Written Answers Nos. 65-84
65. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No. 1492 of 11 September 2023, when the mother and baby institution redress scheme will be open for applications; the timeline for when payments will be made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48449/23]
View answer78. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to provide an update on the mother and baby institutions payment scheme; when applications are due to open; when he expects after this date that payments will issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48402/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 65 and 78 together.
Opening the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme as soon as possible is a priority for me and my Department. The underpinning legislation for the Scheme, signed into law in July this year, allows for the establishment of an Executive Office in my Department to administer the Scheme and the appointment of the Chief Deciding Officer to head up that office. It also allows for the making of the necessary regulations which must be in place prior to the Scheme opening and provides a lawful basis for access to information and records which are essential for the processing of applications.
Intensive work is underway to establish the administrative structures needed to open the Scheme but this will take a number more months. Following careful consideration of a number of important factors, including the need to open the Scheme as soon as possible and the ability to be responsive and scale up and down to meet Scheme demand, a blended operating model is being developed. This will provide for the Executive Office to be supported by an experienced third party which will facilitate efficiencies in application processing and payments.
In accordance with the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Act, all staff in the Executive Office, as well as the third party support team, will operate under the direction and supervision of the Chief Deciding Officer and a comprehensive training programme for all staff involved in the Scheme is being developed.
My Department recently made a call to survivors and former residents who may be interested in being part of a stakeholder reference group to provide feedback on the draft application and communication materials for the Scheme, and a very positive response was received.
An information awareness campaign will take place in Ireland and abroad at the time of the Scheme opening. Applicants will be supported throughout the process with information and advice if they need it. I would encourage any person who thinks they may be eligible for the Scheme to make an application at that time.
66. Deputy Brian Leddin asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will point to independent economic indicators that childcare fees have fallen in recent years; how much will have been saved by an NCS-registered family using full-time childcare by the time the recently announced cuts in childcare take effect in September 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48526/23]
View answerOECD data from 2018, before the introduction of the NCS in late 2019, showed that early learning and childcare costs in Ireland, relative to household income, were the highest in the EU for couples on low incomes and third highest for lone parents on low incomes, with couples paying on average 26.5 per cent and lone parents paying 25.2 per cent, compared to the EU averages of 9.6 per cent and 10.5 per cent respectively.
By 2021, early learning and childcare costs in Ireland fell to 14.2 per cent of net income for couples and 5.3 per cent for lone parents - compared to the EU averages of 8.1 per cent and 8.4 per cent respectively.
It is important to note that these data do not take account of enhancements made to the NCS in 2022 and early 2023, these include:
• The removal of the practice of deducting hours spent in pre-school or school from NCS awards, meaning that parents are able to use their full awarded subsidised NCS hours regardless of whether their children are in pre-school or school.
• The increase in the upper age eligibility for the NCS universal subsidy from 3 years to all children under 15 years.
• An increase in the NCS minimum subsidy from €0.50 to €1.40 per hour.
Furthermore, Budget 2024 will result in a further increase in the minimum subsidy from €1.40 per hour to €2.14. This translates to up to €96.30 off families’ weekly bill for early learning and childcare per child using 45 hours of early learning and childcare.
67. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the cause of the delay in delivering care to a child (details supplied). [34588/23]
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 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.
68. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his plans to ensure that the rights of children and adults with disabilities are upheld in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48372/23]
View answerAs Minister of State with responsibility for Disability, it is very important to me that we address the most significant challenges and barriers that people with disabilities face on a daily basis across Ireland. Continuously advancing in terms of the rights and obligations set out in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) is a priority for my Department.
Ireland’s overarching strategic framework for coordinating implementation of the UNCRPD, the National Disability Inclusion Strategy, expired in 2022 following a one-year extension. At the final meeting of the NDIS Steering Group in 2022, I encouraged all departments to maintain momentum on the initiatives under their remit where it remains incumbent upon all departments and agencies to observe their own sectoral responsibilities under the UNCRPD while the process to develop an ambitious successor strategy would be underway.
