Written Answers Nos. 398-417
398. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the estimated cost to increase funding allocation to the early years and childcare learner bursary fund for 6,520 early years and childcare staff to all who currently hold an NQF level 5 to upskill to a level 7. [38500/22]
View answerExtrapolated data from the Annual Early Years Sector Profile 2020/2021 suggests that in 2021 there were approximately 26,200 staff working directly with children in Early Learning and Care (ELC) services, of whom 24.9% held a relevant Level 5 major award as their highest qualification, i.e. approximately 6,520 staff.
Currently the Learner Fund provides a bursary of €750 for staff who complete a relevant degree-level qualification (Level 7 or Level 8). If this same level of bursary were to be extended to the cohort referenced above, the cost would be €4.9 million to support 6,520 early years educators.
However, this would not mean that the degree-level qualification was free-of-charge for participants as my Department only partly funds early years educators to pursue a higher qualification under the Learner Fund. The full cost is significantly higher with a substantial proportion being borne by early years educators.
To estimate the cost of ensuring that the upskilling were free-of-charge to staff, a sample of relevant part-time degree programmes was examined, in which the annual fees were found to range from €3,150 to €4,990 per year. The Professional Award Criteria and Guidelines for Initial Professional Education (Level 7 and 8) degree programmes for the Early Learning and Care sector in Ireland, published in April 2019, set the standard of new Level 7 ELC qualifications at 3 years in duration. In the sample of degree programmes examined, the total cost per student would therefore range from €9,450 to €14,970. If this full cost were to be covered for 6,520 early years educators, the total cost to the State would be between €61.6 million and €97.6 million.
In December last, I published Nurturing Skills, the Workforce Plan for Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare, 2022 to 2028. Nurturing Skills commits to the provision of funded places on flexible education programmes at levels 6 to 8 for current early years educators. This new funding will support upskilling and strengthen career development pathways for those working in the sector, reducing the cost to educators of undertaking further and higher education qualifications.
The new funding scheme will also develop and introduce mechanisms for providing financial support to early learning and care services to help meet the costs of releasing staff to go on student practice placements and study leave. Plans for the new funding scheme are currently being developed.
399. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the estimated cost to increase the funding allocation to access and inclusion model programme by 15%. [38501/22]
View answerThe 2022 allocated budget for the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) is €45.55 million.
This funding covers the cost of the seven levels of AIM, which encompass a range of both universal and targeted supports for pre-school settings. This funding provides a programme of capital grants for specialised equipment, appliances, assistive technology and/or minor alterations for pre-school settings to ensure children with a disability can participate in the ECCE programme. It is also intended to facilitate either the recruitment of additional staff or to compensate services for a reduction in the adult-to-child ratio in the pre-school room, supporting the meaningful participation of all children in the room in the ECCE universal pre-school programme.
It provides access to therapeutic services where they are critical to enable a child to be enrolled and to meaningfully participate in the ECCE programme, and access to expert early year’s educational advice and support from a team of dedicated Early Years Specialists.
It also provides for continued development of a qualified and confident workforce through the provision of ongoing training courses such as Hanen and SPEL and provision of funding for training under the Leadership for Inclusion (LINC) training programme and employment of Inclusion Co-Ordinator (INCO) positions in ECCE sessions.
A 15% increase in funding for the overall Access and Inclusion Model would cost an additional €6.83 million per annum.
400. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of times that Tusla has issued apologies to persons or groups of persons in each of the past ten years (details supplied); if a list of dates upon which these apologies took place will be provided; and the general details of each case in tabular form. [38190/22]
View answerThe Deputy is referring to an operational matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. I have therefore referred the matter to Tusla, and asked that a direct response be provided to the Deputy.
401. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he plans to commence the assisted decision-making (capacity) Bill 2021 as soon as the President signs same into law; if there will be any lead-in time to full implementation of the legislation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38202/22]
View answerAn inter-departmental steering group has been in place to coordinate preparations for the commencement of the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) (Amendment) Bill and the original 2015 Act. A date for commencement will be decided upon having consulted with that Group and as the Amendment Bill nears completion in the Oireachtas. It is intended to commence the amended 2015 Act as soon as is possible following the enactment of the Amendment Bill.
