Written Answers Nos. 400-419
400. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if a community preschool childcare facility (details supplied) can be included in the pilot hot meals to children in early learning and childcare settings scheme. [60609/22]
View answerOfficials will consider the Ballymore Community Childcare service in the Hot Meals pilot if they meet the criteria for inclusion in the initiative. The criteria are:
- serves a community suffering from disadvantage
- offers a part-time or sessional service
- doesn't currently offer hot meals
My officials will make contact with the service, discuss the initiative and invite them to take part.
As you know this pilot initiative will inform wider actions on supporting all young children and families to fully participate in early learning and childcare.
402. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will provide a list of the categories of public sector workers and civil servants under his Department whose contracts fall under the Croke Park Agreement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60741/22]
View answerMy understanding of the question is that the Deputy is referring to any contractual changes to new entrants to the Civil Service after the introduction of the Croke Park Agreement (Public Service Agreement 2010-2014).
All new entrants to the Civil Service that have been assigned to my Department since the introduction of the Croke Park Agreement are subject to the Single Public Service Pension Scheme and fall into the Civil Service and Non-Commercial State Bodies category.
I have circulated this PQ to agencies under the remit of the Department and they will issue responses directly to the Deputy.
403. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth when an application will be approved for an organisation (details supplied) in County Mayo; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60746/22]
View answerIn response to the significant increase in demand for Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) supports arising from the war in Ukraine, the EU adopted emergency measures. This involved an extension of the overall 2014-2020 AMIF programme, and the option for Member States to re-purpose unused funds to provide additional supports to organisations involved in supporting Ukrainian refugees. Ireland opted into these amendments in July 2022, and my department then held a closed Call for Proposals, limited to the 19 projects which had been approved funding under the 2019 AMIF Call for Proposals. Applications are currently being reviewed in line with the available budget for 2022 and 2023, and it is my intention to inform projects soon of the outcome of their applications.
404. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of children who have come through State care in each of the past ten years. [60811/22]
View answerAs this relates to Tusla operational matters, the question has been forwarded to Tusla for direct reply to the Deputy.
405. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the longest length of time any child had to wait after being taken into the care of the State before being placed into foster care since 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60812/22]
View answerAs this relates to Tusla operational matters, the question has been forwarded to Tusla for direct reply to the Deputy.
406. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of persons currently in direct provision; and the number who entered the system in each of the past ten years. [60813/22]
View answer407. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the supports or assistance programmes, services or phonelines available to persons who have qualified for refugee status to help them move out of direct provision centres. [60814/22]
View answer408. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of persons currently residing in direct provision centres in the State who have qualified for refugee status but continue to reside in direct provision centres. [60815/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 406 to 408, inclusive,together.
Deputy, in regard to the number of persons currently in accommodation provided by the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) and the number who entered the International Protection Accommodation system in each of the past ten years, please see information below as requested:
|
Date |
|
|
31/12/2011 |
5,423 |
|
30/12/2012 |
4,841 |
|
29/12/2013 |
4,360 |
|
28/12/2014 |
4,364 |
|
27/12/2015 |
4,696 |
|
18/12/2016 |
4,279 |
|
31/12/2017 |
5,096 |
|
30/12/2018 |
6,106 |
|
29/12/2019 |
7,683 |
|
27/12/2020 |
6,997 |
|
26/12/2021 |
7,244 |
|
27/11/2022 |
17,648 |
In regard to the supports or assistance programmes, services or phonelines available to persons who have qualified for refugee status to help them move out of direct provision centres, I can confirm IPAS has a specific transition team who work in collaboration with Depaul Ireland, the Peter McVerry Trust (PMTV), officials in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the Local Authorities and the City and County Managers Association (CCMA) to collectively support residents with status, or a permission to remain, to exit IPAS accommodation and access housing options.
IPAS write to all people in IPAS accommodation when they are granted status and notify them of their support worker's contact details, who is assigned from either PMVT or Depaul.
