Written Answers Nos. 458-472
458. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth how many children are waiting for their assessment of need in CHO9; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46106/23]
View answerAs 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, 6 October, by management and administrative grades in Fórsa Trade Union in the HSE, will impact on the response times to Parliamentary Questions and Representations.
459. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth how many childcare providers in the Fingal constituency have signed up for the CORE funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46107/23]
View answerAs of the 20th October 2023, 146 services located within the boundaries of Dublin Fingal Dáil constituency are considered signed up to Core Funding, where they have a Core Funding application status at Contracted, Under Appraisal, Referred Back or Approved.
There are three additional new services whose Pobal service reference number indicates they are within Fingal local authority area, but who cannot be confirmed as being located within the boundaries of Dublin Fingal Dáil constituency, based on data available.
460. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the percentage of providers in the Fingal constituency that have signed up for the CORE funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46108/23]
View answerAs of the 20th October 2023, 90% of services located within the boundaries of Dublin Fingal Dáil constituency are considered signed up to Core Funding, where they have a Core Funding application status at Contracted, Under Appraisal, Referred Back or Approved.
There are three additional new services whose Pobal service reference number indicates they are within Fingal local authority area, but who cannot be confirmed as being located within the boundaries of Dublin Fingal Dáil constituency, based on data available.
461. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth how many children in CHO9 are currently enrolled in the AIMS programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46109/23]
View answerCHO9 is a HSE designation and not used with regard to early learning and childcare. I understand on clarification that the PQ relates to North County Dublin area which most closely aligns with Fingal County Childcare Committee and this response relates to the area encompassed by that committee.
The Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) encompasses 7 levels of support, which include universal supports (levels 1-3) and targeted supports (levels 4-7), based on the needs of the child and the Early Learning and Care (ELC) setting. Universal supports are designed to create a more inclusive culture in ELC settings, through training courses and qualifications for staff. Where universal supports are not enough to meet the needs of an individual child, targeted supports are available to ensure the child can meaningfully participate in ELC.
In 2023 there was an overall increase in demand in AIM supports post Covid-19, with 7,217 children nationwide being approved for targeted AIM supports combined.
The number of children participating in the various targeted streams of support under AIM for the 2022/23 programme call in the Fingal CCC area was as follows.
|
Programme Call |
Total Unique Children Accessing AIM Supports in the Fingal CCC Area |
|
2022/23 |
481 |
|
2023/24 (as of 19/10/2023) |
455 |
462. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth how many therapist vacancies in the assessment of need teams in CHO9; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46111/23]
View answerAs 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, 6 October, by management and administrative grades in Fórsa Trade Union in the HSE, will impact on the response times to Parliamentary Questions and Representations.
463. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth how many therapist vacancies the CDNT teams in CHO9; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46112/23]
View answerAs 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, 6 October, by management and administrative grades in Fórsa Trade Union in the HSE, will impact on the response times to Parliamentary Questions and Representations.
464. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth how the smaller early education providers will benefit from the CORE funding announced in Budget 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46113/23]
View answerBudget 2024 continues to improve investment for early learning and childcare with funding increasing by 8% or €83 million in 2024, to €1.109 billion.
€303.31m has been allocated for Core Funding in 2024, a 14% increase on the 2023 investment in the scheme. This substantial increase on the 2023 allocation will support continued implementation of the scheme for the second programme year, September 2023 to August 2024 and into the third programme year from September 2024, with additional funding of €14.65m being made available from September 2024.
The additional funding from September 2024 translates into a full year allocation of €331m for year 3 of Core Funding, an increase of €44m, or 15%, on the current allocation of €287m and will delivery a range of enhancements in Year 3 of the scheme to support improved affordability and accessibility for families, improved pay and conditions for the workforce and improved sustainability for providers.
I introduced a number of targeted supports for small and sessional services in Year 2 of the scheme in order to improve sustainability of these services, specifically a flat rate top up of €4,075 for sessional-only services and a minimum base rate allocation of €8,150. These measures saw the average allocation under Core Funding for sessional-only service increase by 32% this year.
In a continued commitment to supporting these services, these measures will continue to apply in the 2024/2025 programme year.
Core Funding operates in addition to the ECCE Programme and the NCS. Between ECCE capitation and Core Funding, there is currently a minimum of €79.20 per ECCE child per week, before additional graduate premium of €4.44 per hour and the flat rate of €4,075 per year for sessional services are added, as applicable. The developments in 2024 will see this minimum income increase further.
In addition, €21.49m will be used for developments to Core Funding in year 3 of the Scheme, to be informed by the emerging data from Year 2 of the scheme as well as the Financial Returns.
Sustainability supports will continue to be available in 2024, and can be accessed through local City and County Childcare Committees (CCC).
465. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth when he envisions the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023 will be enacted, given it was signed into law on 4 April 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46114/23]
View answerThe Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023 was enacted on 4 April 2023. Many of the provisions of the Act have now been commenced, including the introduction, as of 3 July 2023, of leave for medical care purposes for parents and carers and amendments to the Maternity Protection Acts to provide for the extension of breastfeeding breaks. An order amending regulations relating to breastfeeding breaks made under the Maternity Protection Acts was also made on that date.
It is planned to commence the legislative provisions introducing domestic violence leave on 27 November 2023. Section 7 of the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023 inserts a new Section 13AA into the Parental Leave Act 1998 (as amended) to provide for five days paid domestic violence leave. As previously announced, victims of domestic violence will receive their full pay if they need to take domestic violence leave.
My Department has also commissioned Women’s Aid to develop supports for employers to develop their own domestic violence workplace policies and these will be published in advance of the commencement of the leave.
The right to request flexible working for parents and carers will be commenced following the preparation of a Code of Practice by the Workplace Relations Commission under Part 4. Commencement of Part 3 and Part 4 are for the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment.
466. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of children awaiting initial appointment with a CDNT in Cork by waiting time, in tabular form. [46140/23]
View answerAs 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, 6 October, by management and administrative grades in Fórsa Trade Union in the HSE, will impact on the response times to Parliamentary Questions and Representations.
467. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of children given an assessment of needs in 2023 in Cork to date and the number currently awaiting same. [46142/23]
View answerAs 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, 6 October, by management and administrative grades in Fórsa Trade Union in the HSE, will impact on the response times to Parliamentary Questions and Representations.
468. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the status of an appointment for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46164/23]
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. As the Deputy may be aware, the industrial action that commenced on Friday, 6 October, by management and administrative grades in Fórsa Trade Union in the HSE, will impact on the response times to Parliamentary Questions and Representations.
469. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth for an update on the resumption of the motorised transport grant and mobility allowance schemes, which were suspended in 2013. [46175/23]
View answerThe Government decided to close the Motorised Transport Grant and Mobility Allowance administrative schemes in 2013, on foot of the Ombudsman reports in 2011 and 2012 regarding the legal status of both schemes in the context of the Equal Status Acts. Both schemes remain closed.
Under the National Disability Inclusion Strategy 2017-2022, the Action 104 Transport Working Group was established in 2020 to make progress on an important cross-Government action to review transport and mobility supports for people with disabilities and to advance proposals for the enhancement of these supports going forward.
As Minister of State with responsibility for Disability, I chaired meetings of the Transport Working Group from January 2022 up to its conclusion in December 2022. The Group's work has now concluded and the final report was published in February 2023. The Report sets out the contributions made by members for the enhancement of transport and mobility supports for people with disabilities.
Access to transport for people with disabilities is a multifaceted issue that involves work carried out by multiple Government departments and agencies. It is incumbent on all Ministers, Departments and Agencies with responsibility for transport and mobility schemes for people with disabilities to consider the recommendations of the Transport Working Group, as I will be giving due consideration to the recommendations in the context of the schemes outlined above. These considerations will continue in the context of the development of a new National Disability Strategy.
470. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his plans to professionalise the early childhood home visiting sector; his plans to ensure ring-fenced budgetary supports for the same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46176/23]
View answerThe First 5 Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families includes an action to agree a national approach to home visiting services, across a continuum of need, building on the current public health nurse home visitation programme and having regard to Irish evidence on the implementation of prevention and early intervention initiatives.
Currently, a national review of Home Visiting is underway conducted by the UNITE team at Maynooth University, in partnership with the Parenting Support Policy Unit within my department. This review is examining the resources, activity levels, geographical coverage and outcomes associated with home visiting programmes in Ireland. The review will consider evidence of the effectiveness and implementation of home visiting programmes in Ireland and across the world. Consultations are underway with parents and home visiting service practitioners to explore the demand and preferences for different types of home visiting services. Further consultations have also been undertaken with key stakeholders to identify, assess and agree options for a standardised national approach to home visiting service provision.
This research will be further underpinned by the Home Visiting Alliance Feasibility Study, also funded through my department through What Works, which has been recently published and sets out a profile of home visiting services within Ireland in 2023.
471. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he is aware of a person (details supplied) with a disability who had been placed in a nursing home for a convalescent short-term stay, but who remains there 14-weeks later due to the lack of funding at their original residence to provide for a necessary member of night staff; if he will acknowledge that placing people in inappropriate settings at which their needs are not and cannot be met is in contravention of Article 19 of the UNCRPD; if he will commit to authorising the necessary funding in order that the person can return to their original community setting appropriate to their needs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46202/23]
View answerAs this question refers to an individuals case , 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, 6 October, by management and administrative grades in Fórsa Trade Union in the HSE, will impact on the response times to Parliamentary Questions and Representations.
472. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth when a bus service for a facility (details supplied) will be reinstated; and the number of persons who used this service, per week when it was available. [46226/23]
View answerAs 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, 6 October, by management and administrative grades in Fórsa Trade Union in the HSE, will impact on the response times to Parliamentary Questions and Representations.
