Written Answers Nos. 325-344
325. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide a list of contracts his Department currently has with a company (details supplied); and the estimated value of those contracts. [20178/23]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that my Department did not award any contracts to the company in question.
326. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the procedure regarding grants in respect of an agricultural holding during probate; if the new farmer can retrospectively claim payments in respect of the probate time period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20199/23]
View answerFollowing the death of a farmer, the Inheritance Enquiry Unit of my Department provides advice and assistance relating to the transfer of agricultural schemes in which the deceased farmer participated. The Department requires a copy of the will of the deceased and a copy of the Grant of Probate once available. Where the deceased has died Intestate, a copy of the Letters of Administration should be provided when available.
In the period where the Legal Representatives of the estate are awaiting the issue of a Grant of Probate, schemes can be applied for by the Executor/Legal Representative of the deceased. Any payments that fall due for schemes applied for in this way will be released to the estate on receipt of a certified copy of the Grant of Probate.
Alternatively during the period where the Grant of Probate is being processed and where the herd number has been transferred to the new farmer, schemes can be applied for by the new herd owner. Once the terms and conditions for these schemes have been met, payments will issue to the new herd owner. Retrospective claims are generally not permitted under farm schemes because demonstration of compliance is very difficult in such circumstances. However, in exceptional circumstances, such applications may be assessed on a case by case basis, and if the Deputy has a particular situation in mind, the Inheritance Enquiry Unit in my Department is available to offer every assistance in these matters.
327. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth when a full response will issue to correspondence (details supplied) sent in March 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19978/23]
View answerAs this refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
328. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the way his Department supports the provision of new childcare and crèche facilities in rural areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20100/23]
View answerMy Department successfully secured €69 million under the National Development Plan allocation for the Building Blocks Capital Programme. The Building Blocks Capital Programme includes three Pillars:
• An Improvement Grant to improve energy efficiency standards, while also supporting the continuous improvement of the physical environment of services. Successful applicants have since been advised of the outcome of this scheme.
• A Capacity Grant to address capacity gaps, by funding an expansion in existing services and investing in the development of new services where most needed.
• An Innovation Grant to pilot a range of innovative initiatives for early learning and childcare services.
Work is underway in the design and delivery of the Capacity and the Innovation Grant schemes. These schemes will be designed to meet current and long-term Early Learning and Childcare infrastructure needs. I hope to announce details of these schemes later this year. As it stands, there is no further capital funding currently available to the Department in 2023.
Any rural services that are experiencing difficulty and who would like support can contact their City/County Childcare Committee (CCC) to access case management supports. Services can be assisted on an individual basis through this route and it also allows for trends and themes across the country to be identified that can inform a more systematic response if necessary. Sustainability Funding may also be available via case management, following an assessment of eligibility and need.
329. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the average waiting times for occupational therapy for children in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20201/23]
View answerAs this refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
330. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the total number of children on the Clare children's disability network team waiting list, by length of time, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19910/23]
View answerAs this refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
331. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will provide an update on the building of modular homes by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19929/23]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 over 72,565 people have been forced to leave their homes and have sought refuge here in Ireland. To date 63,175 of those who arrived in Ireland have sought accommodation from the State.
In response to the crisis, the Government has sought to provide a range of accommodation solutions. As part of this considerable national effort, the Government has approved the construction of 700 rapid build homes on state owned land, which will aim to provide accommodation to 2800 individuals in family units.
The OPW is leading on the design, development and delivery of the programme. My Department is the Approving Authority for the Programme and has responsibility for the ownership of the homes and their future use.
To identify sites for the programme, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage sought information from public authorities on sites in their ownership, which might be suitable for the installation of the homes. On foot of the responses received, the Department provided a shorter list of potentially suitable sites to DCEDIY and OPW.
The emphasis of this programme is on the delivery of quality homes which will enhance local environments and this has been a priority. Once completed, these developments will be to a high standard and will include permanent infrastructure, high quality public realm, streets, water, waste, roads, pedestrian routes, lighting, landscaping, semi-private front curtilage and small private rear gardens.