Finally, in regard to the number of persons currently residing in IPAS accommodation centres who have qualified for refugee status but continue to reside in direct provision centres, I can confirm that as of the end October 2022 there are 4,625 people in IPAS accommodation with Status (Refugee status, Subsidiary Protection or Leave to Remain).
I trust this information clarifies the matter Deputy.
409. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of children who are currently in the care of the State but not in foster care or residential care. [60816/22]
View answerAs this relates to Tusla operational matters, the question has been forwarded to Tusla for direct reply to the Deputy.
410. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of children living in State care currently. [60817/22]
View answerAs this relates to Tusla operational matters, the question has been forwarded to Tusla for direct reply to the Deputy.
411. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the reason that an official letter of qualification from a third level institution is no longer acceptable for eligibility for the graduate payment under core funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60940/22]
View answerThere has been no change in the requirements for verification of qualifications under the Core Funding scheme. The administrator of the scheme, Pobal, has assured my Department that the qualification verification process used for graduate premiums in Core Funding is the same as the process previously used for ECCE Higher Capitation.
Pobal continues to accept official transcripts as a means of verifying qualifications. However, as was previously the case with ECCE Higher Capitation, they must be final official transcripts, stating the overall grade and title of the course, and cannot be a screenshot of a webpage. Similarly, as was previously the case with ECCE Higher Capitation, letters from an educational institution must have both a college stamp and signature. It should also be noted that all documentation must be presented in English or be accompanied by an official translation or, in the case of Latin certificates, must have an accompanying official letter outlining the relevant information in English. All of the above measures are implemented to minimise the risk of fraudulent documentation being accepted, and these same measures previously applied to ECCE Higher Capitation.
I am satisfied that these are appropriate measures to ensure that the Core Funding graduate premium is awarded only in relation to those who hold approved qualifications.
412. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the reason no backdated payment is permitted between the time a childcare worker can prove completion of level 7 or level 8 qualification and the time that person graduates from the third level institution. [60941/22]
View answerUnder a Core Funding service agreement for programme year 2022/2023, in order for a service to be allocated an Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) Graduate Premium, the person in question must be a Lead Educator in an ELC room and/or the Manager of an ELC or a combined ELC and School Age Childcare (SAC) service and must hold an appropriate qualification (QQI Level 7 or higher) as per the Department’s Higher Capitation Qualifications list. They must also have a minimum of three years’ experience in the sector. The same assessment and validation process for qualifications is in place under Core Funding as operated last year under ECCE Higher Capitation.
The ELC Graduate Premium for the Lead Educator calculation is based on the hours the room is led by the graduate. The service must submit evidence of the Lead Educator's qualifications for them to qualify for the Graduate Manager premium. Once this documentation is appraised and approved by Pobal, the funding allocation is applicable from the date of the Application Change Submission Date or the Change Effective Date, whichever is the earliest date. The premium is awarded once an eligible staff member is assigned to a session within an operational room and the associated application change being approved by Pobal.
In Year 2 of the Core Funding, I intend to remove the requirement of three years’ experience for graduate premiums and plan to support this change with approximately €4 million, on condition of an Employment Regulation Order reflecting this change for both Graduate Lead Educator and Graduate Managers roles. Many representatives in the sector advocated for this development and welcomed this change when I announced it as part of Budget 2023 for Core Funding in Year 2.
Further information in relation to Core funding can be located here: first5fundingmodel.gov.ie/core-funding/.
413. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the financial supports, grants and otherwise that are available for afterschool's; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60945/22]
View answerMy Department’s funding model for early learning and childcare - Together for Better - brings together three major programmes, the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme, including the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM), the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) and the new Core Funding scheme.
Other than the ECCE programme, these programmes are open to Tusla registered school-age childcare settings.
In addition, my Department successfully secured approximately €70m in the revised National Development Plan (NDP) allocation for the Building Blocks Capital Programme designed to meet current and long-term early learning and childcare infrastructure needs.
