Written Answers Nos. 952-976
952. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the amount allocated in 2019, 2020 and 2021 to the provision of youth services; and the amount of this allocation that was drawn down for 2019 and 2020, in tabular form. [31172/21]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy is provided in the table below.
|
Youth Services |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
|
Allocation |
€60,395,000 |
€61,791,000 |
€66,789,000 |
|
Draw down |
€59,346,219 |
€60,969,311 |
N/A |
953. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the amount allocated in 2020 and 2021 on the UBU your place, your space programme; and the amount of this allocation that was drawn down for 2020, in tabular form. [31173/21]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy is provided in the table below.
|
UBU Your Place Your Space |
2020 |
2021 |
|
Allocation |
€18,926,335.50 |
€39,443,138 |
|
Draw down |
€18,926,335.50 |
N/A |
954. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the amount allocated in 2019, 2020 and 2021 on the youth services grant scheme; and the amount of this allocation that was drawn down for 2019 and 2020, in tabular form. [31174/21]
View answerThe amount allocated in 2019, 2020 and 2021 on the youth services grant scheme; and the amount of this allocation that was drawn down for 2019 and 2020 is provided below.
|
Youth Services Grant Scheme |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
|
Allocation |
€11,126,379 |
€11,563,368 |
€12,261,538 |
|
Draw down |
€11,126,379 |
€11,563,368 |
N/A |
955. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the amount allocated in 2019, 2020 and 2021 on the local youth club grant scheme; and the amount of this allocation that was drawn down for 2019 and 2020, in tabular form. [31175/21]
View answerThe amount allocated in 2019, 2020 and 2021 on the local youth club grant scheme; and the amount of this allocation that was drawn down for 2019 and 2020 is provided in the table below.
|
Local Youth Club Grant Scheme |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
|
Allocation |
€2,018,333.02 |
€2,107,754 |
€2,254,664 |
|
Draw down |
€2,018,333.02 |
€2,107,754 |
N/A |
956. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the amount allocated in 2019, 2020 and 2021 on youth information centres; and the amount of this allocation that was drawn down for 2019 and 2020, in tabular form. [31176/21]
View answerThe amount allocated in 2019, 2020 and 2021 on youth information centres; and the amount of this allocation that was drawn down for 2019 and 2020 is provided in the table below.
|
Youth Information Centres |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
|
Allocation |
€1,376,956.50 |
€1,347,492 |
€1,354,047 |
|
Draw down |
€1,376,956.50 |
€1,347,492 |
N/A |
957. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the amount allocated in 2019, 2020 and 2021 on the targeted youth funding scheme; and the amount of this allocation that was drawn down for 2019 and 2020, in tabular form. [31177/21]
View answerThe amount allocated in 2019, 2020 and 2021 on the targeted youth funding scheme; and the amount of this allocation that was drawn down for 2019 and 2020 is provided in the table below.
|
Targeted Youth Funding Scheme |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
|
Allocation |
€35,082,252.75 |
€17,898,844 |
€275,264 |
|
Draw down |
€35,082,252.75 |
€17,898,844 |
N/A |
958. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the amount allocated to Tusla for youth counselling services in 2019, 2020 and 2021; and the amount of this allocation that was drawn down for 2019 and 2020, in tabular form. [31178/21]
View answerTusla, the Child and Family Agency, provides financial support for counselling delivered by community-based service providers and Family Resource Centres. Information on these activities and financial supports are published in Tusla's Annual Reports and Financial Statements.
My Department does not set a specific amount to be allocated by Tusla to support provision of youth counselling.
The table below outlines the funding provided by Tusla in 2019 and 2020 for counselling grants as part of its Family Support service. Funding provided in 2021 is expected to be in line with previous years.
