Scheme some years ago in which grants were allocated to community groups and programmes to support children, young people and families. The scheme closed in 2014.

However, my Department currently has resource provisions for Youth Programmes and Services which are allocated under a distinct Subhead which is “part-funded by the National Lottery”. Under this arrangement the dedicated resource allocation contains a combination of Exchequer and National Lottery funding.

It is not possible, however, for my Department to differentiate between the value of the Exchequer and National Lottery components of the funding resource. It is also therefore not possible to give the Deputy a breakdown by year as requested.

Early Childhood Care and Education

Questions (576)

Paul McAuliffe

Question:

576. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if ECCE, early childhood care and education, funding will be reinstated in July and August 2020 to allow childcare providers to make up for lost time. [13791/20]

View answer

Written answers

The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme is a universal two-year pre-school programme available to all children within the eligible age range. The programme is provided for three hours per day, five days per week over 38 weeks per year. The programme year runs from September to June each year, and is aligned with the primary school calendar.

The 2019/20 ECCE programme year is now closed, and I do not propose reopening the programme in July and August.

Details of the 2020/21 ECCE Programme will be released in the coming weeks.

Childcare Costs

Questions (577)

Claire Kerrane

Question:

577. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he has examined reducing childcare costs for parents in cases in which children are sent home from the childcare setting if they may have symptoms (details supplied) in view of the fact that this is likely to happen more often in view of the precautions against Covid-19; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13845/20]

View answer

Written answers

Early learning and care services are provided by private enterprises, either privately owned or operated by community organisations. Services are contracted by my Department to provide services at a subsidised rate to parents.

Where a child is absent from a service, my Department continues to pay subvention for that child for a period of four weeks, which can be increased to 12 weeks in the case of certified illness of the child or parent.

Parents enter into contracts with the service provider for the delivery of childcare services to their child, and it is for parents and providers to agree the policy for charging parental fees in the case of absence of the child, for illness and other reasons.

Covid-19 Pandemic Supports

Questions (578)

Claire Kerrane

Question:

578. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if childcare providers have to provide childcare five days per week in order to qualify for the new funding package to support them reopening post-Covid-19; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13846/20]

View answer

Written answers

Early learning and care services which reopen in the summer months do not need to provide services on five days a week to avail of supports under the Government's €75million support package for the childcare sector, including the €14.2million Covid Capital grant and the continuation of the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme However services which reopen for a minimum period of time over the summer months may get an increase Reopening Support Payment (RSP) if they are open on a full time basis. The total value of the RSP is €18million.

Enhanced RSP is worth twice as much as standard RSP and is available to all services who operate for more than 5 hours per day, 5 days per week, for 6 of the 8 weeks between 29 June and 23 August 2020, with at least one child who is registered on a Department funded scheme attending regularly during that period.

Standard RSP is available for all other services that open for 6 of the 16 weeks between 29 June and 16 October 2020, with at least one child who is registered on a Department funded scheme attending regularly during that period.

The value of the Reopening Support Payment grants is set out in the following table:

Number of DCYA registered children in each service

Enhanced payment

Standard payment

1-11

€2,000

€1,000

12-40

€4,000

€2,000

41-100

€7,000

€3,500

100+

€10,000

€5,000

IN addition to the Reopening Support Payment.

Early Childhood Care and Education

Questions (579)

Dara Calleary

Question:

579. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs further to Parliamentary Question No. 1096 of 13 May 2020, if an exception will be made for a child (details supplied) in County Mayo to allow them to avail of their entitlement of two years ECCE, early childhood care and education; if the supporting documentation in the form of medical evidence was examined; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13850/20]

View answer

Written answers

Officials from my Department have reviewed the appeal referred to by the Deputy, having regard to the eligibility criteria for the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) scheme. An overage exemption has been approved, due to the exceptional circumstances of the case.

This decision has been communicated to the parents of the child referred to.

Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries

Questions (580)

Patrick Costello

Question:

580. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the cost to date of the Commission of Inquiry into Mother and Baby Homes and certain related matters; and the cost of the collaborative forum and the homes institutions represented at same. [13861/20]

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Written answers

The Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters was established by Government on 17th February 2015 (S.I. No. 57 of 2015). In establishing the Commission, the Government noted that the investigation and associated additional demands on the Department of Children and Youth Affairs were estimated to cost €21.5m, exclusive of third party legal costs.

