Written Answers Nos. 153-172
153. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider amending the qualifying criteria for the widow's pension to include long-term partners who have a history of joint assessment with the deceased with her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8526/22]
View answerThe qualifying criteria for the widow’s pension depend on whether a person is claiming the Widow(er)’s or Surviving Civil Partner’s Contributory or Non-Contributory Pension. Each pension is payable to a widow or widower or a surviving civil partner, whose spouse or civil partner has passed away.
To qualify for the Widow(er)’s or Surviving Civil Partner’s Contributory Pension, one must:
- be a widow, widower or surviving civil partner;
- not cohabit with another person; and
- satisfy certain social insurance conditions.
For the Widow(er)’s or Surviving Civil Partner’s Non-Contributory Pension, one must:
- be a widow, widower or surviving civil partner
- not be cohabiting with another person
- pass a means test
- be habitually resident in the State
Either form of the widow’s pension is not payable to surviving cohabiting partners who have not entered into marriage or a civil partnership with the person they were cohabiting with. Entering into a marriage or civil partnership is a legal act, which confers both rights and obligations on both parties that do not exist in law between cohabiting couples.
The legal context governing relationships such as marriage is regulated by the Minister for Justice. Aside from the wider legal issues regarding the status of marriage and civil partnerships, which is a much broader policy area than its implications under the remit of my Department, extending the current provisions to people who have not undertaken equivalent legal obligations would carry significant costs and also raise significant issues about criteria if it were to be based upon cohabitation.
Therefore, any decision to extend the qualifying criteria for the widow(er)’s or surviving civil partner's pension, be it contributory or non-contributory, would have to be considered in the context of overall budgetary negotiations, as well as any legal issues that may arise.
Under the Supplementary Allowance Scheme, the Department of Social Protection may make a single Exceptional Needs Payment (ENP) to help meet essential, once-off expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet from his/her weekly income, which may include assistance with bereavement expenses.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
154. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Social Protection if the grant under the treatment benefit scheme towards the cost of wigs and hairpieces for persons who suffer from hair loss due to disease can be used towards the cost of treatment for eyebrow or eyelash hair loss as a result of disease; and if not, if she will consider including this measure in the scheme. [8528/22]
View answerThe Treatment Benefit scheme is available to insured workers, the self-employed and retired people who have the required number of PRSI contributions. It is also available to their dependent spouse or partner if applicable. Those who are eligible can avail of dental, optical and hearing services under the scheme. €109 million was spent on the scheme in 2021.
As part of Budget 2022, I announced an expansion to the range of services available under the Treatment Benefit scheme. A new grant will be provided from 28 May 2022 towards the cost of wigs and hairpieces for people who suffer from hair loss due to disease. It will not be available for hair loss due to ageing or other natural causes.
The grant of up to €500 will be available once every calendar year to support people towards the cost of non-surgical hair replacement, for example wigs and toupées.
Hair loss is a common issue among people that can be caused by a variety of medical conditions including autoimmune diseases such as alopecia or systemic conditions like cancer. I recognise not only the physical impact, but also the psychological impact, that hair loss can have on a person’s life. This new grant should help improve the quality of life of those who need it.
Approximately 2.25 million people qualify for Treatment Benefit, but it is difficult to estimate the level of take-up of this new benefit. For example, 25,000 people get diagnosed with invasive cancer annually and up to 2,000 of them may apply for the grant. The estimated cost of the new grant is €1 million per year.
Officials in my Department are currently addressing requirements for providers and claimants. The details will be available in advance of the introduction of the grant.
The terms of the new grant are aligned with the equivalent HSE scheme for medical card holders, which does not cover the loss of eyebrows and eye lashes. As this is a new grant under the Treatment Benefit scheme, I do not propose to extend it beyond the HSE terms at this point; however, I will keep the matter under consideration in light of experience, and I thank the Deputy for bringing this to my attention.
155. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Social Protection when an appeal for backdated State pension (contributory) will be finalised considering that the appeal has been ongoing since August 2021; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8578/22]
View answerThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 3 August 2021. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant papers and comments by or on behalf of the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought from the Department of Social Protection. Those papers were received in the Social Welfare Appeals Office on 6 October 2021 and the case was referred on 11 October 2021 to an Appeals Officer .