Table 1: Tusla's Family Support Service Grant Funding in 2019 and 2020:
|
Funding Year |
Counselling Grant Payments |
|
2020 |
€6,797,000 |
|
2019 |
€6,354,000 |
959. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the amount allocated in 2019, 2020 and 2021 to youth services from the dormant accounts fund; the services and programmes in receipt of this funding in 2019 and 2020; and the amount of this allocation that was drawn down for 2019 and 2020, in tabular form. [31179/21]
View answerThe amount allocated in 2019, 2020 and 2021 to youth services from the dormant accounts fund; the services and programmes in receipt of this funding in 2019 and 2020; and the amount of this allocation that was drawn down for 2019 and 2020 is provided in the tables below.
|
Dormant Accounts Fund 2019 |
Allocation |
Draw down |
|
Youth Employability Initiative |
€948,201 |
€918,137 |
|
Foróige Big Brother Big Sister |
€808,790 |
€808,790 |
|
NYCI Skills Summary |
€94,835 |
€69,174 |
|
Total |
€1,851,826 |
€1,796,101 |
|
Dormant Accounts Fund 2020 |
Allocation |
Draw down |
|
Youth Employability Initiative |
€0 |
€25,499 (arrears) |
|
Foróige Big Brother Big Sister |
€898,000 |
€898,000 |
|
NYCI Skills Summary |
€75,335 |
€93,139 |
|
Total |
€973,335 |
€1,016,638 |
|
Dormant Accounts Fund 2021 |
Allocation |
|
Foróige Big Brother Big Sister |
€908,590 |
|
Foróige Online Safety |
€150,000 |
|
NYCI Skills Summary |
€100,000 |
|
NYCI Equality & Inclusion |
€51,000 |
|
Total |
€1,209,590 |
960. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the amount allocated to Tusla for family resource centres in 2019, 2020 and 2021; and the amount of this allocation that was drawn down for 2019 and 2020, in tabular form. [31180/21]
View answerTusla administers the Family Resource Centre (FRC) Programme which provides funding support to 121 FRCs across the country. My Department allocates core funding for the FRC Programme and, since 2019, this amount has been €18m each year. The FRC Programme includes funding to FRCs and the FRC National Forum.
In addition to core funding, FRCs have received additional amounts in the form of once-off grant payments or payments from Dormant Accounts funding, over the period. Payments to FRCs (over €50,000) are shown in Tusla's Annual Financial Statements.
The table below sets out the amount allocated to and drawn down by Tusla, in respect of the FRC Programme for 2019-2020 and the allocation for 2021.
Table 1: FRC Programme funding allocated and drawn down 2019-2021 (to date):
|
Funding Year |
Allocation |
Amount Drawn Down |
|
2021 |
€18,000,000 |
|
|
2020 |
€18,000,000 |
drawn down in full |
|
2019 |
€18,000,000 |
drawn down in full |
961. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the amount allocated in 2019, 2020 and 2021 to national youth organisations; the organisations allocated funding; and the amount of this allocation that was drawn down for 2019 and 2020, in tabular form. [31181/21]
View answerI have provided the amount allocated in 2019, 2020 and 2021 to national youth organisations; the organisations allocated funding; and the amount of this allocation that was drawn down for 2019 and 2020 in the table below.
*The 2021 allocations should not be taken as the final figures for the year as allocations are still to be made under the Youth Capital scheme later this year.
|
National Youth Organisation |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
|
An Óige |
|||
|
Allocation |
€189,745 |
€197,335 |
€207,202 |
|
Draw down |
€189,745 |
€197,335 |
N/A |
|
BeLonG To |
|||
|
Allocation |
€174,156 |
€184,199 |
€218,922 |
|
Draw down |
€174,156 |
€184,199 |
N/A |
|
Catholic Guides of Ireland |
|||
|
Allocation |
€285,389 |
€291,882 |
€297,289 |
|
Draw down |
€285,389 |
€291,882 |
N/A |
|
Crosscare |
|||