The Building Blocks Capital Programme includes three strands:
- €9m Building Blocks - Improvement Grant
- €45m Building Blocks - Capacity Grant
- €15m Building Blocks - Innovation Grant
Applications for the Building Blocks - Improvement Grant (relating to green energy and retrofitting), which will close on 16 of December, are open to Tusla registered services, including school-age childcare services in contract for Core Funding.
School-age childcare service are also eligible to apply for the Temporary Business Energy Support Scheme (TBESS). Under TBESS, businesses engaged in school-age childcare who have suffered an increase of at least 50% in the average unit price of electricity and/or natural gas for the relevant billing period in 2022, as compared with the average unit price for electricity and/or gas for the corresponding reference period in 2021, will be eligible under the scheme
The sustainability of these services is a top priority for Government. School-age childcare services that are experiencing difficulty and who would like support are encouraged to contact their City/County Childcare Committee to access case management supports.
414. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of children in the care of TUSLA who currently require residential services and are receiving those services per local area. [60955/22]
View answerAs this relates to Tusla operational matters, the question has been forwarded to Tusla for direct reply to the Deputy.
415. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of children who are in the care of TUSLA who require residential services and are not receiving that service per local area; ; the reason they are not in receipt of residential services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60956/22]
View answerAs this relates to Tusla operational matters, the question has been forwarded to Tusla for direct reply to the Deputy.
416. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will reconsider his decision to cease funding for an initiative (details supplied) which serves Dublin 9 and Dublin 11 in 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60997/22]
View answerMy Department secured Dormant Accounts funding for the Initiative which was designed to run over the period 2021 to 2022. Funding was made available to applicants from all 16 Education and Training Board functional areas.
The time limited nature of the initiative and the overall duration of funding available was advised to all successful applicants from the outset as part of the terms and conditions. The aim of this particular initiative was to provide short-focused interventions to enable young people to support their confidence and agency to engage in a wide range of progressive routes to further education, training and employment.
Separate to the initiative referred to by the Deputy, my Department provides significant funding to organisations at local and national level to support young people to address a range of needs including the provision of age appropriate tools and information related to the acquisition of employment and life skills.
For example, funding in excess of €44 million is provided to over 260 funded organisations under the UBU Your Place Your Space funding scheme. The mission of this scheme is to provide out of school supports to marginalised, disadvantage or vulnerable young people aged 10-24 years of age in their communities. The organisations referred to by the Deputy receive funding under this scheme. The scheme includes a range of target groups to support young persons and some 75% of the funded organisations include target groups working with young people not in employment, education or training.
In addition, there is a youth related focus and a number of actions included in 'Pathways to Work 2021-2025', the government’s national employment services strategy and overall framework for activation and employment support policy.
417. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his views on the adequacy of mobility supports for persons with a disability and on the adequacy of the disabled drivers and disabled passenger scheme in particular. [61006/22]
View answerThe issue of mobility supports for people with disabilities is a key priority for me as Minister of State with responsibility for Disability. While a significant number of transport supports and services are provided by the state, it is clear that further progress is needed in this regard.
Important cross-Government action to review and consider proposals for the enhancement of mobility supports is being advanced through the framework of the National Disability Inclusion Strategy (NDIS), and in particular in the context of Action 104 of the NDIS.
A Transport Working Group was established in 2020 to make progress under Action 104 of the NDIS. This Working Group was tasked with a very specific objective, derived originally from the Make Work Pay Report 2017, to coordinate action on transport and mobility supports for people with disabilities across Government in order to enhance the options for transport to work or employment for people with disabilities. The Group felt, in January 2022, that the scope of its work needed to look beyond employment, towards supporting people with disabilities to participate fully and more broadly in their lives and in their communities.
