Written Answers Nos. 1057-1073
1057. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of public sector workers under her remit by sectors (details supplied) in each of the local electoral areas in County Clare in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2354/22]
View answer1058. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of public sector workers under her remit in each of the local electoral areas in County Clare in each of the years 2016 to 2021, in tabular form under headings (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2374/22]
View answer1059. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of public sector workers under her remit in each of the local electoral areas in County Clare in each of the years 2016 to 2021, in tabular form under headings (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2392/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1057, 1058 and 1059 together.
Between 2016 and 2021 there have been no public sector workers in County Clare under my remit.
I understand that my colleague the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, will answer these questions on behalf of all Departments in relation to the Civil Service sector.
1060. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Social Protection if a decision has been made on an application for an invalidity pension by a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2409/22]
View answerInvalidity pension (IP) is a payment for people who are permanently incapable of work because of illness or incapacity and for no other reason and who satisfy the pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions.
The person referred to is in receipt of disability allowance (DA) including fuel allowance and an increase for a qualified adult for his spouse and has applied for an increase for a qualified adult on his IP claim. In order to process the IP claim, the deciding officer (DO) has requested a copy of his spouse's birth cert or passport. The DO has also asked the person in question to confirm if he wishes to apply for fuel allowance on his IP claim. Upon receipt of same, the IP claim will be finalised as quickly as possible and he will be notified directly of the outcome.
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
1061. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Social Protection if payment for bank holidays will be extended to causal jobseekers who don’t receive payment from their employers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2459/22]
View answerThe Jobseekers schemes, consisting of jobseekers Benefit based on a person’s paid social insurance contributions and jobseekers allowance, which is a means tested payment, provide support to individuals who have lost work and are unable to obtain full time employment. The estimated revised expenditure for 2022 for the statutory jobseekers schemes is approximately €2.17 billion.
Where a bank holiday is a day of unemployment, then the person would be entitled to a jobseeker payment in line with the normal rues of the scheme.
However, where a person in part-time employment is due to be paid by their employer for a public holiday, jobseekers would not be payable as it is not considered a day of unemployment. If an employee is not paid by their employer in these circumstances, this is an employments rights matter and should be referred to the Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment.
I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
1062. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Social Protection the steps she is taking to ensure that PAYE and PRSI payments paid by or on behalf of undocumented workers can be counted towards social welfare payments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2619/22]
View answerWith limited exceptions, social welfare legislation provides that persons over the age of 16 and under the age of 66 who are employed under a contract of service or apprenticeship shall be employed contributors for the purposes of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 (as amended).
However, an employment contract which is deemed to be unlawful because the worker does not have a work permit or permission to be in the State, cannot be regarded as a contract of service for the purposes of the social insurance provisions of the Act. This position was underpinned by a recent Supreme Court judgment.
Regarding the steps being taken to support undocumented workers, I can advise the Deputy that following Government agreement, my colleague, the Minister for Justice, is establishing a scheme to regularise long-term undocumented persons in the State. One of the key benefits of this scheme will be that those whose status in the State is regularised will, accordingly, have an opportunity to work legally in the State and contribute to and benefit from the social insurance system in the future.
I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
1063. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Social Protection the opening hours of each Citizen’s Information centre in County Kerry in tabular form; the position regarding the services in the county; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2630/22]
View answerThe Citizens Information Board (CIB), is a statutory independent body as set out in the Comhairle Act 2010 which operates under the aegis of my Department. CIB funds and supports the South Munster Citizens Information Service company which in turn has responsibility for the provision of information, advice and advocacy services in its geographic area, which encompasses Co. Kerry.
I recognise the value of the services provided by the Citizen Information Centres in Kerry and these services are currently being provided in adherence with Government guidelines. All information on Centres is available on CIB's website and can be accessed at www.citizensinformation.ie. CIB are committed to the continued delivery of Citizens Information Services in Co. Kerry.
As CIB are directly responsible for operational issues concerning the Citizen Information Centres, I have asked CIB to respond to you directly in relation to this matter.