|
Allocation |
€965,868 |
€1,086,356 |
€1,136,283 |
|
Draw down |
€965,868 |
€1,086,356 |
N/A |
|
Church of Ireland Youth Department |
|||
|
Allocation |
€189,084 |
€238,290 |
€214,854 |
|
Draw down |
€189,084 |
€238,290 |
N/A |
|
Localise |
|||
|
Allocation |
€145,758 |
€176,939 |
€153,692 |
|
Draw down |
€145,758 |
€176,939 |
N/A |
|
ECO-UNESCO |
|||
|
Allocation |
€148,257 |
€224,837 |
€205,429 |
|
Draw down |
€148,257 |
€224,837 |
N/A |
|
Experiment in International Living |
|||
|
Allocation |
€30,302 |
€31,514 |
€33,090 |
|
Draw down |
€30,302 |
€31,514 |
N/A |
|
Feachtas |
|||
|
Allocation |
€93,716 |
€107,158 |
€105,345 |
|
Draw down |
€93,716 |
€107,158 |
N/A |
|
Foróige |
|||
|
Allocation |
€3,635,229 |
€3,992,284 |
€4,386,120 |
|
Draw down |
€3,635,229 |
€3,992,284 |
N/A |
|
Girls Brigade |
|||
|
Allocation |
€47,821 |
€50,799 |
€55,221 |
|
Draw down |
€47,821 |
€50,799 |
N/A |
|
Girls Friendly Society |
|||
|
Allocation |
€53,317 |
€58,064 |
€36,383 |
|
Draw down |
€53,317 |
€58,064 |
N/A |
|
Involve |
|||
|
Allocation |
€260,571 |
€293,290 |
€273,431 |
|
Draw down |
€260,571 |
€293,290 |
N/A |
|
Irish Girl Guides |
|||
|
Allocation |
€421,927 |
€468,004 |
€438,904 |
|
Draw down |
€421,927 |
€468,004 |
N/A |
|
Irish Methodist Youth and Children |
|||
|
Allocation |
€43,899 |
€32,542 |
€34,169 |
|
Draw down |
€43,899 |
€32,542 |
N/A |
|
Junior Chamber Ireland |
|||
|
Allocation |
€17,810 |
€23,882 |
€20,226 |
|
Draw down |
€17,810 |
€23,882 |
N/A |
|
Macra na Feirme |
|||
|
Allocation |
€485,549 |
€522,771 |
€508,380 |
|
Draw down |
€485,549 |
€522,771 |
N/A |
|
National Federation of Arch Clubs |
|||
|
Allocation |
€54,948 |
€57,146 |
€60,003 |
|
Draw down |
€54,948 |
€57,146 |
N/A |
|
National Youth Council of Ireland |
|||
|
Allocation |
€1,082,506 |
€1,312,435 |
€1,239,480 |
|
Draw down |
€1,072,943 |
€1,356,988 |
N/A |
|
No Name Club |
|||
|
Allocation |
€209,763 |
€226,292 |
€224,028 |
|
Draw down |
€209,763 |
€226,292 |
N/A |
|
Ógras |
|||
|
Allocation |
€201,075 |
€227,946 |
€222,480 |
|
Draw down |
€201,075 |
€227,946 |
N/A |
|
Order of Malta Cadets |
|||
|
Allocation |
€62,940 |
€90,929 |
€55,579 |
|
Draw down |
€62,940 |
€90,929 |
N/A |
|
Scouting Ireland |
|||
|
Allocation |
€1,100,000 |
€1,234,930 |
€1,315,416 |
|
Draw down |
€1,100,000 |
€1,234,930 |
N/A |
|
SpunOut |
|||
|
Allocation |
€118,840 |
€131,305 |
€115,917 |
|
Draw down |
€118,840 |
€131,305 |
N/A |
|
The Boys Brigade |
|||
|
Allocation |
€60,406 |
€62,822 |
€65,963 |
|
Draw down |
€60,406 |
€62,822 |
N/A |
|
Voluntary Services International |
|||
|
Allocation |
€101,206 |
€91,230 |
€96,317 |
|
Draw down |
€101,206 |
€91,230 |
N/A |
|
Young Irish Film Makers |
|||
|
Allocation |
€80,983 |
€93,149 |
€67,112 |
|
Draw down |
€80,983 |
€93,149 |
N/A |
|
Young Mens Christian Association |
|||
|
Allocation |
€159,077 |
€165,440 |
€173,712 |
|
Draw down |
€159,077 |
€165,440 |
N/A |
|
Youth Theatre Ireland |
|||
|
Allocation |
€124,084 |
€131,892 |
€120,614 |
|
Draw down |
€124,084 |
€131,892 |
N/A |
|
Youth Work Ireland |
|||
|
Allocation |
€2,137,403 |
€2,308,902 |
€2,384,523 |
|
Draw down |
€2,137,403 |
€2,308,902 |
N/A |
|
Gaisce |
|||
|
Allocation |
€735,077 |
€792,199 |
€752,587 |
|
Draw down |
€735,077 |
€792,199 |
N/A |
962. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the amount allocated in 2019, 2020 and 2021 to youth capital projects; and the amount of the allocation that was drawn down for 2019 and 2020, in tabular form. [31194/21]
View answerThe amount allocated in 2019, 2020 and 2021 to youth capital projects; and the amount of the allocation that was drawn down for 2019 and 2020 is provided in the table below. Allocations have not yet been made under the Youth Capital scheme in 2021. An application process is currently underway.