The Government is committed to the abolition of wardship and to replacing it with a more person-centred and rights-based functional capacity model. The enactment of the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) (Amendment) Bill 2022 will allow for the commencement of the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015.
The Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015 (the 2015 Act) is a very important piece of legislation that changes the existing law on capacity from the status approach of the wardship system to a flexible and rights based functional approach, whereby capacity is assessed on an issue and time-specific basis and in a manner that explicitly respects the will and preference of the person being supported.
The Amendment Bill has been published and passed Dail Report Stage on 29 June. It will be introduced to the Seanad when the Houses resume in the autumn and will be progressed as quickly as possible in the autumn session. It is intended to have the Bill enacted, and the 2015 Act commenced, at the earliest possible opportunity.
Once the amended Act is commenced, the Decision Support Service will become fully operational. The Decision Support Service (DSS), which is the organisation that will operate the progressive provisions of the 2015 Act, will respond to the complex decision-making needs of people with capacity difficulties. The preparations of the Decision Support Service have gone well, and have been supported by an Inter-Departmental Steering Group. The DSS is in the process of finalising its own procedures for going live and will be ready to operate the progressive provisions of the new legislation when the legislation is commenced.
402. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will outline the medical and psychological supports which are provided for those seeking asylum, who may have difficult experiences to overcome as they seek to develop a new life, and in particular services to help divert people from alcohol or other substance dependencies and whether such services are delivered on site where larger numbers are accommodated together. [38208/22]
View answerFirst of all, I would like to assure you that the health and wellbeing of all people who avail of accommodation provided by this Department is of the highest priority to myself and my officials. All services for international protection (IP) applicants are mainstreamed. Applicants access health services through the same referral pathways as Irish citizens, including referrals to medical and psychological support services through primary care, GP referral and emergency services.
The International Protection Accommodation Service's (IPAS) response is based on needs that are identified through referrals to the Resident Welfare team. This team utilises community based services that specialise in supporting those that are misusing drugs and alcohol and any other psychological and welfare needs. Each referral is triaged and discussed with a social work team.
The social work team comprises of three social work team leaders. Upon discussion, it is decided that a member of the social work team complete a welfare check in respect of a IP applicant. This involves a conversation with the IP applicant, and can also include a separate conversation with the centre manager. The social work team leader undertaking the welfare check seeks consent from the IP applicant and then contacts appropriate local services/agencies that are able to assist issues/difficulties identified.
IPAS, through Vulnerability Assessments, identifies needs and supports for difficulties such as drug and alcohol dependency. The HSE Social Inclusion Officer may also be contacted to avail of any HSE supports. NGOs working with different centres are contacted to support the IP applicant. IPAS’s National Reception Centre (Balseskin) Medical Centre has psychology services that identifies dependency difficulties early and provides brief support for IP applicants when they are in the National Reception Centre and make onward referrals on dispersal if required.
I trust that that this information can provide you the necessary reassurance that the Government is committed to the welfare of all residents of accommodation centres.
403. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the salary of four roles within his Department (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38291/22]
View answerAll staff within my Department are paid in line with standard civil service pay scales. A list of these can be found here: https://civilservicepayscales.per.gov.ie.
404. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he intends to continue with the present system of funding for the your place your space scheme; and if his attention has been drawn to the concerns raised by community organisations that valuable networks could be damaged if the current system is changed. [38397/22]
View answer407. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if there will be no move away from the current agreed process of issuing a service requirement to each of the existing funded organisations towards a competitive tendering process for all the existing funded youth projects and services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38593/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 404 and 407 together.
The next cycle for UBU Your Place Your Space is due to start on 1 January 2024. This is to be preceded by an area profiling exercise and application process. UBU Your Place Your Space does allow for changes or improvements, as might be expected in a cyclical scheme. However, as regards the underlying policy, no change to the approach set out in the policy and operating rules has been proposed or agreed.