The Appeals Officer will make a summary decision on the appeal based on the documentary evidence presented or, if necessary, hold an oral hearing. A decision on this case will be issued as soon as possible.
The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department and is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
156. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if her Department will consider implementing a policy that would see those on the disability allowance automatically entitled to the fuel allowance rather than basing the payment on a means test. [8581/22]
View answerThe Fuel Allowance is a payment of €33.00 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924 each year) from October to April, at an estimated cost of €366 million in 2022. It is estimated that up to 400,000 households will benefit from this payment in 2022. The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs. The allowance represents a contribution towards the energy costs of a household. It is not intended to meet those costs in full. Only one allowance is paid per household.
The criteria for Fuel Allowance are framed in order to direct the limited resources available to the Department in as targeted a manner as possible. This ensures that the fuel allowance payment goes to those who are more vulnerable to fuel poverty including those reliant on social protection payments for longer periods and who are unlikely to have additional resources of their own. The €120 a week means limit is significantly higher that the weekly fuel allowance rate of €33.00.
The Deputy should note that a person who is in receipt of a qualifying non-contributory means tested payment such as Disability Allowance is accepted as satisfying the means-test. Fuel Allowance could only be refused on means grounds because of the means of another member of the household.
Any decision to extend the fuel allowance scheme, to allow people on Disability Allowance to automatically receive the payment, would significantly change the nature of the scheme and almost certainly lead to calls for other qualifying payments to be treated in the same manner. Significant extra funding would also be required and accordingly, it could only be considered in the context of overall budgetary negotiations.
Under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme, my Department may provide Exceptional Needs Payments, which may be made to help meet an essential, once-off cost which customers are unable to meet out of their own resources, and this may include exceptional heating costs. Decisions on such payments are made on a case-by-case basis.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
157. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Social Protection when the appeal in respect of the jobseeker’s allowance application by a person (details supplied) will be decided; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8588/22]
View answerThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 21 January 2022. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant papers and comments by or on behalf of the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought from the Department of Social Protection. Those papers were received in the Social Welfare Appeals Office on 31 January 2022 and the case was referred to an Appeals Officer on 9 February 2022 .
The Appeals Officer will make a summary decision on the appeal based on the documentary evidence presented or, if necessary, hold an oral hearing.
The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department and is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
158. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Social Protection if a half-rate carers allowance will be paid to either party of a married couple (details supplied); and her views on the practical way this can be achieved. [8624/22]
View answerCarer's allowance (CA) is a means-tested social assistance payment, made to persons who are providing full-time care and attention to a person who has such a disability that they require that level of care.
If a person is in receipt of another social welfare payment in their own right (other than unemployment payments or supplementary welfare allowance) or being claimed as a qualified adult on their spouse/partner's payment, a half-rate CA can be paid too as long as all the normal conditions for receipt of CA are satisfied.
The person concerned is in receipt of full rate CA as they are not in receipt of another social welfare payment.
If the person concern wishes to apply for a qualified adult payment on their spouse’s disability allowance (DA) they should contact DA to apply for this and CA will be adjusted accordingly.
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
159. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Social Protection if a decision has been made on a jobseeker’s overpayment appeal in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8650/22]
View answerFollowing a review of this customer's Jobseekers claim, a revised decision was made, and an overpayment assessed by a Deciding Officer of my Department, which was notified to the customer. The customer subsequently appealed this decision to the Social Welfare Appeals Office.
The appeal is under consideration by the Social Welfare Appeals Office (SWAO) which has received a submission from the Department on the case. I am advised that the SWAO will issue its determination shortly.
I trust that this clarifies matters for the Deputy.
160. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons in receipt of the back to work enterprise allowance in County Clare in each of the years 2016 to 2021 in view of the difference in the figures in reply to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 934, 938, 939, 965, 969, 1007, 1011 and 1012 of 19 January 2022 and the reply to Parliamentary Question No. 970 of 19 January 2022 (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8819/22]
View answerThe Back to Work Enterprise Allowance (BTWEA) scheme offers support for people who are long-term unemployed and who are interested in self-employment as a route to entering the labour market. The scheme plays a vital role in supporting the development of new enterprises for the long term unemployed and is payable for a 24-month period from the commencement of their new business.