|
Youth Capital |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
|
Allocation |
€2,750,000 |
€1,950,000 |
N/A |
|
Draw down |
€2,726,240 |
€2,379,650 |
N/A |
963. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the amount of funding that was allocated to youth services to mitigate Covid-19 and its impact. [31266/21]
View answerA total sum of €1,338,270 in funding was allocated to youth services to mitigate Covid-19 and its impact in 2020.
An ICT investment grant of €1,000,000 was made available to support the improvement of ICT infrastructure within youth services and youth clubs to facilitate the remote provision of youth programmes and youth services.
Early in my tenure, my Department made available a fund of €338,000 for a small capital grant scheme. The scheme allowed over 1,500 funded youth services and clubs to meet minor costs incurred as a result of Covid-19 response measures.
A further amount of €1.4m is currently being distributed through the ETBs nationally to mitigate covid-19 cost pressures and to support the re-engagement of volunteers as we continue to move out of restrictions.
Additionally, during the periods of restrictions due to Covid-19, all youth funding provided by the Department was maintained fully.
964. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the way in which his Department and agencies under his remit are meeting the requirement to have a statement on the compliance of their websites and mobile applications with the regulations under the directive 2016/2102 (EU), as articulated in SI No. 358/2020 - European Union (Accessibility of Websites and Mobile Applications of Public Sector Bodies) Regulations 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31278/21]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that the Office of the Government Information Officer (OGCIO) manages the Government website GOV.IE . OGCIO advised my Department that the compliant accessibility statement for Gov.ie, the website that currently hosts 15 of the 19 Government Departments, including this Department, is available at the following link; https://www.gov.ie/en/help/accessibility.
Gov.ie is the main Government website and recorded over 122 million page views in 2020. Gov.ie partially complies with the double-A WCAG 2.1 standards and the 4 principles of accessibility in that it is perceivable, operable, understandable and robust. This is similar to most other government sites across the EU. Accessibility to gov.ie is being enhanced by improving the level of plain English used for services on the site. This allows users of all levels to be able to find and understand information as quickly as possible. In addition, the gov.ie team have continuously performed multiple accessibility reviews since the website went live. The gov.ie team has engaged with and continues to engage with an accessibility expert to outline all accessibility requirements. Following the last accessibility audit, 65 issues were identified and action taken to rectify and resolve these issues. In addition, OGCIO have since released updates to the core code of the gov.ie website to improve accessibility.
Further information is being collated in respect of other websites managed by the Department and will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.
Agencies under the aegis of the Department have been asked to respond directly to the Deputy.
965. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the way in which his Department and agencies under his remit are meeting the requirement to subject to Regulation 6, public sector bodies shall, in accordance with Regulation 3, take necessary measures to make their websites and mobile applications more accessible by making them perceivable, operable, understandable and robust under the directive 2016/2102 (EU), as articulated in SI No. 358/2020 - European Union (Accessibility of Websites and Mobile Applications of Public Sector Bodies) Regulations 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31296/21]
View answerThe Office of the Chief Information Officer OGCIO manages GOV.ie the host site for the Department's website. I wish to advise the Deputy that OGCO has advised that the compliant accessibility statement for Gov.ie, the website that currently hosts 15 of the 19 Government Departments, including this Department, is available at the following link; https://www.gov.ie/en/help/accessibility.
Gov.ie is the main Government website and recorded over 122 million page views in 2020. Gov.ie partially complies with the double-A WCAG 2.1 standards and the 4 principles of accessibility in that it is perceivable, operable, understandable and robust. This is similar to most other government sites across the EU. Accessibility to gov.ie is being enhanced by improving the level of plain English used for services on the site. This allows users of all levels to be able to find and understand information as quickly as possible. In addition, the gov.ie team have continuously performed multiple accessibility reviews since the website went live. The gov.ie team has engaged with and continues to engage with an accessibility expert to outline all accessibility requirements. Following the last accessibility audit, 65 issues were identified and action taken to rectify and resolve these issues. In addition, OGCIO have since released updates to the core code of the gov.ie website to improve accessibility.