Work is well underway on the first phase of 7 sites, with the delivery of units already happening on a number of those sites in preparation for the start of a phased occupation over the next few months. So far, locations in Cavan Town, Mahon in Cork, Thurles, Sligo Town, Claremorris, Rathdowney and Clonminch are being progressed.
The first of the sites at Mahon in Cork and Cavan Town will be completed for handover to the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) around end-May/early June 2023, with residents expected to be able to move in from mid-June onwards. This is subject to any technical issues arising during construction.
332. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will provide a breakdown of the full costs associated with his Department's building of modular homes, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19930/23]
View answerThe average cost of each of the rapid build homes is €145,000. This includes construction, transport and installation of the units. Information on the full cost of the programme is currently subject to site enabling costs. Identification of sites to house the full 700 units is currently ongoing.
333. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of people who have relocated to a county (details supplied) [19939/23]
View answerAs of 24 April 2023, I am advised that the total number of Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection in accommodation arranged for them by my Department in Co. Mayo is 2,950. The information requested regarding breakdown has been extracted from our systems and is outlined in tabular form below.
BOTPs in Accommodation provided by DCEDIY each month.
2022
|
- |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
Grand Total |
|
Mayo |
244 |
133 |
121 |
33 |
151 |
164 |
368 |
769 |
289 |
191 |
2463 |
2023
|
- |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
Grand Total |
|
Mayo |
101 |
93 |
161 |
132 |
487 |
Total bookings – 2950
IPAS in Accommodation provided by DCEDIY each month
|
Date |
No of Centres |
No of residents |
Increase / Decrease |
|
Jan-22 |
1 |
221 |
|
|
Feb-22 |
1 |
230 |
9 |
|
Mar-22 |
1 |
233 |
3 |
|
Apr-22 |
1 |
226 |
-7 |
|
May-22 |
1 |
230 |
4 |
|
Jun-22 |
1 |
232 |
2 |
|
Jul-22 |
1 |
239 |
7 |
|
Aug-22 |
2 |
293 |
54 |
|
Sep-22 |
3 |
305 |
12 |
|
Oct-22 |
4 |
349 |
44 |
|
Nov-22 |
6 |
594 |
245 |
|
Dec-22 |
5 |
607 |
13 |
|
Jan-23 |
5 |
638 |
31 |
|
Feb-23 |
5 |
650 |
12 |
|
Mar-23 |
7 |
740 |
90 |
|
to 16 Apr 2023 |
9 |
825 |
85 |
334. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will provide an update on the situation of a person (details supplied) requested to leave their allocated IPAS accommodation. [19946/23]
View answerThis case is currently being considered by IPAS officials who are reviewing the case in conjunction with other partners. A decision is expected shortly. The resident has been made aware of the review.
335. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of entries made to the Contact Preferences Register that expressed a preference not to have contact; and the proportion of registrations with a preference for no contact that came from an adopted person, a person whose birth was illegally registered, a person who was resident in an institution, a person who was boarded or nursed out, relatives of such persons, adoptive parents, persons who provided care to a child in a care arrangement, persons who were a relevant guardian of an adopted person, and persons who are a daughter or son or other next of kin of an adopted person, in tabular form. [19998/23]
View answerAs the subject matter of the Deputy’s question relates to an operational matter for the Adoption Authority of Ireland, I have referred the matter to the Authority for a direct reply to the Deputy.
336. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will publish the report from the working group on transport supports for people with disabilities; if he will confirm whether the report includes proposals to put in place a fit-for-purpose primary medical certificate for people with disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20045/23]
View answerThe issue of mobility supports for people with disabilities is a key priority for me as Minister of State with responsibility for Disability. In furtherance of Action 104 of the National Disability Inclusion Strategy, a Transport Working Group was established in 2020 by the National Disability Inclusion Strategy Steering Group to formulate proposals on how transport supports could be better coordinated across the state. I chaired the work of the Transport Working Group from January 2022. The Final Report of the Group was published earlier this year and is available on my Department’s website.