The Short Term Enterprise Allowance scheme (STEA) is designed to provide support for someone who loses their job and qualifies for Jobseeker’s Benefit and wants to start up a new business. The STEA is payable for the duration of the participants Jobseekers Benefit claim, which can be paid for up to 9 months.
The difference in the information provided in reply to Parliamentary Question Nos. 934, 938, 939, 965, 969, 1007, 1011 and 1012 of 19 January 2022 and the reply to Parliamentary Question No. 970 of 19 January 2022 arose from the inclusion of the STEA recipient numbers in the answer to the latter question.
The following table sets out the number of persons in receipt of both BTWEA and the STEA in County Clare as of 31 December in each of the years 2016 to 2021 inclusive.
|
Year |
BTWEA |
STEA |
Total number of participants participating in County Clare as of 31 December in each year |
|
2016 |
424 |
8 |
432 |
|
2017 |
339 |
9 |
348 |
|
2018 |
207 |
6 |
213 |
|
2019 |
135 |
11 |
146 |
|
2020 |
88 |
3 |
91 |
|
2021 |
81 |
14 |
95 |
I trust this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
161. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Social Protection the annual cost of the salaries of any recently appointed ministerial Garda drivers to her Department; the cost of the annual salary of the existing civilian Garda drivers in her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9036/22]
View answerI do not currently have any Ministerial Garda drivers employed in my Department.
The appointment of civilian drivers in my Department are made in line with the Government guidelines “Instructions to HR Managers on Ministerial Appointments for the 33rd Dáil” and the “Guidelines on the Staffing of Ministerial Offices for the 33rd Dáil’’.
I have responsibility for both the Department of Social Protection and the Department of Rural and Community Development. The Department of Social Protection meets the cost of one of my civilian drivers and one civilian driver for Minister of State O’Brien, who has been assigned certain responsibilities in this Department.
The annual salary for the two civilian drivers concerned is €38,678.95 each per annum.
162. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will provide a schedule of foreign travel episodes arranged by his Department for elected representatives, Ministers and their staff and-or special advisers since 1 January 2018 to date in 2022; and if he will provide a schedule of locations of the travel arranged or advised on, to include the final destination of travel episode, by year, and the full cost of same. [8500/22]
View answerMy office is compiling the data requested by the Deputy, and I will respond in due course.
163. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the way that the once-off transition fund will work; if it will be based on the employment wage subsidy scheme model; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8570/22]
View answerBudget 2022 announced a once-off Transition Fund for Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) providers to be paid in the period between the cessation of the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS) and the introduction of the new Core Funding stream.
Between May and August 2022, ELC and SAC providers will have access to this Transition Fund. The primary conditionality attached to access the Transition Fund will be that providers do not increase their fees above levels charged in September 2021.
A weekly value will be determined for each service based on their location, size and service type. Services will receive this funding in respect of the weeks during which they are open. There will be a simple application process for providers which will be available in April.
The basis for calculating the Transition Fund will be different from the Revenue-administered EWSS.
Further communications will issue to ELC and SAC providers in the coming weeks.
164. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the way that the core funding will operate; the criteria for core funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8571/22]
View answerThe recommendations of an Expert Group to develop a new funding model for early learning and childcare were adopted by Government in December. This marks a new departure in State funding of the sector and is a significant step towards ensuring high-quality, affordable, sustainable and accessible services.
The Expert Group report informed the transformative package of measures for the sector committed in Budget 2022, including the new Core Funding stream. Core Funding will operate from September 2022 to support improved quality, affordability, and sustainability.
Core Funding will be available to registered early learning and childcare providers, including full day care providers, ECCE-only providers, and stand-alone school-age providers, subject to the service agreeing to come into contract for the scheme. It will be a payment directly to services who choose to participate in the scheme.
The total available budget for Core Funding is equivalent to €207 million in a full programme year, contingent on an Employment Regulation Order being agreed by the Joint Labour Committee. Core Funding will be allocated to services based on their capacity and the qualifications of those working in a service in line with the following three elements, with the majority of Core Funding (i.e. €172 million of the €207 million) distributed via the first of these elements:
Main Base Rate
Number of child places in an age group * Value based on ratio that applies to age group * Hours of operation per week * Weeks open per year
Graduate Lead Educator Uplift
Applied at room level, scaling in line with hours per week and weeks per year group is operating (Maximum one Graduate Lead Educator uplift per ELC room)
Graduate Manager Uplift
Applied at service level, scaling in line with hours per week and weeks per year service is operating (Maximum one Graduate Manager uplift per service)
Higher levels of funding will be available for capacity for younger children, to support the higher operating costs for these children arising from the higher staff ratio requirements.