1064. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of an application for the registration of a birth (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2632/22]
View answerThe Deputy will be aware that the HSE is responsible for registering births including processing applications received electronically or by post.
The General Register Office has made enquiries with the HSE and I can inform the Deputy that the birth in question was registered on the 10th October 2021.
I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.
1065. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 in each direct provision centre by month between 1 February 2020 and 10 January 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2616/22]
View answerThank you for your question, Deputy. I note you asked a similar question this time last year. I can confirm that responsibility for the recording of the number of people who test positive for COVID-19 still lies with the Department of Health. The International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) cannot confirm positive test results of any person as we do not hold such personal medical information.
Decisions on who should be tested and the release of data relating to same are matters for the HSE in a public health context. My Department's priority is the protection of residents, staff and the wider community while working very closely with the HSE to manage the challenges of this public health crisis.
Information regarding outbreaks of COVID-19 are published weekly by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HSPC). Details of outbreaks in IPAS centres can be found at the following link:
www.hpsc.ie/a-z/respiratory/coronavirus/novelcoronavirus/surveillance/covid-19outbreaksclustersinireland/covid-19outbreaksclustersinirelandweeklyreports2021/
I can assure the Deputy that the health and wellbeing of all residents and staff of accommodation centres for International Protection applicants is a high priority for my Department. My staff work closely with the HSE to ensure that IPAS centres comply fully with public health guidance.
1066. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will address a matter regarding crèche fees (details supplied). [62965/21]
View answerOn 7 December, Government accepted the recommendations of an Expert Group contained in the report Partnership for the Public Good: A New Funding Model for Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare. The introduction of fee control measures is one of the recommendations of the Expert Group, and further information on proposed fee management mechanisms in the longer term is available in the Group's report.
The recommendations of the Expert Group are designed to deliver quality for children, affordability for parents, stability for providers, and support employers to improve pay and conditions for staff. The report of the Expert Group is available here: first5fundingmodel.gov.ie/report/.
The Expert Group report informed the transformative package of measures for the sector committed in Budget 2022. This will see Government investment in the sector reaching €716 million this year, an increase of €78 million from €638 million in 2021.
The Budget announcements included a Transition Fund between May and August 2022 and a new Core Funding stream from September 2022. In the case of both funding streams, the contractual requirement will be for fees to remain at or below September 2021 levels for the period of the schemes. These requirements for both the Transition Fund and Core Funding will apply to all services who contract into the schemes.
Budget 2022 also confirmed that ELC and SAC employers will continue to benefit from the exemption to the turnover rule for the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme until April 2022 in order to prevent the additional costs from public health measures being passed on to parents.
The Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS) has been available to employers in the sector since August 2020, with enhanced Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme rates equalling €34 million per month, covering on average 80% of payroll costs and 50% of total operating costs for providers.
In light of the continuing high levels of investment in the sector, with enhanced EWSS rates currently covering up to 80% of payroll costs and 50% of operating costs for providers, I believe that there is not a case for fee increases during this time.
I might add that where providers require further financial assistance in addition to current supports available, the Department operates a Covid-19 Impact Support Scheme. This is additional to the existing financial supports and is to support the sustainability of ELC and SAC services who may be left with short-term sustainability concerns due to lower attendance or higher costs arising from COVID-19. This scheme supports services to remain open without increasing their Registered Fees to parents or guardians.
Sustainability Funding also continues to be available to providers where there are sustainability difficulties and I have requested that providers would exhaust this route before considering increases in fees for parents.
The package of measures announced in Budget 2022 is designed to ensure that fees to parents do not increase and that the full affordability benefits of the National Childcare Scheme are felt without being absorbed in fee increases.
1067. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of HEPA filters he anticipates will be provided by the recently announced €10 million grant programme; if antigen tests will be provided with the funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62980/21]
View answerI announced a programme of further support in the form of the December 2021 Covid Response Programme for Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC). €10 million was secured to support services improve indoor ventilation and provide mobile HEPA air filtration systems.
The objective of the grant programme is to support services to improve natural and mechanical ventilation indoors, on a once-off and exceptional basis given the need to mitigate risks associated with Covid-19 in line with the current national public health guidance.