The Primary Medical Certificate is required as part of the eligibility criteria for the Disabled Drivers and Disabled Passenger Scheme. This Scheme is the responsibility of the Department of Finance, and it is administered by the Revenue Commissioners.
To inform the Transport Working Group and contribute to its consideration of Government-funded transport and mobility schemes under Action 104, the Department of Finance convened a Criteria Sub-Group to gather information on the experiences, perspectives and expertise of those most involved with the Disabled Drivers and Disabled Passengers Scheme. The Criteria Sub-Group also examined international best practice in respect of vehicle-related provisions. The Criteria Sub-Group concluded that the Disabled Drivers and Disabled Passengers Scheme as constituted and operated does not meet the needs of a significant group of those with a disability and with mobility impairments. It recommended that the Disabled Drivers and Disabled Passengers Scheme should be replaced with a new approach to vehicle-related support, namely a graduated scale of grant-aided direct financial support for specified vehicle adaptations.
The Transport Working Group welcomed the proposal and indicated that while some form of support for the purchase of vehicles may still be required, a new vehicular adaptation scheme could be pursued independently of, but as a compliment to, the timelines involved in developing a wider range of mobility supports and a range of transport options across Government, including private, community and public transport that cater for the transport needs of people with disabilities.
Responsibility for the Disabled Drivers and Disabled Passengers Scheme, including the eligibility criteria, remains with the Department of Finance and I would encourage the Deputy to reach out to my colleague the Minister for Finance for further information.
It is incumbent on colleagues across Government with responsibility for transport and mobility supports to carefully consider how the recommendations of the Transport Working Group ought to be advanced.
337. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the total number of accommodation providers to his Department awaiting payment for provision of accommodation to Ukrainian refugees; the number of providers waiting longer than one month, two months, three months, four months, five months and six months, respectively; the amounts outstanding in each time category; the efforts being made to clear the backlog and pay each provider the up-to-date amounts due to them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20092/23]
View answerOver 750 providers are currently in arrangements with my Department to provide accommodation to Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection. My Department has expended over €890m on Ukraine accommodation and related costs since the invasion of Ukraine and the start of refugee arrivals in 2022. This year, my Department has paid out almost €380m to date, the bulk of this going on accommodation. This has been paid out on a weekly basis, rising steadily over time. In the last two months, my Department has paid out in the region of €30m weekly on average on Ukraine accommodation.
Delays are being experienced in processing invoices mainly due to the volume involved. Any delays in processing payments are deeply regretted and those in financial hardship are being prioritised and a process exists for identifying these providers. My Department is working rapidly to process all invoices received, with additional resources assigned to payments. This includes outsourcing elements of the process.
I am committed to ensuring that invoices are honoured in a timely fashion while also ensuring that appropriate scrutiny of invoices in performed to prevent erroneous invoicing and processing and to ensure that appropriate accounting procedures are followed.
Providers are permitted to invoice each month in advance for certain services. Dozens of Invoices are submitted to my Department in a typical day and there will always invoices on hand to pay. The Department’s current system does not readily capture the information breakdown sought by the Deputy on the numbers and amounts by month overdue.
The Department intends to overhaul its payment process in the coming months and plans are at an advanced stage to commence implementation. This is expected to also enable better reporting on payment status.
338. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the grant aid, if any, available from his Department to support the building of new childcare facilities and crèches; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20099/23]
View answerMy Department successfully secured €69 million under the National Development Plan allocation for the Building Blocks Capital Programme. The Building Blocks Capital Programme includes three Pillars:
• An Improvement Grant to improve energy efficiency standards, while also supporting the continuous improvement of the physical environment of services. Successful applicants have since been advised of the outcome of this scheme.
• A Capacity Grant to address capacity gaps, by funding an expansion in existing services and investing in the development of new services where most needed.
• An Innovation Grant to pilot a range of innovative initiatives for early learning and childcare services.
