Bernard Durkan
Question:255. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice the current or expected residency status in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46014/23]
View answerImmigration Status
Questions (255)
Written answers
I am informed that the person referred to by the Deputy has permission to remain under Stamp 4 conditions until 26 February 2024.
The person concerned has been advised of the conditions attaching to their permission to remain and of the requirement to apply to their local immigration registration office for a further renewal of their permission to remain two weeks before their existing permission expires.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to the Immigration Service of my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Questions process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in cases where the response from the Immigration Service is, in the Deputy’s view, inadequate or too long awaited.
Residency Permits
Questions (256)
Bernard Durkan
Question:256. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice the current or expected residency status in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46015/23]
View answerWritten answers
I can advise the Deputy that the person referred currently does not have any open application with my Department. I encourage them to contact the Immigration Service Delivery (ISD) or their local immigration office and to take all the appropriate steps to regularise their status.
Any application submitted should explain their current circumstances and future intentions in the State and provide any documentation they feel will support their application.
In all cases, people must engage with the authorities if they wish to be permitted to remain here legally.
The Immigration Service Delivery (ISD) examines each application to remain in the State on a case-by-case basis and has consistently urged anyone in this position to come forward if they wish to apply to regularise their immigration position in the State.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility (inisoireachtasmail@justice.ie) which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Questions process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in cases where the response is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.
Residency Permits
Questions (257)
Bernard Durkan
Question:257. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice the procedure to be followed to regularise Stamp 4 residency/naturalisation in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46022/23]
View answerWritten answers
The naturalisation application from the person referred to by the Deputy continues to be processed by my Department.
I understand the extended wait times can be frustrating for applicants and my Department has been working hard to clear backlogs.
It is recognised that all applicants for citizenship would wish to have a decision on their application without delay. However, the nature of the naturalisation process is such that, for a broad range of reasons, some cases will take longer than others to process. In some instances, completing the necessary checks can take a considerable period of time.
My Department is taking a number of steps to speed up the processing of applications and a number of digitisation measures have been introduced to increase efficiency in the process, including eVetting and online payments.
This week, my Department moved from paper based applications to online forms for all new applications going forward. Online applications will make the process easier for customers, allowing them to easily fill in the relevant forms, upload the required documents, make payments and submit. The forms will provide a seamless application process and will help guide applicants through what is required for an application.
The end result of the digitisation process will be the freeing up of more staff to focus on processing applications in a timely and efficient manner, improving service to our customers and reduction of waiting times.
Finally, I can advise the Deputy that the Citizenship Division of my Department intends to regularly communicate with all applicants on a quarterly basis into the future, to keep them updated on the status of their application.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility at: INISOireachtasMail@justice.ie, which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Question process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in the cases where the response is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.
An Garda Síochána
Questions (258)
Bernard Durkan
Question:258. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 287 of 14 February 2013, and 110 of 29 January 2015, if the matter can be urgently investigated with a view to the determination of progress in the case; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46032/23]
View answerWritten answers
I refer the Deputy to Parliamentary Question 677 of 21 June 2022 and I can advise the position remains as set out in that answer and that I have been informed by Garda authorities that this matter was fully investigated by An Garda Síochána, and the Director of Public Prosecutions directed no prosecution. As you know, the Minister has no role in relation to these matters.
Agriculture Schemes
Questions (259)
Paul Kehoe
Question:259. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine for an update on an application (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45879/23]
View answerWritten answers
The Targeted Agriculture Modernisation Scheme (TAMS 3) provides grants to farmers to build and/or improve a specified range of farm buildings and equipment on their holdings. The scheme has proved very popular, with an unprecedented level of applications received (almost four times the average number received per tranche under TAMS 2).
Applications received across all of the measures in Tranche 1 are currently being processed.
An application for grant aid was submitted by the persons named under the Dairy Equipment Scheme on 8 June 2023.
In this case the application has passed all administrative checks and will now proceed to further detailed evaluation. My Department will be in contact with the persons named if necessary during this process, with approvals issuing to successful applications once that exercise is complete.
Agriculture Schemes
Questions (260)
Éamon Ó Cuív
Question:260. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of participants in the ACRES scheme; the number for which the Department have received the scorecard from the relevant ACRES advisors; the number of these that have been checked and validated to date; whether when this is done if participants will be informed of the detailed outcome and given a chance to appeal the scoring before payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45883/23]
View answerWritten answers
The Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme, or ACRES, is the central agri-environment climate measure in Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan (CSP) 2023-2027. It is a flagship agri-environmental project with funding of €1.5bn committed over the scheme lifetime. This is the largest amount ever committed to an agri-environment scheme. ACRES will play a huge role in driving environmental improvements while also providing crucial income support to farm families.
As of October 17th there are:
• 45,650 active ACRES contracts under Tranche 1.
• 28,945 of these contracts include parcels or actions where scorecards are required to be submitted by farm advisors. This excludes commonage scoring as these are submitted by the ACRES CP teams.
• Over 98% of the scorecards have been submitted.
• The validation of the scorecards submitted is not an isolated process and will take place with all other necessary pre-payment validation checks. In order to process payments as quickly as possible, the opportunity to appeal the scores allocated will be granted at a time after payments have been made.
Agriculture Industry
Questions (261)
Colm Burke
Question:261. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide an update on the Ireland/New Zealand Joint Research Mechanism (JRM) pilot research initiative; what progress has been made to date on the four projects funded under the initiative; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45897/23]
View answerWritten answers
The pilot Joint Research Mechanism (JRM) began in 2022. It is now in its second year. A joint call for research proposals between both countries was launched on 10th May 2023, with my Department committing up to €4 million in funding.