My own department has continued unabated in this work, progressing, for example, the recently launched Progressing Disability Services Roadmap, commencement of the Assisted Decision-Making Act, which included a legislative increase in the minimum percentage of persons with disabilities to be employed in the public sector and which legislated for IHREC to take on a formal role in monitoring the implementation of the UNCRPD. I was also pleased to be able to finalise the transfer of disability service functions from the Department of Health earlier this year, bringing a new focus to service provision for the period ahead.
Work continues across Government as a testament to our commitment to the implementation of the UNCRPD, and the rights that it affirms for children and adults with disabilities in Ireland. Our successes in embedding this commitment notwithstanding, work is ongoing to develop a successor strategy to the NDIS that will further advance the implementation of the UNCRPD at a whole of government level. This new strategy will be the blueprint for supporting people with disabilities to pursue lives of their choosing, and to be better supported in doing so. As such, it is important to get it right, and that will take time. A dedicated Project Team has been established within DCEDIY – and including expertise from the National Disability Authority – to support the development and delivery of the Strategy in early 2024. Public consultation for the Strategy will commence in the coming weeks, coming on foot of a series of targeted engagements this year with key stakeholders including the Disability Stakeholder Group and with Disabled People's Organisations. My officials will also be continuing to engage with colleagues across government to ensure the collaborative development of what will be a whole-of-government strategy.
I very much believe in the power of the phrase "nothing about us without us", and it is important to me that people with disabilities feel that they have shaped the new strategy. Both I and my officials are actively engaging with people with disabilities and their representative organisations to determine the strategy's priorities and to develop specific, measurable and outcome-focused actions aimed at achieving the strategy's ambition.
69. Deputy Imelda Munster asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth for an update from the cross-departmental group on moving international protection applicants from tourist accommodation to more suitable accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45556/23]
View answerThe state, through its whole of Government approach, is committed to delivering accommodation solutions beyond tourist accommodation to international protection applicants (IPAs) and beneficiaries of temporary protection (BOPTs).
The number of IPAs arriving in the county remains significantly elevated. In the first forty-two weeks of 2023, nearly 9,000 people have arrived in Ireland seeking accommodation from the State, averaging 214 people per week – which is more than triple the average from 2017-2019.
In the context of the increasing international protection (IP) numbers since January 2022, there is a recognition that the underlying assumptions on which the White Paper to end Direct Provision and Establish a new International Protection Support Service was based need to be re-examined, as the assumptions underpinning it are based on 3,500 new arrivals each year. This work is being undertaken by my Department, with input from the White Paper Programme Board and the External Advisory Group.
In terms of accommodation, there has been a focus on increasing the state owned accommodation capacity including progressing the purchase of pre-existing buildings and advancing the planning process for the construction of purpose built centres
Additionally, an Accommodation Working Group (AWG) has been established within the Department of An Taoiseach to support DCEDIY; the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Local Authorities and the OPW in the delivery of accommodation for those from Ukraine and in the context of continuing arrivals.
An expanded programme of work has now been agreed by Government to enable consideration of accommodation beyond serviced accommodation. These types of accommodation could include: consideration of commercial properties and sites for development, refurbishment or the use of alternative modular buildings.
This work is being progressed by relevant departments and agencies working together as part of the AWG and a National Coordination Unit which is established in the Local Government Management Agency to ensure delivery on the expanded work stream at local level.
70. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his plans to deal with the crisis in children’s disability services due to lack of early intervention services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48373/23]
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 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.
71. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he has examined the sustainability of different segments of the childcare sector; and how he intends to use the additional resources allocated in the budget for core funding. [48355/23]
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.
• €9.27m will support a 3% increase in capacity in the sector in year three of the scheme, driven both by new services joining the sector and existing services offering more places and/or longer hours to families;
• The allocation for administration will increase by €3.21m; and
• The allocation for non-staff overheads will increase by €10.07m to ensure the Scheme continues to keep pace with cost pressures facing services.
• The remaining €21.49m will be used for other developments, to be informed by the emerging data from Year 2 of the scheme as well as the Financial Returns.
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.
Sustainability supports will continue to be available in 2024, and can be accessed through local City and County Childcare Committees (CCC).
72. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his plans to provide respite care services for children with disabilities in County Monaghan. [34587/23]
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 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.
73. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his plans for the implementation of each of the three recommendations in the special report by the Ombudsman for Children, “Safety and Welfare of Children in Direct Provision” (October 2023); the timeline for implementation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48454/23]
View answer84. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he has had regard to the OCO report on Safety and Welfare of Children in Direct Provision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48536/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 73 and 84 together.
I acknowledged the publication of the special report by the Ombudsman for Children, and remain committed to the provision of appropriate accommodation to all International Protection Applicants (IPAs) in Ireland in line with our legal obligations.
Recommendation 1: IPAS to cease the use of commercial hotels and plan for accommodation capacity pressures.
There are currently over 24,500 persons in IPAS accommodation. Since the beginning of 2023 to date, over 9,400 people have arrived seeking International Protection, many of which have been accommodated by IPAS. Due to the significant increase, there is a requirement to continue with a blended approach of accommodation options, including commercial and private providers.
I acknowledge that the number of IPAs resident in Emergency Accommodation Centres (EACs) remains high, and my Department is working to procure new accommodation, and transition current residents from EACs to more permanent accommodation within the portfolio.
The commitments made in A White Paper to end Direct Provision and Establish a new International Protection Support Service are still a key priority for my Department. The implementation of the White paper has been significantly impacted by the war in Ukraine and the substantial increase in IPAs.
There is a recognition that the underlying assumptions on which the White Paper was based needed to be re-examined, as the assumptions underpinning it are based on 3,500 new arrivals each year. This work is currently being undertaken by my Department with input from the White Paper Programme Board and the External Advisory Group.
The revised implementation approach will focus on increasing the state owned permanent accommodation capacity to build an appropriate system to meet an increasing need. However due to the significant increase in numbers there will be a requirement for a blended approach of accommodation options including commercial and private providers. While the proposals set out for a revised pathway for the White Paper are intended to achieve a more sustainable model of accommodation and supports for IP applicants, this will take time.
Recommendation 2: IPAS to put in place a robust quality assurance mechanism, including an independent inspectorate.
Since the previous OCO Report of 2021, my Department has put in place a number measures to address concerns which include:
• Monitoring of permanent centres for adherence to National Standards,
• The Vulnerability Assessment Pilot Programme,
• Resident Clinics,
• The publication of the revised IPAS Child Safeguarding Statement, and
• The provision of Child Protection Briefings to managers and staff at IPAS Centres.
Recommendation 3: IPAS to have regard to the vulnerability of children within the international protection process in the planning and provision of their accommodation needs.
IPAS will continue to prioritise children and address their vulnerabilities in accordance with the requirements of the EU Reception Conditions Directive. IPAS will continue to engage with all staff in centres that accommodate children in the International Protection system to ensure they complete Children First Training, have a Designated Liaison Person assigned and adhere to the Children First Legislation and Guidance.
IPAS also works collaboratively with other agencies, including TUSLA colleagues to offer Family Support Services to children and their families in its accommodation. My Department has co-funded Family Support Practitioners for families living in IPAS accommodation to support the pathway for integrated community-based child and family support services.
Child protection is a multi-agency, multi-disciplinary activity and agencies and professionals must work together in the interests of children. I, and my Department, are fully cognisant the best interests of the child are paramount.
74. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the extent to which he remains satisfied that the interests of children remain to the fore to the greatest extent possible in all situations where their interests and voice might be challenged; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48147/23]
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.
75. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will engage with officials in his Department regarding a service provider in Cork experiencing an issue with its SAC service capacity (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48466/23]
View answerI am advised that the service referred to by the Deputy was sent a communication on the 27th October from Pobal. Pobal are now working to bring this issue to a close.
76. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will provide details on the progress of applications for birth information and tracing, one year on from the coming into operation of the relevant legislation; how many information releases have taken places; to provide details on the matches that have been made via the contact preference register and tracing services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48476/23]
View answerThe Information and Tracing services established under the Birth Information and Tracing Act 2022 opened for applications just over a year ago, on the 3rd of October 2022. As of the 31st of October 2023, the Child and Family Agency, Tusla and the Adoption Authority of Ireland have received 10,691 applications for information, and have progressed 8,385 (or 78%) to completion.