Work is underway in the design and delivery of the Capacity and the Innovation Grant schemes. These schemes will be designed to meet current and long-term Early Learning and Childcare infrastructure needs. I hope to announce details of these schemes later this year. As it stands, there is no further capital funding currently available to the Department in 2023.
I am encouraging services to maintain contact with their local County Childcare Committees, which will be in a position to advise them on all aspects of the schemes, once they are launched.
339. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will meet with a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20122/23]
View answerAs the Deputy may be aware, the Minister for Education has responsibility for matters relating to survivors of Residential Institutional abuse. However, given the seriousness of this situation, my officials are liaising with the Department of Education to offer any assistance that we can provide, to bring this situation to a satisfactory conclusion as a matter of urgency.
340. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he can clarify the reason an application for the building blocks grant from (details supplied) was rejected; if such service providers have any right to appeal such decision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20132/23]
View answerMy Department has allocated €9m in 2023 for The Building Blocks - Improvement Grant for Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) facilities. Grants range from €35,000 to €75,000 across two separate strands: Green Energy and Retrofit.
Services that signed up for the Core Funding Scheme were eligible for funding under the scheme.
Overall, 946 services submitted applications, out of a total eligible cohort of 4,200 services, which have signed up to Core Funding.
Pobal, who are administering the scheme on my Department's behalf advise that an application to the Building Blocks - Improvement Grant was submitted by Treasure Tots Nursery, applying for supports under Strand B - Retrofit, for costs associated with retrofit and accessibility of an existing building. Pobal further advise that the application did not meet a number of the scheme criteria.
Following appraisal, an unsuccessful decision was communicated to the applicant. At this point, all unsuccessful applicants to the Building Blocks – Improvement Grant were eligible to submit an appeal, in line with the applicant guidelines. Further guidance was also provided to all unsuccessful applicants, detailing a step by step guide for appeals. All appeals were eligible to be submitted on or before the closing date of 18th April, 2023, with the applicant submitting an appeal on 17th April, 2023. The applicant's appeal is currently under review and Pobal hope to respond to the applicant with an appeal outcome shortly.
341. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he can detail in relation to the building blocks grant scheme, the total number of applicants who applied for these supports; the number of applicants who failed to receive the grant; the number of successful applicants, in tabular form, per county council area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20133/23]
View answerMy Department was allocated €69m in the National Development Plan allocation. This will enable significant capital investment in early learning and childcare across three pillars: Building Blocks - Improvement Grant, Building Blocks - Capacity Grant and a Building Blocks - Innovation Grant.
My Department has allocated €9m in 2023 for The Building Blocks - Improvement Grant for Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) facilities.
Grants range from €35,000 to €75,000 across two separate strands: Green Energy and Retrofit.
The Green Energy Strand will support the Climate Action Agenda and the Programme for Government, which aim to transition to a carbon neutral economy by the end of 2050 and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 51% by 2030.
The Retrofit Strand will provide grants to existing services in need of upgrading. Eligible works include kitchen works and refurbishment, upgrading of sanitary facilities for children and adults, roof repairs/replacement, and upgrading of flooring.
Services that signed up for the Core Funding Scheme were eligible for funding under the scheme.
The Building Blocks - Improvement Grant is part of a wider Building Blocks Capital Programme for Early Learning and Childcare under the National Development Plan. It is designed to meet current and long-term Early Learning and Childcare infrastructure needs – with proposals for a Building Blocks - Capacity Grant and a Building Blocks - Innovation Grant being considered.
Overall, 946 services submitted applications, out of a total eligible cohort of 4,200 services, which have signed up to Core Funding.
Table 1 details a breakdown of the 946 total received applications. The figures are available per strand, with figures noted for funded in 2023 and those that were unsuccessful. In addition, Table 2 provides a breakdown per strand, per each County Council area for those successfully funded.