The amount of grant which is paid to each ELC and SAC service is based on the number of individual children registered in a service on one or more DCEDIY programmes on the November 24th 2021
Applications opened on the 16th of December 2021 and originally closed on the 7th of January 2022, but due to lower than expected take up have reopened with a new closing date of 31st January.
Eligible expenditure for the ventilation grant is being extended to include face masks of FFP2 standard.. Providers who have already claimed a ventilation grant will be able to claim for face masks, the extension will not just apply to new applicants.
Full details of the changes will be sent to providers in the coming days.
It is not possible to determine the number of HEPA filters that will be provided with this grant. Service providers can also utilise the grant to purchase items and services that facilitate greater outdoor activities and improve natural ventilation indoors in line with the current National Public Health Strategy. Allowable expenses include such measures as rental of ventilation equipment, CO2 monitors, outdoor wear for children and staff and toys suitable for outdoor use.
My Department encourages all providers to apply for this grant, which will help to keep staff and children safe by improving infection control measures.
Antigen tests are not provided for through this funding. My Department, with the support of the HSE, implemented an antigen testing programme for ELC and SAC services on 14th December 2021 whereby parents and staff can apply to the HSE for free antigen tests where there is a positive Covid-19 case in their pod.
1068. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the criteria and threshold that Tusla use for the allocation of a social worker; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63014/21]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that operational responsibility for the delivery of child protection and welfare services is a matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency.
I can confirm that the matter has been referred to Tusla, for direct reply to the Deputy.
1069. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the supports his Department has in place to support the early years sector when dealing with staffing shortages due to illness as staff need to isolate and follow the public health guidance given that the Department of Education has supports in place for schools; the reason the supports differentiate when it comes to preschool settings; and if his attention has been drawn to the fact that currently they have to apply for force majeure when they have to close due to staff shortages which does not always guarantee payment. [63031/21]
View answerI am aware that many Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School-Age Childcare (SAC) services continue to report staffing shortages as a result of Covid-19 and difficulties in securing short-term replacement staff, exacerbated by the current high rate of Covid-19 in the community. My Department is actively monitoring the issue and has sought data and evidence-based proposals from sectoral representatives.
Officials in my Department have been collaborating closely with those in the Department of Education to engage with the Further and Higher Education sector, ELC and SAC representative bodies, and the City/County Childcare Committees on a possible agreement to facilitate students undertaking ELC degrees or Level 6 programmes to work temporarily in the sector to relieve Covid-19 related staffing pressures.
On 10 December, my Department announced that on a temporary basis, an arrangement would be put in place for an accelerated process for assessment of equivalence with the level 5 minimum qualification requirement for students currently enrolled on a recognised level 6, 7 or 8 course. Students who are approved through the accelerated assessment process will receive a “Letter of Temporary Permission to Practise” from my Department which will allow them to work for a specified period.
In addition, a facility for advertising temporary posts is available on www.myccc.ie, which commenced 13 December.
The Covid-19 Sub-Group of the Stakeholder Forum will continue to meet throughout January 2022 to discuss current pressures and possible additional measures that may be needed.
While Covid-19 creates additional pressure, longer-term challenges with recruitment and retention of staff remain. The high level of staff turnover in the sector (18% in 2020) primarily reflects the level of pay and conditions of employment.
The State is not the employer and does not determine conditions or rates of pay. However, in December 2020, I began a process to examine the possibility of regulating pay and conditions in the sector and the suitability of a Joint Labour Committee, which will provide an opportunity for unions and employer representatives to work together to determine wages. As a result of this process, an Establishment Order for a sectoral Joint Labour Committee was signed in June 2020, and the Committee has now been formed.
In Budget 2022, I announced the introduction from September 2022 of a new core funding stream for services. Among a number of objectives, core funding will support services to meet the conditions that may be set in an Employment Regulation Order as a result of the Joint Labour Committee.
