Thursday, 7 Jul 2022

Written Answers Nos. 124-138

Disability Services

Questions (124)

Holly Cairns

Question:

124. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the process that he has in place to closely consult with and actively involve persons with disabilities, including children with disabilities through their representative organisations in the development and implementation of legislation and policies relating to persons with disabilities as required under article 4 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. [36288/22]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth

Ireland is a party to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), following ratification in March 2018. Under this Convention, the effective participation of, and consultation with, persons with disabilities, including children, in the development and implementation of policy and legislation is essential.

I am committed to fulfilling Ireland's obligations in this regard by ensuring that policies and legislation are underpinned by robust and wide-ranging consultation with people with disabilities. In this regard, the approach represented by the phrase “nothing about us without us” is a core principle of my Department's approach.

There are currently a number of mechanisms and structures in place to provide for the involvement of people with disabilities, Disabled Persons Organisations (DPOs) and other representative organisations in the development and implementation of policy and legislation.

The Disability Participation and Consultation Network (DPCN) was established to support the fulfilment of Ireland’s obligations under the UNCRPD. The DPCN aims to provide persons with a disability and Disabled Persons Organisations (DPOs) with the opportunity to be directly consulted and actively engaged in a meaningful and committed way in policy development. It is envisioned that, as it grows, the DPCN will provide the basis for effective and wide-ranging engagement with persons with a disability, their representative organisations, other disability organisations, and disability experts, including experts by experience.

My Department also seeks to engage with people with disabilities through regular public consultations. Recent examples include the extensive consultation conducted with people with disabilities, DPOs, representative organisations, and families in developing Ireland’s Initial State Report on the implementation of the UNCRPD, which was submitted to the UN Committee in November 2021. As part of this process, a specific consultation session was convened to ensure that the voice of children with disabilities was heard as part of the wider consultation process.

Consultation is also at the centre of current efforts to develop a national Autism Innovation Strategy. A public consultation, including easy to read versions of documents, was launched to inform the development of the strategy in April 2022, followed by an expression of interest process to appoint an Oversight and Advisory Group to oversee implementation of the strategy. Particular importance is being placed on involving people with autism and members of the neurodiverse community. A further public consultation will be held prior to the finalisation of this strategy.

In relation to implementation, my Department works closely with members of the Disability Stakeholder Group in monitoring implementation of our national disability strategies - the National Disability Inclusion Strategy and the Comprehensive Employment Strategy. The Disability Stakeholder Group is comprised of members of disability organisations, including DPOs, and individuals with expertise in disability matters, including those lived experience of disability.

I will continue to prioritise the full inclusion and active participation of people with disabilities, including children, in national policy-making processes.

Asylum Seekers

Questions (125)

Brendan Griffin

Question:

125. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the way he plans to cope with providing accommodation for asylum seekers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36721/22]

Written answers

Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth

I would like to assure you, Deputy, that providing accommodation to all people who avail of the International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) of this Department is of the highest priority for me and for my Department. My officials have been working tirelessly to source accommodation in the context of the increasing accommodation pressures.

Since the lifting of international travel restrictions post-COVID 19, there has been a significant increase of new arrivals seeking international protection (IP) in Ireland, with an average of 1,070 people per month making applications since January. The pace of arrivals is unprecedented.

This has coincided with the war in Ukraine, and in additional to those seeking IP, over 39,000 refugees have come to Ireland under the Temporary Protection Directive, with almost 27,000 of those now accommodated by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.

In the immediate term, it has been necessary to create a temporary resting area in Citywest. The temporary resting area consists of a seating area and dormitory style accommodation with beds and showering facilities. Applicants move from the facility as soon as alternative accommodation is available for them.

IPAS is contracting additional accommodation weekly for international protection applicants. It has sought expressions of interest from contractors interested in providing accommodation for international protection applicants over the next six months. It has also moved Ukrainian beneficiaries of temporary protection from all international protection hotels so to create as much accommodation as possible for international protection applicants. However, IPAS is continuing to experience acute accommodation shortage. It is expected that this will continue over the summer during the tourist high season.

