Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 6 December 2022
391. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will intervene in the case of a childcare provider (details supplied) and its reopening support payment. [60180/22]
View answerAs part of the emergency measures implemented by my Department in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Reopening Support Payment (RSP) was a once-off payment to service providers to assist them in adhering to reopening health guidelines. The amount of funding that a service could receive was based on the number of individual children registered on Department of Children, Equality, Integration, and Youth (DCEDIY) beneficiary schemes as at 12th March 2020. Services who opened on a full-time basis and were open for at least 6 of the 8 weeks between 29th June and 23rd August 2020 were eligible for Enhanced RSP (ranging from €2,000 to €10,000), while services operating part-time hours or who reopened in late August or September were eligible for Standard RSP (€1,000 to €5,000).
The verification checks carried out by Pobal for the RSP involved verifying the service was open for the required periods and durations, confirming RSP was expended in full and on eligible expenditure as outlined in the RSP guidelines, confirming public procurement guidelines were met and confirming fee increases were not implemented for the period of the funding agreement.
Officials in my Department worked closely with Pobal to ensure that payments fully adhered to scheme guidance. I am advised in this instance the service provider in question was eligible for Standard RSP, and not the Enhanced RSP.
While my Department recognises the important work carried out by service providers and staff, both throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and at all other times, it is vital to protect the integrity of the schemes by ensuring that all funding is claimed correctly and in line with scheme rules. At the same time, my Department would be very cognisant of the need to ensure sustainability of services and the challenging operating environment at this time and therefore we would arrange repayment of the Reopening Support Payment in instalments over a suitable time frame.
Whilst the scheme does not have an appeal process, and there is no legal obligation to have such a process in place, my Department in the interest of reasonableness and transparency has requested that Pobal CAR initiate a desk review of the verification. This review will be carried out by a different verification officer than the officer that undertook the initial review. Pobal CAR will inform you of the outcome of the review in due course.