They have also received 5,803 applications for tracing and, as of the end of September, 461 traces had been completed. The Adoption Authority of Ireland has registered 3,475 preferences on the Contact Preference Register, and successfully identified 276 matches between people seeking to contact relatives. It has facilitated contact between 118 sets of relatives so far and contact between a further 158 is in the process of facilitation.
When they opened in October 2022, the Information and Tracing Services were subject to an initial surge of applications. The task of compiling each applicant’s information is a complex one, which involves examining a variety of historic records transferred over time into Tusla and the AAI’s care, many of which are not housed in one file or location. Unfortunately it is not the case that there is one complete and easily accessible file per person waiting to be handed over to them. A thorough and time-consuming search of records is necessary to guarantee the release of all relevant information to the applicant.
While there have been some delays in responding to the surge of demand for Information and Tracing Services, both bodies have worked to address this, re-assigning additional staff members to work exclusively on processing applications, and actively undertaking specialised digitisation projects to ensure that information is safeguarded and indexed accurately, and that the efficiency of the process of finding each applicant’s information improves into the future. It is encouraging to note that the AAI has fully cleared its backlog of applications and is now operating within statutory timeframes, and that Tusla remain committed to clearing their backlog as a matter of priority, and are coming closer to doing so with every passing week.
Furthermore, it has been very heartening to receive a wealth of positive feedback from people who have accessed Birth Information and Tracing Services and kindly shared their experiences with Tusla, the AAI, my Department, and with me through my constituency office.
77. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to provide details of any proposals that he is planning to make in relation to accommodation for BOTPs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48548/23]
View answerIreland has responded to the largest displacement of people on the European continent since the Second World War. Since February 2022, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth has worked extensively to accommodate over 99,000 arrivals fleeing the war in Ukraine, over 80% have sought accommodation from this Department. It is estimated that some 104,000 persons fleeing the conflict in Ukraine will have arrived by the end of the year.
The Temporary Protection Directive was recently extended to 4 March 2025 and will be in place for a longer timeframe than originally envisaged at the time of the decision to activate it in March 2022.
The situation in relation to the availability of accommodation for Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) arriving in Ireland remains extremely challenging. The Department continually analyses the level of offers being made, the numbers which are contracted following due diligence checks and projected BOTP arrivals in the coming months. There is highly likely to be a gap between available accommodation and arrival numbers over the coming weeks and months, with significant shortfalls expected.
As part of the Government humanitarian response to the situation in Ukraine I continue to keep accommodation policy under review.
79. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth how he plans to tackle significant backlogs with respect to assessments of need; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48552/23]
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 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.
80. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the way he is supporting people with disabilities, especially wheelchair users, to attend medical and other appointments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48519/23]
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 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.
81. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to provide a report on his Department’s engagement in relation to the funding of section 39 organisations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47021/23]
View answerThe Government is aware that staff working in Section 39 and Section 56 funded organisations have been employed using a multiplicity of terms and conditions, including different rates of remuneration, with the organisations largely dependent on the State for funding.
Following intensive talks convened under the auspices of the Workplace Relations Commission last month, parties to the process, including the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and the Department of Health, reached agreement with Unions representing Section 39, Section 56 and Section 10 organisations.
The Departments proactively engaged with this voluntary process to ensure the stability and sustainability of services for the benefit of those who rely on these essential services and the workers who are committed to providing quality services.
The agreement, which unions indicated would be recommended to their members, proposes an 8% increase in funding for pay over three phases:
• An increase of 3% from April 1st 2023
• An increase of 2% from 1st November 2023
• An increase of 3% from March 2024.
In addition, the Department committed to further talks after any future public sector agreement.
Most importantly, this agreement resulted in the postponement of planned industrial action by staff working in these organisations and the outcome of the union ballots is awaited.
82. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the reason for the lack of engagement with stakeholders such as an organisation (details supplied) on the Roadmap for Service Improvement: Disability Services for Children and Young People 2023-2026. [48535/23]
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 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.
83. Deputy Marc Ó Cathasaigh asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the current level of funding provided to an organisation (details supplied) for its recycle mobility programme to help provide independence in mobility for children with disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48436/23]
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 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.