Participation in Core Funding for early learning and childcare will require a commitment not to increase fees to parents from September 2021 rates in return for the increased State funding. This feature of the scheme will ensure that parents feel the full affordability benefits of the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) and the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme. Services will also be required to offer the NCS and/or the ECCE programme to all eligible children/parents, in line with their operations.
Services will also be invited to report on the quality development measures they are pursuing.
A Ready Reckoner to support services to determine the potential value of Core Funding will be available in early March along with further communications to the sector about the funding and the full contract requirements.
In the interim period, until April 2022, Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare employers continue to be eligible to access the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS) which has provided very substantial investment in the sector since August 2020. Following the cessation of EWSS, ELC and SAC providers will have access to a Transition Fund between May and August in advance of the introduction of Core Funding from September.
The level of investment being made available for Core Funding is an acknowledgement that high quality early learning and childcare costs more than the current income to the sector.
The aim of Core Funding is to allow providers’ costs to increase to improve quality but to ensure these costs are not passed onto parents in fees and that services are not made unsustainable.
This is the start of a multi-annual investment plan and is part of Government’s commitment to realising the First 5 target of investment of approximately €1 billion by 2028. Core Funding introduces a strategic way of funding the sector and begins to implement the recommendations of the Expert Group to develop a new funding model.
165. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if the core funding will be based on capacity rather than attendance; the way that this will be regulated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8572/22]
View answerCore Funding will be allocated to services based on their capacity and the qualifications of those working in a service, with the large majority of Core Funding to be allocated based on capacity. Capacity is a measure of the places being offered and the number of hours of service being provided.
Calculation of the capacity of a service takes into account the regulatory requirements. Under the Regulations, the number of places a service can offer depends on the size of rooms and the age of the children. It also depends on the number of staff present, with staff:child ratio requirements linked to the age of children. Services will declare the capacity they offer and a Core Funding value will be calculated based on that capacity. A service’s Core Funding will then scale depending on the opening hours and weeks of the service.
The structure of Core Funding is based on the recommendations of the Expert Group on the new funding model for Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare. Structuring it in this way means that services will have an allocation each year that will not fluctuate in line with children's attendance.
166. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if services will continue to receive individual payments for children through the NCS. [8575/22]
View answerWhile the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) is an initiative of my Department, a Scheme Administrator has been engaged to manage the operation of the Scheme on my Department’s behalf. Pobal acts in this capacity as Scheme Administrator, and makes payments to providers in respect of all children who are in receipt of an NCS subsidy.
NCS subsidies can only be paid once an application is successfully completed and a ‘CHICK’ (Child Identifier Code Key) has been registered with a childcare provider. The parent must also confirm on the system that all details are correct.
It is a key aspect of the Scheme that all claims are paid in arrears based on the attendance of a child. This is a key financial and governance control to ensure that we are maximising the benefits of public monies and that the investment is following the child.
Further information and resources for parents and providers is available at www.ncs.gov.ie.
167. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his plans to include breastfeeding equipment and supplies as part of the upcoming pilot of the baby box initiative; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8592/22]
View answerPiloting of a "baby box" initiative for new-borns is an action in the First 5 A Whole-of -Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families 2019-2028. This pilot is one initiative as part of a wide ranging strategy addressing various aspects of the lives of children from birth to age five including supports for parents to balance working and caring, developments in early learning and care and health initiatives.
The pilot will undertake research and consultation to determine items for inclusion in the box, informed by the commitments in the First 5 strategy, and these may include safety items, toys to support early development and books.
Key objectives of the initiative and linked communications include advice and support to help mothers to begin, and to continue, breastfeeding. The final content of the box is being decided; however it will contain a manual breast pump, nipple cream, nursing pads, and important breastfeeding information provided by the HSE. These items will be trialled and evaluated as part of the pilot, in order to gain feedback directly from parents, caregivers, and healthcare professionals and gain recommendations for a future national rollout.