Table 1
|
Building Blocks Improvement Grant |
Funded |
Not Funded |
Grand Total |
|
Strand A - Green Energy (minimum €35,000/max. €75,000) |
82 |
270 |
352 |
|
Strand B - Retrofit (minimum €35,000/max. €75,000) |
59 |
535 |
594 |
|
Grand Total |
141 |
805 |
946 |
Table 2 - Funded
|
Council Area |
Strand A - Green Energy (minimum €35,000/max. €75,000) |
Strand B - Retrofit (minimum €35,000/max. €75,000) |
Total |
|
Carlow |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Cavan |
0 |
2 |
2 |
|
Clare |
4 |
0 |
4 |
|
Cork City |
1 |
2 |
3 |
|
Cork County |
3 |
5 |
8 |
|
Donegal |
4 |
3 |
7 |
|
Galway |
12 |
5 |
17 |
|
Kerry |
2 |
1 |
3 |
|
Kildare |
1 |
1 |
2 |
|
Kilkenny |
6 |
1 |
7 |
|
Laois |
2 |
0 |
2 |
|
Leitrim |
3 |
2 |
5 |
|
Limerick |
1 |
4 |
5 |
|
Longford |
0 |
2 |
2 |
|
Louth |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|
Mayo |
3 |
3 |
6 |
|
Meath |
6 |
3 |
9 |
|
Monaghan |
4 |
0 |
4 |
|
Offaly |
2 |
0 |
2 |
|
Roscommon |
2 |
0 |
2 |
|
Sligo |
1 |
4 |
5 |
|
Tipperary |
4 |
2 |
6 |
|
Waterford |
1 |
1 |
2 |
|
Westmeath |
2 |
1 |
3 |
|
Wexford |
5 |
2 |
7 |
|
Wicklow |
4 |
1 |
5 |
|
Dublin City |
3 |
2 |
5 |
|
Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown |
2 |
6 |
8 |
|
Fingal |
2 |
2 |
4 |
|
South Dublin |
1 |
4 |
5 |
|
Grand Total |
82 |
59 |
141 |
342. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No. 421 of 21 January 2023, when he will publish findings of the consultation to examine the functioning and effectiveness of the Equality Acts, which was expected early this year. [20147/23]
View answerIn July 2021, I launched a public consultation process as part of the review of the Equality Acts (Equal Status Acts 2000-2018 and the Employment Equality Acts 1998-2015) to examine the functioning of the Acts and their effectiveness in combatting discrimination and promoting equality.The purpose of the review is to examine the operation of the Acts to assess their effectiveness with regard to those taking claims under their redress mechanisms. It is examining the degree to which those experiencing discrimination are aware of the legislation and whether there are practical or other obstacles that preclude or deter them from taking an action. The review also includes consideration of Programme for Government commitments to examine the introduction of a socio-economic ground for discrimination and protections for gender identity under the current legislation. The Department was pleased to receive an extensive response to the public consultation and the submissions were reviewed by officials in my Department. The report on the submissions to the public consultation on the Review of the Equality Acts is now at an advanced stage and arrangements are being made for publication.
343. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will provide a list of contracts his Department currently has with a company (details supplied); and the estimated value of those contracts. [20179/23]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that my department does not currently have any contracts with the named company.
344. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Health the timeline for unwinding the FEMPI cuts to pharmacists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20125/23]
View answerI recognise the significant role community pharmacists play in the delivery of patient care and acknowledge the potential for this role to be developed further in the context of health service reform.
The regulations governing the pharmacy fee structure that were made under section 9 of the FEMPI Act 2009 expired at the end of 2019. Under the Public Service Pay and Pensions Act 2017, these regulations had to be replaced by 1 January 2020 in order to maintain a statutory basis for contractor payments and to prescribe the fees payable from that date.
The Public Service Pay and Pensions Act 2017 (Payments to Community Pharmacy Contractors) Regulations 2019 regulations - S.I. No. 639 of 2019 - put the current fee structure in place, with effect from 1 January 2020.
Under Section 42(14) of the Public Service Pay and Pensions Act 2017 the pharmacy fee structure must be reviewed every 3 years after 2020. Therefore, a review will take place in 2023 and work in that regard has already commenced.
Of course, any publicly funded pharmacy service expansion should address unmet public healthcare needs, improve access to existing public health services, and provide better value for money.