Applications received by the closing date have been subject to eligibility checks and subsequent evaluation for impact and relevance, scientific excellence, and value for money. This was followed by consideration of their strategic merit and final selection by a joint Ireland/New Zealand Call Steering Committee. My Department is now conducting grant negotiations with those selected projects for the Irish research performing organisations involved, and a similar process is ongoing on the New Zealand side. I expect to make a formal announcement of the awards in November.
In relation to the four projects funded last year, they are required to report periodically on their progress and these are being evaluated, with work progressing as planned.
Agriculture Schemes
Questions (262)
Michael Healy-Rae
Question:262. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his Department's plans to rectify an anomaly in qualifying for a scheme (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45966/23]
View answerWritten answers
The Sheep Improvement Scheme (SIS) is funded under Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan 2023-2027. It provides support to sheep farmers for carrying out actions that improve animal health and welfare in the sheep sector and builds on the progress made by the Sheep Welfare Scheme (SWS).
The first year of the Sheep Improvement Scheme runs from February 1st 2023, to December 31st 2023. The Scheme opened for applications in November 2022 and included a provision for new entrants to sheep farming to apply to participate in the scheme. For the purposes of Year 1 of the scheme, a new entrant to the scheme was defined as an applicant who had applied for a new flock number within the three-year period from 1 December 2019 to 30 November 2022. It should be noted that a new entrant could also have been an applicant with an existing flock number who had not held or traded in sheep for a three-year period from 1 December 2019 to 30 November 2022.
I would like to inform the Deputy that the second year of the Sheep Improvement Scheme will run from January 1st 2024 to December 31st 2024. New entrants, including those who did not meet the criteria in Year 1 of the Scheme, will also have a provision to apply to join the Scheme from Year 2 onwards. The terms and conditions are currently under review including the period a new entrant can have applied for a flock number.
Home Help Service
Questions (263)
Martin Browne
Question:263. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth how his Department plans to address the lack of home care capacity as in the case of a person (details supplied). [45977/23]
View answerWritten answers
As this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible. As the Deputy may be aware, the industrial action that commenced on Friday 6th October, by management and administrative grades in Fórsa Trade Union in the HSE, will impact on the response times to Parliamentary Questions and Representations.
Early Childhood Care and Education
Questions (264)
Kathleen Funchion
Question:264. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the estimated first, full year and annual cost of increasing the current minimum rate of pay for an early years educators, by 0.85cent, €1.00, €1.25, €1.50, €1.75 and €2.00; and the first, full year and annual estimated cost to increase all other grades covered by the early years employment regulation order. [46033/23]
View answerWritten answers
I firmly believe the level of pay for early years educators and school-age childcare practitioners should reflect the value of their work for children, families, society and the economy.
The State is not the employer and therefore does not set the pay or conditions for employees in either early learning and care (ELC) or school-age childcare (SAC) services.
However, there is now, through the Joint Labour Committee (JLC) process, a formal mechanism established by which employer and employee representatives can negotiate minimum pay rates for ELC and SAC services, which are set down in Employment Regulation Orders (EROs). This is an independent process from the Department and neither I, nor my officials, have any role in the proceedings of the JLC and any associated negotiated minimum pay rates, the cost of which is borne by the employer.
Among other objectives, Core Funding supports the ability of service providers to meet the additional costs resulting from the EROs for Early Years Services, which came into effect in September 2022, as it provides increases in funding to early learning and childcare service providers to support improvements in staff wages, alongside a commitment to freeze parental fees.
On the basis of 2022 data supplied by Partner Services taking part in the Core Funding scheme, the estimated annual costs to employers of raising all the minimum pay rates specified in the EROs (for different grades and qualification levels) by the rates proposed in the question (making assumptions specified below in relation to equivalent increases for other roles specified in the EROs) are set out in the table:
|
Pay increase |
Estimated additional cost to employers |
|
€0.85 |
€35 million |
|
€1.00 |
€40 million |
|
€1.25 |
€51 million |
|
€1.50 |
€63 million |
|
€1.75 |
€77 million |
|
€2.00 |
€89 million |
In relation to the estimates above, the following should be noted:
• The cost estimates are based on staff who had an hourly wage recorded in service providers’ submissions for Core Funding, but the Core Funding data has been extrapolated to provide an estimate for all staff working in the sector.
• Current wage data was initially provided by service providers in August 2022, before the EROs for Early Years Services came into force, but has been adjusted upward on the assumption that all staff now earn at least the legally-binding minimum rates of pay specified in the EROs.
• The cost estimates are for the additional cost to employers of bringing staff from their current (since August 2022) wage or the minimum pay rates set out in the EROs, whichever is higher, up to a pay rate of €13.85 per hour (and then by each increase listed) or €0.85 (and then by each increase listed) above each of the minimum pay rates in the EROs.
• Calculations are based on wage-data available at a point in time. Some services may have increased wages more recently, which would reduce the cost to services of moving from current wage-rates to the propose wage rates in the question.
• The cost estimates only relate to staff and managers covered by the current EROs, i.e. the estimates exclude the cost of ancillary staff.
• The cost estimates do not attempt to account for the potential cost implications for the wages of staff who are currently earning more than the increased rates above current ERO minimum rates.
• It should be noted that the figures in the table are the additional cost to employers, rather than the additional costs to the State. Core Funding offers a contribution to staff costs. The €287m allocated for Core Funding may already support some employers to pay wage rates above ERO minimum rates.
• The figures in the table do not take into account the income currently received by those working in the sector who are self-employed and who derive their income from profits rather than wages.