All other sites managed by OGCIO are currently being moved to a new CMS which has been built with WCAG compatibility in mind. This project is ongoing with satisfactory progress being made this year.
Further information is being collated in respect of other websites managed by the Department and will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.
Agencies under the aegis of the Department have been asked to respond directly to the Deputy.
966. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will provide a list of all direct provision accommodation centres; the number of persons resident in each centre; the number of those that are under 18 years of age; the number that remain in the centre as they cannot secure accommodation elsewhere; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31331/21]
View answerAs of the evening of Sunday 06 June 2021 there were a total of 6442 persons being accommodated by the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) of my Department. The attached table provides a breakdown of this number by centre, the number of residents in each centre who are under 18 and the number of residents who have been granted status and have yet to secure accommodation in the community.
Considerable work is being undertaken to support these residents to move out of accommodation centres and into secure accommodation in the community. My Department has a specific team who work in collaboration with Depaul Ireland, the Jesuit Refugee Service, the Peter McVerry Trust, officials in the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, and the City and County Managers Association collectively to support residents with status or permission to remain to access housing options.
I am happy to inform the Deputy that this year, in the period up to the end of May, 432 people have moved to housing in the community from our accommodation centres.
967. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the funding streams for a youth work project (details supplied) in County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31346/21]
View answerFunding for the provision of targeted youth services is administered on behalf of my Department by the Education and Training Boards (ETBs), which allocate funding via applications to the UBU Your Place Your Space scheme. I have provided an additional €1 million for the provision of new UBU services in 2021. Six ETBs, who did not form part of the Sample Services process in 2016 and 2017, were pre-selected to establish new services. These ETBs are:
- City of Dublin ETB
- Donegal ETB
- Kerry ETB
- Laois and Offaly ETB
- Louth and Meath ETB
- Waterford and Wexford ETB
My officials have met with the six ETBs to initiate the process. The mechanism by which selected ETBs undertake the establishment of new services is set out in the UBU Policy and Operating Rules. The six ETBs have commenced completing the Area Profile, Needs Assessment and Service Requirement (APNASR) which will identify the most pressing needs of young people to which the new services will respond.
I would advise that any proposed youth service in the Donegal area to contact Donegal ETB in the first instance for further information.
968. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the amount of funding that was allocated to the temporary wage subsidy childcare scheme; and the amount of this allocation that was drawn down to mitigate the impact of Covid-19 in tabular form. [31350/21]
View answer970. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the amount of funding that was allocated to early years sector; and the amount of this allocation that was drawn down to mitigate the impact of Covid-19 in tabular form. [31352/21]
View answer973. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the amount of funding that was allocated in 2020 and 2021 to national childcare scheme to mitigate the impact of Covid-19; and the amount of this allocation that was spent in 2020 and to date in 2021, in tabular form. [31355/21]
View answer974. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the amount of funding that was allocated in 2020 and 2021 to community childcare subvention plus to mitigate the impact of Covid-19; and the amount of this allocation that was spent in 2020 and to date in 2021, in tabular form. [31356/21]
View answer975. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the amount of funding that was allocated in 2020 and 2021 to access and inclusion model to mitigate the impact of Covid-19; and the amount of this allocation that was spent in 2020 and to date in 2021, in tabular form. [31357/21]
View answer976. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the amount of funding that was allocated to the Covid-19 support payment in 2021; and the amount of this allocation that was drawn down for 2021. [31358/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 968, 970, 973, 974, 975 and 976 together.
Since the onset of Covid-19, my Department and the State more broadly has put in place a range of supports for Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare (ELC/SAC) services. The objective of these supports have been to:
- support providers’ sustainability to enable services return to normal once restrictions were lifted;
- support providers to retain their staff;
- ensure that ELC/SAC could reopen and remain open, even at very low levels of occupancy;
- ensure that ELC/SAC could operate safely for children, families and staff;
Ensure that increased costs associated with public health requirements, and lower demand / occupancy were not passed on to parents;
- achieve administrative efficiency through the continued use of existing funding schemes and other whole of economy supports; and
- protect exchequer investment.
Supports in 2020 included:
- The continuation of DCEDIY subsidy schemes on an ex-gratia basis (12 March – 5 April 2020);
- The Temporary Wage Subsidy Childcare Scheme (6 April – 28 June 2020); which was layered on top of the Revenue Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme (TWSS) and provided a top-up for wages of eligible early learning and care and school-age childcare staff and a further payment to be used towards ongoing/non-deferrable operational costs such as rent, insurance and ICT.