Since its establishment, expenditure of approximately €10.87m has been incurred (to mid June 2020) to support salaries, fees and other operational costs relating to the work of the independent Commission and its engagement with former residents and other witnesses.

Year

Commission Expenditure

2020*

€0.8m

2019

€2.22m

2018

€2.25m

2017

€2.1m

2016

€2m

2015

€1.5m

*16 June 2020

In addition, the Department has also directly incurred costs of approximately €2.42 million for the same period in supporting this work and responding to the Commission's interim reports. This includes the costs associated with the separate Collaborative Forum process to facilitate former residents of these institutions to engage on the issues of concern to them and their families. Costs for this process include an extensive public information campaign to support the call for expressions of interest from former residents, operational costs such as meeting facilities and participant travel, and external facilitation and related supports.

Grant Payments

Questions (581)

James Browne

Question:

581. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he will review the need to provide grants to new ECCE, early childhood care and education, preschool groups and afterschool facilities (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13868/20]

View answer

Written answers

My Department funds Tusla registered childcare services to provide both the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) and the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme to eligible children. New Tusla registered early learning and care and school age childcare services are eligible to participate in both ECCE and the NCS.

My Department funds the City and County Childcare Committees (CCCs) who offer a wide variety of services locally including, advice on setting up a childcare business, and support on applying for the various funding schemes administered by the Department. Contact details for all of the CCCs are available at myccc.ie.

Early Childhood Care and Education

Questions (582)

Jim O'Callaghan

Question:

582. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if an appeal submitted by the family of a person (details supplied) regarding the refusal of an application made for an overage exemption and extension to upper age limit for the ECCE, early childhood care and education, programme will be reviewed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13973/20]

View answer

Written answers

Officials from my Department have reviewed this appeal with regard to the eligibility criteria for the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) scheme. An overage exemption cannot be granted to the child referred to by the Deputy, as she has already completed two years of ECCE and if the child undertook an additional ECCE year she would be over the age of 6 years starting primary school. The Department has been advised by an expert group that it is in children's best interests to progress to primary school with their age cohort.

This decision has been communicated to the parents of the child and have been encouraged to make contact with the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) to ensure that adequate preparations are in place for their child to begin primary education in September 2020.

Childcare Services

Questions (583)

Seán Sherlock

Question:

583. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the supports available for healthcare workers who cannot avail of crèche places due to capacity demand. [13974/20]

View answer

Written answers

Early learning and care services providers who signed up to the Temporary Wage Subsidy Childcare Scheme (TWSCS) agreed that they would retain the place of each child who was registered with their service on 12 March 2020.

If capacity is limited when services reopen, they have been asked to prioritise the children of health care and other front-line workers, and vulnerable and disabled children, when allocating places.

If parents or guardians are having difficulty in accessing childcare, they should contact their local County Childcare Committees (CCCs), who will provide them with advice and support on accessing both centre based care and home based options, such as childminders. The contract details for all CCCs can be found on www.myccc.ie.

Children in Care

Questions (584)

Kathleen Funchion

Question:

584. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of children and young persons in a foster care placement, including kinship or relative foster care placements with other family members, by month in 2019 and to date in 2020. [13988/20]

View answer

Written answers

The Deputy is referring to an operational matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. I have therefore referred the matter to Tusla, and asked that a direct response be provided to the Deputy.I can advise the Deputy that Tusla has a Performance and Activity Reporting Site, which can be found at the following address: https://data.tusla.ie/ The site seeks to deliver on the Government Open Data Strategy 2017-2022 by making published performance and activity related data held by Tusla easily accessible in an online format while promoting innovation, research, analysis and transparency through the publication of Public Sector data.The data on Tusla's Performance and Activity Reporting Site is continuously updated and is available across the following five service categories:Child Protection and Welfare;Alternative Care and Adoption;Prevention, Partnership and Family Support;Tusla Education Support Service;Regulatory Services.