The function of the service requirement is set out in section 3.2 of the UBU Your Place Your Space Policy and Operating Rules, noting that it enables the ETB to set out priority needs of young people in a geographic area to organisations applying for funding under the scheme. Section 3.4 states that an area profiling exercise as prescribed by the Department is to be completed to produce service requirements in advance of the application process.
My Department is currently engaging with the Education and Training Boards in regard to the preparations for the next cycle of UBU Your Place Your Space.
405. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the actions that his Department and bodies under the aegis of his Department are taking to increase recruitment of members of the LGBTQIA+ communities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38403/22]
View answerMy Department does not recruit staff directly. The Public Appointments Service recruits all staff for my Department.
The agencies under the remit of my Department have been asked to respond directly to the Deputy on this matter.
406. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth when legislation that will enable the Health Information and Quality Authority to undertake inspections of direct provision centres will be before the Houses of the Oireachtas; if the Reception Conditions Directive 2013/33/EU is being considered in the process; if all direct provision centres will be covered under the legislation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38483/22]
View answerMy Department is currently working with the Health Information Quality Authority (HIQA) to implement the commitment for HIQA to monitor International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) centres against National Standards adopted in 2019 and in effect since the beginning of 2021.
Planning is well advanced on this process. My Department is currently engaging with HIQA on resources and staffing required by HIQA to undertake its monitoring role. In parallel with this process, detailed work is being undertaken by my Department, in consultation with Office of the Attorney General, to provide the necessary legal basis for HIQA's monitoring role. The Reception Conditions Directive 2013/33/EU is being considered in this process. The aim is that this will be done by means of regulation and that it would be published in the next Dail session.
HIQA's role will apply to all of IPAS's permanent centres. It will not apply to emergency centres as they are subject to separate contractual arrangements.
HIQA is progressing with preparations for commencement of this function. Part of the preparations include the development of the monitoring and inspection methodology. An Expert Advisory Group (EAG) has been established to inform this process and provide expert advice and feedback. This group comprises members from a range of different stakeholder organisations, service providers and service use, including the Head of IPAS and the Head of International Protection Accommodation Policy in the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. The first meeting of the EAG was 25 May 2022 and the second meeting was 29 June 2022, the next one is 27 July 2022.
IPAS accommodation centres are currently subject to regular unannounced inspections both by my officials in the International Protection Accommodation Service and by an independent inspectorate company (QTS Limited).
408. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his views on providing fully accessible changing places and toilet facilities open to the public in all buildings which his Department owns and public bodies and agencies under his remit to offer people with disabilities and carers a network of equipped spaces to take care of personal hygiene, in safety and comfort. [38713/22]
View answerI can inform the Deputy that my Department operates from two building locations, Miesian Plaza and Montague Court, neither of which are owned by my Department. These offices are not open to the public for the purpose of accessing services.
In respect of bodies under the aegis of my Department, I can advise the Deputy as follows:
|
Body |
Location |
|
Child and Family Agency (Tusla) |
Tusla will reply directly to the Deputy |
|
Adoption Authority of Ireland (AAI) |
The AAI will reply directly to the Deputy. |
|
Ombudsman for Children’s Office (OCO) |
The OCO will reply directly to the Deputy |
|
Children Detention School (Oberstown) |
Oberstown do not have a building that is open to the public for accessing services. |
|
Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) |
The IHREC will reply directly to the Deputy |
|
National Disability Authority (NDA) |
The NDA will reply directly to the Deputy |
|
An Gaisce |
An Gaisce will reply directly to the Deputy |
409. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the way that his Department and public bodies and agencies under his remit are implementing action 32 of the National Disability and Inclusion Strategy 2017-2021 (details supplied). [38731/22]
View answerConsulting and engaging with people with disabilities is an important obligation for the State under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and Action 32 of the National Disability Inclusion Strategy is a key driver of progress in this regard.