In the medium term, the request for tender (RFT), published on 18 January 2022, seeks to procure additional accommodation for singles, couples and families seeking international protection.

This tender process is a key plank in my Department’s strategy to end reliance on emergency accommodation and will assist in alleviating the accommodation pressures currently being experienced. The RFT encourages tenders from not-for-profit organisations and promotes tenderers to work with not-for-profit organisations in the delivery of related services.

A higher than expected number of submissions were received by the deadline of 21 February 2022. The compliance check process commenced on 28 February but was subsequently delayed due to the Ukrainian refugee situation. The compliance check has now recommenced and the tenders are currently being evaluated, with the aim of bringing successful tenders on stream as soon as possible.

In addition, an advertisement will issue from IPAS shortly seeking offers from providers nationwide to accommodate international protection applicants on an emergency basis. The aim is to increase potential accommodation capacity for international protection applicants.

Early Childhood Care and Education

Questions (126)

Dara Calleary

Question:

126. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of ELC and SAC providers who have closed down in each of the past five years and to date in 2022, by county in tabular form; the steps he intends to address any increase in closures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36694/22]

Written answers

Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth

Every year it is normal for some Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) services to close while other new services open. Services close for a wide variety of reasons including retirement of owners or other personal circumstances.

Tusla is the independent statutory regulator for the sector. Services intending to close must notify Tusla within 28 days of closure. The number of reported closures of ELC services for the period 2017-2021 and to the end of May 2022 is as follows:

Tusla

My Department is currently leading an ambitious programme of reforms in the ELC and SAC sector. This reform agenda is underpinned by a significant increase in investment with the additional €78 million I secured in Budget 2022 bringing investment in the sector to a record €716 million.

We will continue to build on this in Budget 2023 and into the future with the aim of reaching the Government commitment of investing at least €1 billion a year by 2028. This significant investment will help to sustain high quality ELC and SAC services into the future.

Equality Issues

Questions (127)

Colm Burke

Question:

127. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his Department’s current working projects to tackle harassment perpetrated on the LGBTQ+ community; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35704/22]

Written answers

Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth

The Government is committed to achieving its vision of a safe, fair and inclusive Ireland where people are supported to flourish and to live inclusive, healthy and fulfilling lives, whatever their sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or sex characteristics. Ireland’s first National LGBTI+ Inclusion Strategy 2019-2022, published in November 2019, is the primary policy vehicle to achieve this vision.

The Strategy pursues objectives under four thematic pillars providing a vision of an Ireland where LGBTI+ people are visible and included, treated equally, healthy and feel safe and supported. It includes over 100 actions aimed at making progress towards these high-level objectives.

To offset delays in the strategy's implementation due to the public health emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, I extended its lifetime into 2022. Work is continuing this year on the implementation of the strategy. The strategy will be reviewed next year as part of the process of developing a successor.

In relation to specific actions to keep the community safe; action 21 of the strategy aims to ensure that Ireland has robust legislation and supports in place to combat hate crime, and encourages people to report it. The Department of Justice and An Garda Síochána lead on this action, and have introduced several measures to protect LGBTI+ people including changes to the recording of motives on the Garda PULSE system and the implementation of an online hate crime reporting tool.

It is expected that the Department of Justice will publish the Hate Crime Bill in the coming months. The Bill will create new, aggravated forms of certain existing criminal offences, where those offences are motivated by prejudice against a protected characteristic. The protected characteristics identified in the General Scheme are race, colour, nationality, religion, ethnic or national origin, sexual orientation, gender, and disability. The Employment Equality Acts also provide protection against harassment in the workplace, including against members of the LGBTQ+ community.

In addition, my Department recently commissioned research aimed at capturing the views and experiences of people who have been subjected to the practice of conversion therapy in Ireland. This qualitative research which commenced in February 2022 is expected to be completed in Autumn 2022, and will assist the Government in developing legislation to ban the practice of conversion therapy. My Department will also examine international good practice in this regard.

Question No. 128 answered with Question No. 105.