Children in Care

Questions (585)

Kathleen Funchion

Question:

585. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of foster carers registered with Tusla by month in 2019 and to date in 2020. [13989/20]

View answer

Written answers

The Deputy is referring to an operational matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. I have therefore referred the matter to Tusla, and asked that a direct response be provided to the Deputy.I can advise the Deputy that Tusla has a Performance and Activity Reporting Site, which can be found at the following address: https://data.tusla.ie/ The site seeks to deliver on the Government Open Data Strategy 2017-2022 by making published performance and activity related data held by Tusla easily accessible in an online format while promoting innovation, research, analysis and transparency through the publication of Public Sector data.The data on Tusla's Performance and Activity Reporting Site is continuously updated and is available across the following five service categories:Child Protection and Welfare;Alternative Care and Adoption;Prevention, Partnership and Family Support;Tusla Education Support Service;Regulatory Services.

Children in Care

Questions (586)

Kathleen Funchion

Question:

586. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of children and young persons subject to care orders and child protection orders by month in 2019 and to date in 2020.; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13990/20]

View answer

Written answers

The Deputy is referring to an operational matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. I have therefore referred the matter to Tusla, and asked that a direct response be provided to the Deputy.

Child Protection

Questions (587)

Kathleen Funchion

Question:

587. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of children and young persons referred to him due to concerns regarding abuse and neglect by month in 2019 and to date in 2020. [13991/20]

View answer

Written answers

The Deputy is referring to an operational matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. I have therefore referred the matter to Tusla, and asked that a direct response be provided to the Deputy.

Children in Care

Questions (588)

Kathleen Funchion

Question:

588. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of children and young persons who entered residential care and children’s homes by month in 2019 and to date in 2020. [13992/20]

View answer

Written answers

The Deputy is referring to an operational matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. I have therefore referred the matter to Tusla, and asked that a direct response be provided to the Deputy.

Asylum Seekers

Questions (589)

Kathleen Funchion

Question:

589. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of separated children seeking asylum; the number who live in foster placements; the number who live in supported accommodation; and the number who live in a residential unit such as a childrens' home by month in 2019 and to date in 2020. [13993/20]

View answer

Written answers

The Deputy is referring to an operational matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. I have therefore referred the matter to Tusla, and asked that a direct response be provided to the Deputy.

Children in Care

Questions (590)

Darren O'Rourke

Question:

590. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the estimated cost in 2021 if the foster care allowance of €325 per week per child aged under 12 years of age was increased to €340 and for children aged over 12 years of age increased from €352 per week per child to €377 per week per child. [14002/20]

View answer

Written answers

I wish to thank the Deputy for his question, and can confirm that I have referred the matter to Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, for their direct reply.

Programme for Government

Questions (591)

Seán Sherlock

Question:

591. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the costings carried out on the programme for Government; and if he will provide documents on those costings. [14024/20]

View answer

Written answers

The Department of an Taoiseach has published briefing material provided by Departments, including my Department, which were used in the context of the Programme for Government discussions.

The material supplied by my Department, which includes some detail on the costs of existing measures, is available at the link:

https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/7b927-programme-for-government-documents/#the-department-of-children-and-youth-affairs

No specific costings have been undertaken by my Department in respect of the Programme for Government. Funding provisions for all Government commitments across my Department’s brief will be considered in the context of the 2021 Budget and Revised Estimates process.

Consultancy Contracts

Questions (592, 593)

Carol Nolan

Question:

592. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the external consultancy organisation or provider which delivered diversity and inclusion training within his Department from 2018 to date; the costs associated with such services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14049/20]

View answer

Carol Nolan

Question:

593. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the external consultancy organisation or provider which delivered diversity and inclusion training within his Department from 2018 to date; the costs associated with such services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14051/20]

View answer

Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 592 and 593 together.

In relation to my Department, I can confirm to the Deputy that Think People Consulting has provided diversity and unconscious bias training and this training includes elements of inclusion training. From 2018 to date the cost associated with these services is €12,684.60 .

Departmental Legal Costs

Questions (594)

Carol Nolan

Question:

594. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the expenditure his Department incurred in respect of external legal fees in each of the years from 2016 to date in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14066/20]

View answer

Written answers

The information requested in relation to the expenditure incurred by my Department since 2016 towards the provision of external legal services is set out in the table below. These costs refer, in the main, to legal fees in respect of the Irish Youth Justice Service and the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes, with the exception of 2018, where costs relating to the Children Referendum arose. Certain costs incurred by the Irish Youth Justice Service include settlement fees. Legal fees as set out in the following table exclude any costs incurred directly by my Department's agencies.

Year

Cost (€)

2016

253,688

2017

288,598

2018

1,059,732

2019

614,731

2020 (ytd)

125,029

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