Once the learning from the pilot has been considered, the next steps to achieve a national rollout can be agreed.
168. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he plans to enhance funding streams to the ECCE sector. [8618/22]
View answerA review of the ECCE programme which is due to commence shortly. The review will give an opportunity to providers and parents to express their concerns and will also inform the future development of the programme.
The review will also give a range of stakeholders, including providers and parents, offering an opportunity to not only highlight the strengths of the programme as it has evolved in recent years but also identify potential barriers or unintended consequences that may have emerged as the programme has evolved. This review will then be considered by Government and form the basis of any future changes to the scheme.
The Deputy may also be aware of the recommendations of an Expert Group to develop a new funding model for early learning and childcare, which were adopted by Government in December. This marks a new departure in State funding of the sector and is a significant step towards ensuring high-quality, affordable, sustainable and accessible services.
The Expert Group report informed the transformative package of measures for the sector committed in Budget 2022, including the Core Funding stream. Core Funding will operate from September 2022 to support improved quality, affordability, and sustainability.
Core Funding will be worth up to €69 million in 2022, equivalent to €207 million in a full year.
169. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if his attention has been drawn to staff shortages and-or the ability to retain workers in the ECCE sector; if he and his officials are developing a strategy in order to assist employers to attract and retain workers to the ECCE sector; if he has engaged with the Minister for Higher Education in the context of providing further education on a much-reduced basis for workers in the sector or those with ambition to enter the early learning sector. [8619/22]
View answerMany early learning and care and school-age childcare services report staffing and recruitment difficulties, with increased pressures recently as a result of COVID-19.
In general, staffing pressures in the sector are caused not by insufficient supply of qualified personnel, but by high levels of staff turnover, compounded more recently by high numbers of COVID-19 cases and individuals self-isolating. Recruitment and staff retention difficulties are undoubtedly linked to poor terms and conditions, with for example the average pay for non-managerial staff being €12.60 per hour in 2021.
As the State does not employ early years educators or school-age childcare practitioners, I cannot set wage levels or determine working conditions for staff in the sector. My Department has, however, over a number of years provided a range of supports to service providers to enable them to improve wages and working conditions.
In December last, I published Nurturing Skills, the Workforce Plan for Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare, 2022 to 2028. Actions in Nurturing Skills to develop career pathways and promote careers in the sector will complement efforts to improve pay and conditions of employment, to make the sector more attractive to potential workers.
One of the key pillars of Nurturing skills is raising qualification levels in the workforce. To achieve this objective, actions in the plan include providing funded places on flexible education programmes at levels 6 to 8 on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) for early years educators and level 5 for SAC practitioners, and providing financial support to service providers to help meet the costs of releasing staff to go on student practice placements and study leave. My Department will be working collaboratively with both the Department of Education and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to deliver this objective.
A key enabler for Nurturing Skills is the Joint Labour Committee for Early Years Services. I began a process in December 2020, which examined the possibility of regulating pay and conditions and the suitability of a Joint Labour Committee for the sector. This process culminated in the establishment of a Joint Labour Committee, which began meeting in December 2021.
In Budget 2022, I announced a new Core Funding stream which, among other objectives, will support service providers to meet new higher rates of pay that may be negotiated through the Joint Labour Committee.
I am also committed to supporting providers in responding to current challenges. Over recent weeks, a Sub-Group of the Early Learning and Childcare Stakeholder Forum was convened to discuss immediate staffing pressures resulting from COVID-19 and additional measures that may be needed.
One proposal which was agreed is a temporary measure that was in place during December and January specifically to help services respond to COVID-19-related staffing shortages through the temporary employment of students on recognised courses of study who are deemed to have achieved the equivalent of a level 5 qualification in early learning and care.
170. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he has engaged with representatives of owners of childcare facilities in the context of mitigating cost inflation of services and ways to reduce the need to increase costs for parents using ECCE and creche services. [8620/22]
View answerEnsuring improved affordability of Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare (ELC and SAC) for parents is a key priority for Government. I am also very conscious of the pressure that ELC and SAC providers are under regarding their operating costs.
As part of Budget 2022, I was pleased to announce that Government investment in ELC and SAC next year will reach €716 million.