Departmental Strategies

Questions (129)

James O'Connor

Question:

129. Deputy James O'Connor asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the status of the successor to the Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures: the National Policy Framework for children and young people 2014-2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36700/22]

Written answers

Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth

Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures – The National Policy Framework for Children and Young People, 2014-2020 concluded at the end of 2020. A final Annual Report for 2020 was published on 20 January 2022, along with updates to the policy framework indicator set.

Recently, my Department concluded a public consultation on the policy framework which invited children and young people, parents, professionals working in this sector and others to have their say on what is going well and not well for children and young people, as well as identify priorities for the new framework. This is part of an on-going consultative process for the framework, to ensure it reflects the priorities of children and young people and all those who support them, and building on the extensive consultations carried out by my Department in recent years.

I recently approved the approach to the new policy framework, which is intended to inform cross government work for children and young people over the period 2023-2028. The framework aims to place children and young people at the centre of policy, while also addressing the most pressing issues for children and young people now and over the lifetime of the framework.

The new policy framework will take a rights based approach, aligned to the UNCRC in its principles and implementation measures. To allow time for the hearing before the UNCRC Committee which is now expected to take place in Q1 2023, I have approved the extension of the publication date to Q1 2023, which will allow any final gaps to be identified and provide a further confirmation on the approach.

Question No. 130 answered with Question No. 105.

Early Childhood Care and Education

Questions (131)

David Stanton

Question:

131. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No. 149 of 22 June 2022, the measures being taken by his Department to assist City, County Childcare Committees to provide crèche pre-school services in areas where there is unmet demand; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35385/22]

Written answers

Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth

Officials in my Department have recently engaged with the City and County Childcare Committee and they have identified the vacant rates and places in their catchment area.

The profile nationally of capacity shows the majority of enrolled and vacant places in Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare services is for pre-schoolers followed by school-age children and toddlers and babies. Overall, the proportion of places for babies and toddlers is higher in more urbanised counties, while demand for these places is very high.

As you are no doubt aware, the availability of high-quality early learning and childcare that is affordable and accessible is a key Government priority.

Since 2015, significant increases in State investment in early learning and childcare has given rise to a substantial growth in the numbers of children participating in these services. More than 100,000 children now participate on the universal pre-school programme on an annual basis and the National Childcare Scheme subsidises up to 80,000 children.

To ensure that the supply of early learning and childcare places meets demand, my Department has, since 2015, funded the creation of more than 27,000 new places through an Annual Capital Programme.

In addition to these efforts to monitor capacity issues across the country, my Department is planning a range of steps to address any issue of under supply. The new core-funding model, currently being rolled out at present, will provide funding for services aligned to costs of delivery so, for example, greater funding will be available to services that cater for younger children where costs of delivery are higher than older children. Some €70m has been allocated to my Department through the revised National Development Plan (NDP) – with the majority of this funding earmarked for new places. Another important step being taken by my Department, in partnership with the Department of Housing Planning and Local Government (DHPLG), is to update the 2001 Planning Guidelines for Local Authorities on Early Learning and Childcare Settings.

Last year I announced the National Action Plan for Childminding that sets out steps towards regulation, support and subsidies, for all paid, non-relative childminders. This plan will also support the engagement with many additional childminders that offer flexible, homebased care for children in their local communities.

In addition to these measures, the Childcare Committees, will proactively engage with early learning and childcare services to identify unused capacity and explore the potential for services in increase capacity where there is evidence of unmet early learning and childcare needs of families.

Departmental Strategies

Questions (132)

Joe Flaherty

Question:

132. Deputy Joe Flaherty asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will outline commitments under Ireland’s National Action Plan for the EU Child Guarantee; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36705/22]

Written answers

Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth

I am happy to report that Ireland's National Action Plan for the EU Child Guarantee was approved by Government on 31 May 2022. The Plan was subsequently submitted to the European Commission and published on both www.gov.ie and ec.europa.eu.

The National Action Plan sets out the responses to barriers identified by Departments, and informed by consultations with stakeholders, in the provision of services to children referred to in the EU Child Guarantee Recommendation.