The Disability Participation and Consultation Network was established in late 2020 with funding from my Department in furtherance of Action 32 and relevant UNCRPD obligations. The purpose of the DPCN is to build capacity within the disability community and to create a mechanism through which people with disabilities and organisations of and for people with disabilities can participate fully in the development of law and policy in Ireland. The DPCN's first task was to bring the voices of people with disabilities into consultations on Ireland’s Initial State Report to the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, outlining our progress in implementing the Convention since its ratifying in 2018.
The DPCN have, since then, continued to build capacity across the disability community and have continued to facilitate consultations, making critical contributions into policy and law-making proesses across Departments.
I am committed to fulfilling Ireland's obligations under the UNCRPD in relation to engaging and consulting people with disabilities 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 to continuing to support the DPCN in furtherance of Action 32 of the National Disability Inclusion Strategy.
In addition to the DPCN, the architecture of the National Disability Inclusion Strategy includes ongoing engagement and consultation with the members of the Disability Stakeholder Group (DSG). The DSG is a monitoring group comprised of disability experts, including experts by experience and representatives of DPOs. The DSG attends the quarterly meetings of the National Disability Inclusion Strategy Steering Group (NDISSG) meetings, which I chair. DSG representatives also attend quarterly meetings of Departmental Consultative Committees, which are held in advance of the national meeting of the NDISSG and focus on progress under the NDIS at individual departmental level.
410. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will provide a breakdown of the current funding streams for childcare and of the additional funding provided in Budget 2022 and expected funding required in 2023 to maintain existing levels of service in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38751/22]
View answerIn Budget 2022, I secured an additional €78m in funding for early learning and care (ELC) and school-age childcare (SAC), bringing the total investment in the sector to €716m in 2022. This will allow my Department to bring forward a substantial and comprehensive package of developments to achieve significant progress on its policy priorities of affordable, high quality, inclusive and sustainable ELC and SAC.
The €716 million investment in ELC and SAC includes an available allocation of €73m for a new core funding stream for providers from September 2022, equivalent to €221 million for a full year.
This funding stream marks 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. The new core funding stream introduces a strategic new way of funding the sector and begins to implement the recommendations of the Expert Group to develop a new funding model.
A breakdown of the current funding streams is provided below:
|
Allocation |
2021 |
2022 |
|
B3 |
€ 334.5m |
€ 316.6m |
|
B4 |
€ 214.7m |
€ 208.7m |
|
B5 |
€ 88.7m |
€ 154.3m |
|
B10 |
n/a |
€ 37m |
|
Total |
€ 637.9m |
€ 716.6m |
Some €37m was earmarked for a once-off Transition Fund in 2022. This is currently supporting ELC and SAC services to ensure there are no increases in parental fees in the period leading up to the introduction of the new Core Funding stream, for which some €73m has been made available.
2023 will see a full year of Core Funding, which is expected to provide an additional €148m to ELC and SAC services.
2022 saw a gradual return to normal parental behaviours. As part of the ongoing 2023 Estimates process, officials within my department are currently examining the expected funding required in 2023 to maintain existing levels of service.
411. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the additional funding required to reduce the costs of childcare for parents to €50 per week or €100 per month; if he will provide a breakdown of the additional allocations required in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38752/22]
View answerIt is assumed the Deputy is referring to the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) as the means through which the cost of childcare is to be reduced.
In Budget 2022, I announced an end to the practice of deducting hours spent in pre-school or school from the entitlement to NCS subsidised hours, benefiting an estimated 5,000 children from low income families since 2 May 2022. I also announced the extension of the universal subsidy to all children under 15 from September 2022, benefiting up to 40,000 children. Full year estimates of these changes have been factored into the costs below but the impact of these changes will not be fully known until Q4 2022.
It is not feasible to consistently apply a subsidy to all families using the NCS which would result in the same flat payment for all families.
To model on closest equivalence the estimated costs below are based on the hourly rate of a full-time service at the average national full-time rate. The average hourly fee rate is applied across all model types. The costings above are based on the average fee rate per the sector profile 20/21, which is €186.84, which equates to €4.15 per hour for a 45 hour user. Therefore the below costings are meant to be indicative only and should be interpreted with caution as the fees can vary greatly depending on the age of the child, the location and the provider.