From September 2022, a major new funding stream - Core Funding - will be introduced. Under the new funding stream, in return for a commitment that fees to parents will not increase, providers will be supported in meeting their operating costs, including increased costs related to improved quality measures. The funding will support the quality of services by better enabling providers to attract and retain qualified staff; establish career structures; introduce or improve other features of provision that are demonstrated to contribute to quality (e.g. non-contact time, planning, training, curriculum implementation). It is important to support services with staff costs, which comprise approximately 68% of a service's operating costs. Core Funding will also contribute to cost increases related to non-staff costs (for example, utilities, rent).
Core Funding will ensure that services remain sustainable in the context of a commitment not to increase fees. In a full year, €207m will be available for providers under this new funding stream.
Budget 2022 also announced that the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS) would continue to be available to the ELC and SAC sector. Employers in the sector have been entitled to access the EWSS, with an exemption from the requirement to demonstrate the 30% drop in turnover that applies to other sectors since August 2020. Between October 2020 and January 2022 the enhanced rate of EWSS equalled €34 million, per month, for ELC providers, covering, on average, 80% staff costs or 50% total operating costs.
From 1 February 2022, the original two-rate structure of €203 per week and €151.50 per week applies; this amounts to €22 million per month for ELC providers, covering, on average, 50% staff costs or 38% total operating costs.
For March and April 2022 the flat rate subsidy of €100 per week will apply and the scheme will end on 30 April 2022; this amounts of €11 million per month in the sector, and will cover, on average, 25% staff costs or 11% total operating costs.
Between the end of the EWSS and the introduction of Core Funding, a Transition Fund will be in place to support providers. The main conditionality of access to the Transition Fund will be that services do not increase the fees charged to parents above September 2021 levels. The sum paid to each service under the Transition Fund will depend on the service’s capacity, location, and service type.
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 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. I encourage providers to contact their local City/County Childcare Committee if they require any further information or support: myccc.ie/.
171. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the steps that are being taken to ensure that all community after-school services will continue to deliver the vital services in their localities as the national childcare service model and its funding plan is implemented. [8693/22]
View answerMy Department does not provide early learning and care or afterschool services. Services are required to register with Tulsa and can then apply for funding under various funding schemes administered by my Department. The National Childcare Scheme, or NCS, provides financial support for many parents to help with childcare costs.
The NCS provides universal and income-assessed subsidies to parents.
The NCS is designed to be highly inclusive and to meet the needs of those families who need it the most. The NCS is based on the principle of progressive universalism and has regard to the best interests of children.
Currently a universal subsidy of 50cents per hour is available for children up to three, for up to 45 hours per week and an income-assessed subsidy is available for children of all ages for up to 45 hours per week, the level of which is determined by the family’s income.
Following Budget 2022, two significant reforms will be introduced to the operation of the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) in the coming months. It is intended that these reforms will make it possible for significantly more families to benefit from the NCS.
The first change is the discontinuation of the practice of deducting hours spent in ECCE or school from the entitlement to NCS subsidised hours from Spring 2022. With this change, parents will be able to avail of all NCS subsidised hours regardless of time spent in school or ECCE. This will be of particular benefit in reducing the cost of after-school services to parents, which will in turn support the sustainability of community after-school services.
The second reform relates to the universal subsidy. This will be made available to all families with children up to the age of 15 from September 2022. Parents do not have to undergo an assessment to avail of this subsidy. The universal subsidy provides €0.50 cent per hour towards the cost of a registered place up to a maximum of 45 hours a week, which totals €1,170 per annum.
Furthermore, from September 2022, a major new Core Funding stream will be introduced. Under Core Funding providers will be supported in meeting their operating costs, including increased costs related to improved quality measures, in return for a commitment that fees to parents will not increase. The commitment not to increase fees will ensure that the full affordability benefits of the ECCE programme and the NCS are felt by parents.
€69 million is being made available for Core Funding next year, equivalent to €207 million in a full year. This is an estimated increase of 16% in the total annual income to the sector.
In advance of the introduction of Core Funding, a Transition Fund will be available to providers, also contingent on an agreement not to increase fees from September 2021 levels. This fund will operate between May and August 2022 between the end of the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (April 2022) and the introduction of Core Funding (September 2022).