- The Reopening Funding Package, (29 June – 23 August 2020), which included a once-off Reopening Support Payment (RSP), a once-off Covid-19 capital grant; continued access for eligible providers to the Revenue-operated TWSS and resumption of DCEDIY subsidy schemes (NCS, CCSP, TEC).
- The July Stimulus Package (from 24 August to end December 2020) which included the continuation of all DCEDIY subsidy schemes (NCS, CCSP, TEC), the resumption of the ECCE Programme, the Employer Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS) and a Sustainability Fund.
The table below shows the DCEDIY 2020 allocations and the amounts drawn down for the ELC/SAC sector across DCEDIY subsidy schemes and Covid-19 supports.
|
Scheme |
Allocation 2020 (€m) |
Expenditure (€m) |
|
ECCE |
€208.60 |
€216.60 |
|
AIM |
€31.40 |
€17.40 |
|
NCS and Savers |
€145.20 |
€109.40 |
|
Covid-19 TWSCS |
€77.30 |
€56.60 |
|
Covid-19 RSP |
€18.0 |
€13.1 |
|
Covid-19 Capital |
€14.2 |
€13.0 |
|
Sustainability Support Funds |
€2.2 |
€0.8 |
The underspend among the DCEDIY subsidy schemes in 2020 was primarily driven by the closures of the ELC/SAC sector from 12 March to 28 June 2020. However, this is not a full reflection of total State funding for the ELC/ SAC sector in 2020.
Funding under the Revenue-operated TWSS for the ELC/SAC sector is estimated to have cost €128m in 2020. This is an unreconciled figure provided from Revenue and the final figure is likely to be reduced. Moreover, up to end of 2020, it is estimated that €115m was provided to the sector under the EWSS, also from Revenue.
In addition to the DCEDIY allocation, the TWSS and the EWSS, the sector also benefitted from other State supports in 2020, including freezing of commercial rates; many chose the Restart Grant rather than the RSP; and 1,000 sole traders accessed the Pandemic Unemployment Payment at €350 per week rather than the EWSS during the temporary closures.
In addition to the DCEDIY subsidy schemes in 2021, there has also been a number of tailored funding supports from DCEDIY in 2021 to respond to Level 5 restrictions in the post-Christmas period. These included a Covid-19 Operating Support Payment and a new Covid-19 strand of the Sustainability Fund. These are in addition to the EWSS.
The table below shows the DCEDIY 2021 allocations and the amounts drawn down for the ELC/SAC sector across DCEDIY subsidy schemes and Covid-19 supports to date.
|
Scheme |
Allocation 2021 (€m) |
Expenditure (€m) |
|
ECCE |
€289.30 |
€164.30 |
|
AIM |
€35.00 |
€11.40 |
|
NCS and Savers |
€205.50 |
€78.00 |
|
COVID-19 Operational Support Payment |
€ - |
€12.00 |
ELC/SAC employers continue to be entitled to access the EWSS with an exemption to having to demonstrate the drop in turnover that applies to other sectors. Since October 2020, EWSS has been paid at enhanced rates and these rates are estimated to cover, on average, 80% of staff costs in the sector, or 50% of total operating costs. The weekly cost of EWSS at enhanced rates to the sector is estimated to be €7.4m. EWSS at enhanced rates are in place until end Q3 2021.
There is strong evidence of the effectiveness of these supports.
- The data on services that have closed and opened in 2020 are directly comparable to 2019 so there has been no loss of capacity:
- 197 services that were on the Early Years Register reported permanent closure to Tusla in 2020 compared to 196 in 2019.
- 91 new services were registered in 2020 compared to 93 in 2019.
Data from the Office of the Revenue Commissioners indicates that the number of employees in the sector has not changed substantially over the course of the pandemic
Data from the Annual Early Years Sector Profile 2020 Survey revealed no significant increase in fees charged to parents. Fieldwork for the 2021 is currently underway and will allow for further analysis of the impact of the Covid-19 and the measures taken by the DCEDIY and the State to support the sector. I anticipate this data being available in the coming months.
969. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the amount of funding that was allocated to the childcare services reopening grants; and the amount of this allocation was drawn down to mitigate the impact of Covid-19 in tabular form. [31351/21]
View answer996. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the funding allocated in 2020 on the once-off reopening support payment for providers funded by his Department opening between 29 June and early September 2020; and the amount of this allocation that was spent in 2020. [31646/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 969 and 996 together.
My Department operates a number of early learning and school-age childcare funding schemes. these schemes are administered by Pobal on behalf of my Department.
The reopening support payment consisted of a once-off grant for providers opening from 29 June through to late August / early September 2020. This grant was intended to help providers with operational costs, including:
- Additional staffing costs, such as to help with drop off and pick up times, or cleaning staff to ensure that hygiene standards are met;
- To provide training to staff on guidelines for reopening;
- To provide additional learning resources, books and toys so that each play-pod has their own; and
- To buy hygiene and cleaning consumables, such as sanitiser, soap, and paper towels.
The payment amount for each individual provider was based on the number of children on DCEDIY funded schemes in the service pre-COVID-19.
Services which opened on 29 June 2020 (or within a week of that date) and remained open for 6 of the 8 weeks until 23 August were eligible to receive a higher grant than services which reopened in late August or September. This was in recognition of the fact that a reduced number of children were likely to attend Early Learning and Childcare services in the initial weeks of reopening.
The table below shows the amount allocated and the amount drawn down under this scheme.
|
Scheme |
Allocation (€m) |
Drawdown (€m) |
|
COVID-19 Reopening Support Grant |
€ 18.0 |
€ 13.1 |
971. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the amount of funding that was allocated to ECCE service providers at the 70% rate; and the amount of this allocation that was spent in 2020 and to date in 2021, in tabular form. [31353/21]
View answer972. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the amount of funding that was allocated to ECCE service providers at 100% rate; and the amount of this allocation that was spent in 2020 and to date in 2021, in tabular form. [31354/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 971 and 972 together.
My Department runs a number of Early Learning and Care schemes. The schemes are administered by Pobal on behalf of my Department.
My Department introduced a number of supports to mitigate against impacts of COVID-19 on the Early Learning and Care and School- Age Childcare Sector in 2020 and has continued to provide supports in 2021.
From early January 2021, due to ongoing COVID-19 Level 5 restrictions, the pre-school (ECCE) programme was suspended while other Early Learning and Care Services were open to children
whose parents work in an essential service and for vulnerable children only.
During this period in January 2021, services received funding as normal with ECCE only services, forced to close, paid under Force Majeure.
Following continuation of Level 5 restrictions in February, where the pre-school (ECCE) programme continued to be suspended, funding for the period 01 February to 05 March 2021 for the Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare Services was as follows:
- Services open during this period will continue to receive 70% of the value of ECCE programme funding and 100% of funding provided under other Department schemes (i.e. the National Childcare Scheme (NCS), the Community Childcare Subvention Plus (CCSP), and the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM)) These services can also receive the additional 30% of the value of ECCE Programme funding if they commit to certain conditions that includes waiving fees for parents not using the service and retaining staff where possible.
- Services closed during this period, where the closure is approved by the Department, will receive 70% of the value of ECCE programme funding and 100% of funding provided under other Department schemes (i.e. NCS, CCSP, and AIM). This funding will be conditional on a commitment to waive fees for parents and retain staff where possible.
- A newly designed Covid-19 Support Payment is being put in place to support some providers with a significant reliance on parental fee income to waive fees during this period while remaining sustainable.
The table below shows the funding provided to services during the period 01 February to 05 March 2021 at 70% rate and at 100% rate. It should be noted that the 30% top-up was calculated weekly and in some instances, services were received a mix of 100% and 70% rate. This additional information has been included in the table:
|
Service Overview |
No of Services |
Payment (€m) |
|
Services paid 70% all weeks due |
2081 |
€ 11.1 |
|
Services paid 100% all weeks due |
1730 |
€ 18.3 |
|
Services paid mix 100%/70% per week |
127 |
€ 1.0 |
|
Total |
3938 |
€ 30.4 |
The table below shows ECCE allocation and expenditure in 2020 and to date in 2021:
|
Year |
Scheme |
Allocation |
Drawdown |
|
2020 |
ECCE |
€ 208.62 |
€ 216.64 |
|
2021 |
ECCE |
€ 289.30 |
€ 164.30 |