Age - The average weekly fees for different types of provision vary depending on the age of the child. The level of fees decrease as the child gets older, both for full day and part-time provision. The highest fees charged are for babies up to 1 year (€192.06 for full day), while provision for children aged between 5 to 6 years is the lowest at €178.64 for full day.
Location - The level of fees charged by services varies depending on their location. Differences are observed both between counties and also within counties depending on the level of affluence or disadvantage of the community in which the service is located. It is worth noting that averages can mask significant variations within counties. For example, the highest weekly full day fee charged by an individual service was in Dún Laoghaire Rathdown (€324.35). However, the lowest weekly fee charged in the same local authority was €134. Historically, fees are higher in urban areas and along the East coast.
Provider - As a general principle, services charge a fixed fee across which applies across a banded number of hours per day (a session). These models may, for example, follow the session types outlined in regulation. These are:
Less than 3.5 hours
3.5 to 5 hours
Greater than 5 hours
In practical terms, this means that any given service may have the same “full-time” fee whether, for example, a parent regularly uses 6 hours or 8 hours.
The NCS subsidies are calculated based on hours used, so, from the above example, the parent may pay a higher co-payment for using less hours within those session bands by virtue of the lower subsidy available for lower hours.
The estimates are derived from current levels of usage and expenditure adjusted for the Budget 22 changes. These individual estimates are based on no behavioural change and should be interpreted with caution.
It should be noted that changes to subsidies may result in changes to patterns and levels of usage by families. These changes are likely to be more pronounced as the cost of childcare to parents reduces. The respective estimated costs are in addition to the existing costs associated with the provision of the NCS.
|
Effective reduction in cost to: |
Approximate Cost |
|
€50 weekly |
€270 million |
|
€100 monthly |
€355 million |
412. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will confirm that if a child is in after school care and previously qualified for the national childcare scheme universal subsidy when in a creche that they will now qualify for additional support under the NCS in September; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38753/22]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) is a Scheme of financial support to help parents with the cost of their childcare.
The Scheme comprises two types of subsidies:
- A universal subsidy is currently payable for children between the ages of 24 weeks and 36 months (or until the child qualifies for the Early Childhood Care and Education programme if later) who are availing of childcare services from an approved childcare service provider. The universal subsidy is not means-tested and is available to all qualifying families of any income level.
- An income-related subsidy is payable for children from 24 weeks to 15 years of age who are availing of childcare services from an approved childcare service provider. The level of subsidy is determined by the family’s assessable income (i.e. gross income minus tax, PRSI and other deductibles and minus any applicable multiple child discount).
Significant investment is being made by my Department to address affordability for parents through the NCS. I announced a number of changes to the Scheme as part of last year's Budget 2022. These changes will be of significant benefit to many parents. Firstly, from 2 May, the NCS no longer deducts hours spent in pre-school, or school, from NCS awards. This means that parents may use their full awarded subsidised NCS hours.
Secondly, from September 2022, the upper age eligibility for the NCS Universal Award will change from 3 years to 15 years. This means that the minimum rate for an NCS Award will be raised to 50 cents for all children under 15.
These changes taken together mean that the parents of the child referred to in the question will be eligible for the NCS universal subsidy for after school care in September and, depending on their means, may be eligible for a universal subsidy.
Funding for the NCS will increase over the coming three years, to improve the affordability of childcare for parents. The amounts of NCS funding for each year will be set in the relevant Budgets.
413. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will provide the details of the number of times that he has met with an organisation (details supplied); and the dates of such meetings. [38772/22]
View answerThe organisation the Deputy refers to are members of the new Disability Stakeholder Group and on that basis are involved in the National Disability Inclusion Strategy Steering Group (NDISSG), chaired by my Ministerial colleague Minister Rabbitte.
The organisation has been represented at the following NDISSG meetings, chaired by Minister Rabbitte:
- 14 December 2021
- 29 March 2022
- 13 April 2022
I have not yet had an in-person meeting with the organisation named by the Deputy.
414. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the standards that are in place for the teaching of English at English language schools in Ireland; if the biometric system for attendance is used by many of the schools regulated; if there is an appeal policy within the biometric system to enable a student to explain a minimal lateness; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38451/22]
View answerThe Interim List of Eligible Programmes (ILEP) was introduced as part of a series of reforms to the student immigration system for international education in line with the Government decision of 19 May 2015. These reforms have been designed to
- tackle abuse of the immigration regime,
- tackle abuse of the labour market,
- improve the overall quality of offering to international students,
- improve protection for learners,
- safeguard the strong international reputation of high-quality Irish education providers in line with the goals of Ireland’s international education strategy.
As part of these reforms all English language education providers wishing to recruit non-EU/EEA students are required to be listed on the ILEP and must meet with its relevant criteria.
The ILEP criteria requires that each English language education provider have attendance, punctuality, absenteeism and expulsion policies in place with detailed procedures for their implementation. Under the criteria, students arriving more than 15 minutes late or leaving before a class has concluded are to be marked as absent for that class or class segment. Providers must clearly communicate their policies to their students alongside the steps that will be followed should issues be encountered and persist. These steps must be progressive with the student receiving a number of warnings, with the opportunity to respond and to improve attendance before matters could potentially escalate further and up to the point of expulsion. In all such cases, providers are also required to ensure that students have recourse to a form of appeal or review.
There is no requirement nor regulation in place for the use of biometric systems by providers in order to meet the criteria set out under the ILEP.
Further information on the ILEP including the Government decision leading to its establishment is available here - https://www.irishimmigration.ie/coming-to-study-in-ireland/what-are-my-study-options/a-third-level-course-or-a-language-course/.
Further details on the attendance requirements for eligibility for inclusion of an English Language Programme in the Interim List can be found here – https://www.irishimmigration.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/English-Language-Programme-Criteria-2.pdf.
415. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the estimated number of students that would be affected by changing the SUSI adjacency rates from 30 km to 25km, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38634/22]
View answerAs the Deputy may be aware I have already made improvements to the non-adjacent distance criteria in Budget 2022 for the 2022/23 academic year, reducing the criteria from 45km to 30km to support students who must travel long-distances to their place of education.
The table below sets out the estimated number of students that would be affected by changing the SUSI distance criteria from 30km to 25km, based on paid student numbers for the academic year 2021/22 to date.
|
Home to College Distance in Km |
Total |
|
25 |
476 |
|
26 |
454 |
|
27 |
445 |
|
28 |
465 |
|
29 |
414 |
|
Total |
2,254 |
416. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the projected yield from a 0.1% increase in 2023 in the national training fund levy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38640/22]
View answer433. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the history of increases in the national training fund levy over the past five years in tabular form; the projected yield at budget time of each 0.1% increase in tabular form; the actual yield in the full year following the increase; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38641/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 416 and 433 together.
The information sought by the Deputy, in regard to the National Training Fund levy in PQ 38641/22 and PQ 38460/22, is being collated with assistance from colleagues of the Department of Social Protection. This Department will supply the information to the Deputy as soon as possible.
417. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the details of the way each third level college in Ireland manages and disperses hardship funds, officially known as the Student Assistance Fund and to provide details under the following headings, application deadline, point of contact, requirements and criteria to apply for a grant. [38204/22]
View answerThe Student Assistance Fund (SAF) is allocated to Higher Education Institutions to assist participating students in both temporary and ongoing financial need, where students apply depending on their particular circumstances.
This fund is managed by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) on behalf of the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS). These funds are allocated to Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) on academic year basis and each institution is responsible for dispersing the fund using the guidelines provided by the HEA.
I have included a link to the guidelines for the Student Assistance Fund which shows the eligibility criteria and the types of costs that may be funded through the Student Assistance Fund.
hea.ie/funding-governance-performance/funding/student-finance/student-assistance-fund/.
Students should contact their access office in the Institution they are attending. Funds can be applied for at any time during the academic year.