I have chaired meetings of the Transport Working Group since January 2022. As part of its work we have engaged in discussions on the adequacy of mobility supports with a view towards enhancing the provision of mobility and transport supports going forward. The Disabled Drivers and Disabled Passengers Scheme was one of several schemes that the Transport Working Group considered. The discussions have been particularly enriched by the contribution of Disability Stakeholder Representatives and other disability organisations, who have ensured that the lived experience of people with disabilities remains at the centre of deliberations.
The focus of the Group's work now is on completing Action 104 by developing proposals for the development of enhanced mobility and transport supports for people with disabilities. Submissions for proposals to this end were invited from members of the Transport Working Group between September and October 2022. The submissions received by my Department have contributed to a report of the Working Group which was circulated to the Group on 1 December and which will be considered at the final meeting of the Group on 8 December. It will be incumbent on colleagues across Government with responsibility for transport and mobility supports, currently and going forward, to carefully consider how the recommendations of the Transport Working Group ought to be advanced following the completion of Action 104 and the conclusion of the NDIS in December 2022.
In that regard, I would note that the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth does not hold responsibility for the administration of any transport or mobility supports for people with disabilities. The Disabled Drivers and Disabled Passengers Scheme is the responsibility of the Minister for Finance and is administered by the Revenue Commissioners. As such, I would direct the Deputy to that Minister for further comment on the specific status of the Disabled Drivers and Disabled Passengers Scheme.
418. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the status of the implementation of the National Disability Inclusion Strategy. [61008/22]
View answerThe National Disability Inclusion Strategy (NDIS) is a key framework for policy and action to address the needs of persons with disabilities in Ireland and to support effective progress in delivering on the obligations set out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). The NDIS was originally intended to guide action in the 2017-2021 period, but it was extended to the end of 2022 due to the impact of Covid.
The NDIS contains over 120 cross-Government actions to support effective progress in delivering on the obligations set out in the UNCRPD. As Minister of State with responsibility for Disability, I chair meetings of the NDIS Steering Group (NDISSG), which is the monitoring mechanism for the Strategy. The NDISSG includes representatives of relevant Government departments and agencies and the Disability Stakeholder Group (DSG).
Departments have established their own Departmental Consultative Committees (DCC) which meet in advance of each quarterly NDISSG meeting. DCCs consist of relevant department officials and representatives of the National Disability Authority (NDA), the DSG and relevant disability organisations. DCCs have a mandate to monitor implementation by departments of NDIS actions.
A Mid-Term Review of the NDIS was published in March 2020. The Review set a framework for action on disability until the end of the lifetime of the Strategy. It was informed by a consultation process with disability stakeholders and with relevant departments and agencies. This process confirmed that stakeholders wanted the emphasis on action under the NDIS to be on implementing existing commitments within the Strategy and on fulfilling obligations that arise from Ireland’s ratification of the UNCRPD.
The final meeting of the NDISSG is scheduled to be held on 13 December 2022, and work to develop a successor strategy to the NDIS has already commenced. Since June 2021, the NDISSG have considered a concept note, proposals for consultation processes, and a paper prepared by the National Disability Authority (NDA), outlining options for the strategy model that may be adopted going forward. This will be the focus of dedicated work in 2023, and it is intended to publish a successor strategy next year following extensive consultations with stakeholders.
Much has been achieved under the NDIS by all departments and agencies across Government throughout the lifetime of the Strategy. For the final meeting of the Steering Group for the Strategy a Traffic Light Report will be circulated for consideration that will capture the final status of actions under the Strategy. Additionally, the National Disability Authority will evaluate the NDIS once it concludes to produce a comprehensive final review of the progress made and to inform the NDIS's successor.
419. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of notifications of alleged sex abuse since 2020 (details supplied) which are yet to be investigated in tabular form. [61009/22]
View answerStatutory and operational responsibility for the delivery of child protection and welfare services is a matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. The Deputy is seeking information in relation to an operational matter for Tusla. Consequently, I have referred the matter to Tusla, and requested that a direct response be provided to the Deputy.