In 2019, the European Commission announced the creation of an EU Child Guarantee with a view to ensuring that every child in Europe at risk of poverty or social exclusion has access to the most basic of rights like healthcare and education. The objective of the Child Guarantee is to prevent and combat social exclusion by guaranteeing the access of children in need to a set of key services.

Ireland’s National Action Plan details efforts, in accordance with the aims of the Guarantee, to address child poverty and social exclusion in Ireland and, in so doing, highlights key strategies currently in play. The key areas of the Plan refer to actions, objectives, targets and timelines - addressing some of the key barriers identified – in each of the sectors of Education, Early Years, Health, Nutrition and Housing. The successor framework to Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures, the National Framework for Children and Young People, will provide an enabling policy framework for the Action Plan.

The publication of the National Action Plan was an important first step in the implementation of the EU Child Guarantee. My Department is coordinating actions across Government in addition to holding responsibility for the delivery of actions contained in this Plan relating to Early Childhood Education and Care. The delivery of other key actions in the plan will be a matter for the parent Department holding policy and operational responsibility. In this regard, the Departments of Social Protection, Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Education and Health are critical stakeholders.

Identifying the most appropriate and effective structures to pursue the reforms necessary to improve outcomes for our most disadvantaged children and young people is a particular focus of work. In this regard, the new National Framework for Children and Young People, currently under development, and its cross-government and cross-sectoral engagement will inform the implementation of the Child Guarantee National Action Plan. I have recently approved an extension for the publication of that framework to Q1 2023. This will allow time for the hearing before the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (scheduled for early next year) and any emergent learning to inform, in a comprehensive manner, the development and finalisation process of the new Framework.

Children in Care

Questions (133)

Éamon Ó Cuív

Question:

133. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the rate of payment per week to foster parents for the care of foster children both from Tusla and from private agencies; the increase in this rate since 2008; the rate of household inflation since 2008; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36661/22]

Written answers

Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth

I would like to thank the Deputy for this question.

The Deputy may be aware that the Child Care (Placement of Children in Foster Care) Regulations 1995, and the Child Care (Placement of Children in Relative Foster Care) Regulations 1995, stipulate that the allowance payable to foster carers should not be less than an amount specified by the Minister.

The current rates were set in 2009. The foster care allowance is currently €325 per week for a child under 12 years of age and €352 per week for a child aged 12 years and over.

The foster care allowance was last increased in 2009. I am aware that from the start of 2008 to May 2022, the Consumer Price Index has increased by approximately 13%.

I have been informed by Tusla that the foster care allowances should be the same for children in Non-Statutory (Private) Foster Care as they are for children in Tusla Foster Care.

Tusla are in the process of developing a Strategic Plan on Foster Care 2022-2025 and I am aware that Tusla has recently engaged with foster carers in a consultation to inform the development of the Plan.

I have been advised by Tusla that disparities in the fostering allowances offered to statutory foster carers when compared to private foster carers were highlighted through this consultation process. I have been further advised that Tusla is monitoring the compliance of Service Level Agreements with the Private Foster Providers to ensure that private providers are adhering to the appropriate terms and conditions.

Through this consultation, I am also aware that foster carers highlighted their view that the foster care allowance should be reviewed in light of inflation and increases in social welfare allowances.

I look forward to the finalisation of this Plan and the opportunity that will then arise for my Department to engage with Tusla on issues relating to foster care.

Ukraine War

Questions (134)

Steven Matthews

Question:

134. Deputy Steven Matthews asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the position regarding the way his Department has scaled up to enable it to manage the humanitarian response to the Ukrainian war; the redeployments and restructuring that has taken place; the way the crisis is managed day to day; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36707/22]

Written answers

Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth

Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine on 24 February, and the invoking of the Temporary Protection Directive by the European Union shortly afterwards, my Department has worked intensively as part of the cross-government response to the Ukraine crisis.

The operational challenges brought about by responding to the conflict are significant. Our country has never experienced an influx of displaced persons like the one that we have seen over the past months.