This package marks the beginning of an important and transformative multi-annual investment programme. It achieves significant progress on the commitment to increase spending on ELC and SAC and will deliver substantial improvements in affordability, quality, inclusion and sustainability.
172. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the providers of community after-school services believe that the implementation of the national childcare service funding model of 50c per hour per child will lead to the closure of many such services and thus affect the education and well-being of nearly 500 children in Dublin 8; if there are proposals forthcoming which will help plug the funding gap; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8694/22]
View answer173. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will ensure (details supplied) which comprises of projects delivering vital after-school supports within communities to over 500 children from highly marginalised areas which face multiple inequities including educational inequality and poverty that their access to after school services will not be negatively affected by the forthcoming changes in funding model of such services especially with the employment wage subsidy scheme about to conclude in April 2022. [8695/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 172 and 173 together.
The recommendations of an Expert Group on a new funding model for Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare (ELC and SAC) were adopted by Government in December. The new funding model marks a new departure in State funding of the sector and is a significant step towards ensuring high-quality, affordable, sustainable and accessible services.
Budget 2022 has ensured an additional €78m for ELC and SAC, which will support my Department to introduce a range of new measures in the upcoming year. The Expert Group report informed this package of measures for the sector. The report emphasises the importance of a unified approach across the sector – both Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare – and this will be applied in the new funding model.
Among these measures are reforms to the National Childcare Scheme (NCS), which will be of significant benefit to many parents.
Specifically, the practice of deducting hours spent in the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme or school from the entitlement to NCS subsidised hours will be discontinued in 2022.
Where both parents in a household are in work or study, eligible families can receive a subsidy for up to 45 hours per week and, for households where a parent is not in work or study, they can receive up to 20 hours per week of subsidy. Currently, where a child is in ECCE or school, these hours are subtracted from their entitlement to NCS subsidised hours.
With the change announced in Budget 2022, parents will be able to avail of all NCS subsidised hours regardless of time spent in school or ECCE.
It is anticipated that this will benefit an estimated 5,000 children from low-income families.
Additionally, the NCS universal subsidy will be extended to all families with children under 15 years of age. This is a significant expansion of the NCS, as currently the universal subsidy is available to children between the ages of 24 weeks and 36 months, and is payable for a child who is older than 36 months but does not yet qualify for ECCE. The extension of the universal subsidy will benefit up to 40,000 children.
These changes to the NCS were will increase the overall number of subsidised hours available to families with school-aged children, and may make SAC a more attractive option for parents.
Additionally, a new Core Funding stream will operate from September 2022 to support improved quality, affordability, and sustainability. Core Funding will be available to registered ELC and SAC providers, including full day care providers, ECCE-only providers, and stand-alone school-age providers, subject to the service agreeing to come into contract for the scheme.
The new Core Funding stream for both ELC and SAC services to support improved quality, affordability, and sustainability and the establishment of an Employment Regulation Order, will be worth up to €69 million in 2022 and up to €207 million from 2023 on. Participation in Core Funding will require services not to increase fees to parents from the September 2021 rates.
The calculation of the value of Core Funding to an individual provider will be predominantly based on the level of capacity that they commit to offering during the contract period, meaning providers will have a stable income source based on the service they deliver. The value of Core Funding to a provider will also depend on the qualifications of those working in the service.
Prior to the introduction of Core Funding, a Transition Fund will be available to ELC and SAC services from May to August inclusive, to support services during the period between the phasing out of the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS) in April and the introduction of the new Core Funding stream in September.
The Expert Group's report also addressed the role that ELC and SAC can play in contributing to tackling disadvantage and made a series of recommendations on how the funding model can support this goal through a combination of universal and targeted measures for services operating in the context of disadvantage.
Budget 2022 began the implementation of the Expert Group’s recommendations. Full implementation of all recommendations will be progressed in the coming years as additional funding is secured through the annual Estimates process.
I would also add that the Department oversees a Case Management process through which local City and County Childcare Committees (CCCs) and Pobal work together to assess and provide support to ELC and SAC services experiencing difficulties. This can include help with completing and interpreting analysis of staff ratios and cash flow, as well as more specialised advice and support appropriate to individual circumstances.
Financial supports, which may also be accessed through the Case Management process, are available for community services presenting with sustainability issues following a financial assessment by Pobal. All services who require support should contact their local CCC in the first instance.