In addition, on 7 December 2021, I published Nurturing Skills: The Workforce Plan for ELC and SAC 2022-2028. This Plan includes specific actions to strengthen career pathways and support recruitment and retention in the ELC and SAC sector.
With regard to force majeure if a service is unable to operate due to significant staff absences, they can apply to Pobal, who are the scheme administrators, for permission to close through the force majeure application process. Applications will be dealt with on a case by case basis and, provided the service satisfies the criteria for force majeure funding, they will continue to receive full funding under the DCEDIY schemes for ELC and SAC.
1070. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will examine a situation (details supplied) in relation to the ECCE scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63051/21]
View answerThe ECCE programme is available to all children within the eligible age range. The minimum eligibility age of 2 years and 8 months for the ECCE programme was chosen based on national and international best practice.
From September 2018, all children meeting the minimum age requirement of 2 years and 8 months became eligible for a full two programme years on the ECCE programme. Parents are not required to send their children to ECCE, or to send them for two years. In the case of the child referred to in the question, the child would be able to avail of two years of ECCE before meeting the maximum primary school starting age, but the parents can choose to send their child to one year of ECCE and start primary school at an earlier age.
Age limits have been used to determine eligibility to ECCE since the inception of the programme in 2010.
1071. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the correspondence he has received from a person (details supplied) in relation to a matter; and if he can assist the person in gaining possession of a number of items of correspondence. [63059/21]
View answerAs the subject matter of the Deputy's question relates to an operational matter for Tusla Child and Family Agency, I have referred the matter to them for a direct reply.
Additionally, as the Deputy will be aware, the Birth Information and Tracing Bill was published on the 12th of January 2022. This Bill will now start the journey through the Houses of the Oireachtas and, if enacted, the provisions of the Bill relating to the release of information will be legally effective. The legislation before the Oireachtas would, if enacted, permit full and un-redacted access to important documents like birth certificates and baptismal certificates. Until this happens, all applications must be processed in line with current laws in place.
1072. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if his attention has been drawn to the case of a family (details supplied); if efforts will be made to relocate this family to Ireland given the threat to their lives; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63116/21]
View answerThank you for your question Deputy. As you may be aware, my Department does not comment on individual cases publicly but I can confirm that this case is currently under consideration.
1073. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the response of his Department to the findings of the Cost of Disability in Ireland research report; the plans that will be made in quarter one 2022 in response to these findings; if he will implement an all-Department response which will be timescaled and measured to ensure everyday costs are reduced for persons with disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63225/21]
View answerThe Cost of Disability in Ireland report, commissioned by the Department of Social Protection and prepared by Indecon International Research Economists, was published in December 2021. It provides important evidence of the additional costs that people with a disability face in their day-to-day lives.
The Programme for Government contains a commitment to use research into the cost of disability to properly inform the direction of future policy. As the evidence in the Cost of Disability in Ireland report has implications for many areas of public policy, a whole-of-government approach is required to develop appropriate and timely responses to ensure that everyday costs are reduced for persons with disabilities and their families.
For this reason, the coordination of this whole-of-government response is being carried out under the National Disability Inclusion Strategy (NDIS). The NDIS is one of two national policy frameworks through which the rights of people with disabilities in Ireland are progressively realised. In addition to advancing key actions under the NDIS, my Department services the implementation and monitoring of the NDIS by coordinating the National Disability Inclusion Strategy Steering Group (NDISSG). The NDISSG is chaired by my colleague, Minister Anne Rabbitte, T.D. and Minister of State with responsibility for Disability, and is attended by representatives of Departments, Agencies and the Disability Stakeholder Group.
The Cost of Disability in Ireland report was considered by the NDISSG in December 2021, within 24 hours of publication. Indecon International Research Economists presented the findings of their research to the NDISSG and it was agreed that at the next NDISSG, which will take place in Q1 of 2022, will adopt an approach to act on the findings and conclusions of the report. Aligning the findings and recommendations in the Cost of Disability in Ireland report to the NDIS will ensure that recommendations can be properly considered at whole of government level and that progress against actions taken will be monitored by the NDISSG and the Disability Stakeholder Group.