My Department’s role is focused on the immediate, short-term accommodation needs of those who have fled here. To date, more than 39,000 people have arrived in Ireland and in excess of 29,000 have been referred to us seeking accommodation from the State.

My Department has contracted approximately 22,500 beds currently in hotels, guesthouses and B&Bs, hostels, self-catering accommodation and certain other repurposed settings with additional capacity also being pursued through accommodation pledged by the general public, state-owned or private properties which may be suitable for short-term accommodation, accommodation belonging to voluntary bodies, student accommodation, holiday homes, religious order properties and Local Authority facilities.

Within my Department, a dedicated Ukraine Response Division has been established. A total of 130 staff from internal and external sources have been assigned to support the department’s response. A large number of these staff have transferred from within the Department with consequent impacts on ongoing work priorities. The Division also includes newly recruited staff who speak Ukrainian and/or Russian, and those seconded from other Departments and Agencies.

Overseeing provision of accommodation on this scale during this timeframe for all those who require it remains immensely challenging. Due to the urgent need to source accommodation, a broad range of accommodation types have been contracted, including emergency accommodation. While this is not ideal, the priority is to place people fleeing the conflict in safe and secure accommodation. Numbers seeking international protection have also increased significantly, adding to accommodation capacity issues.

I want to recognise the hard work and commitment of Department staff in working to provide accommodation for so many people in such a short period, as well as maintaining work progress in other key areas. Many staff across my Department have volunteered their own time, at night and on weekends, to work in the transit hub in Citywest to provide that immediate welcome to people fleeing Ukraine as they arrive here. The Department and its staff will continue in their efforts to assist those arriving as best they can.

Question No. 135 answered with Question No. 113.

Early Childhood Care and Education

Questions (136)

John Paul Phelan

Question:

136. Deputy John Paul Phelan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the level of take-up for the Transition Fund for Early Years providers; the estimates of the way this payment is supporting providers with their sustainability; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35387/22]

Written answers

Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth

Ensuring financial stability of early learning and childcare services is a priority of Government. The Government has been strongly supportive of the sector, particularly since the onset of Covid-19.

The Transition Fund is in place to support providers between May and August 2022. The Transition Fund is designed to support the financial stability of services in the period between the end of Covid-19 supports under the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme and ahead of the introduction of the new Core Funding Scheme in September 2022.

I am pleased that approximately 95% of providers have now signed up to the Transition Fund.

The Transition Fund makes a contribution of 7% of each service's calculated income capacity in respect of the weeks that the service is open. This is a significant contribution to services' sustainability. On average, approximately 70% of providers' costs are made up of staff costs and approximately 30% of costs are made up of non-staff costs.

One measure of financial stability of the sector is the number of services that open and close. Current data on service closures and openings are not markedly different to the trend in previous years. Moreover, the data on service closures identify the wide range of reasons for these closures as reported by providers themselves, including retirement of owners or other personal circumstances. Only a minority are reported to be related to financial stability.

These data indicate that the Covid-19 supports and the Transition Fund have proven successful in providing financial stability to the sector.

The main contractual requirement for the Transition Fund is that fees remain at or below September 2021 levels for the duration of the scheme. This has provided important financial stability to parents.

I am encouraged that providers have shown such willingness to work in partnership with the State towards the shared goal of delivering affordable early learning and childcare for families.

The high uptake of the Transition Fund bodes well for the introduction of Core Funding in September. This is further underscored by the fact that 89% of providers have now completed a survey which is the first step to coming into contract for Core Funding.

Core Funding will contribute to services’ sustainability and will significantly increase income for the overwhelming majority of services and provide greater funding stability. Core Funding is open to all eligible providers subject to their agreement to the recently-published Funding Agreement. Becoming a Core Funding Partner Service is, of course, optional but I look forward to a very high proportion of providers becoming Partner Services.

As you can see, I am committed to putting in place a strong foundation to improve affordability for parents and sustainability for services, as well as improved quality of provision, including pay and conditions for the workforce. This foundation will allow for further developments in future years.

Question No. 137 answered with Question No. 105.

Question No. 138 answered with Question No. 112.