Written Answers Nos. 91-102
91. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a 2023 BISS and ANC payments will issue to a farmer (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49063/23]
View answerAn application for participation in the 2023 Basic Income Support for Sustainability Scheme (BISS), Complementary Redistributive Support for Sustainability (CRISS), Areas of Natural Constraints (ANC) and ECO schemes was received from the above named applicant on the 18th of May, 2023.
An administrative review was carried out on the aforementioned herd number in recent days and an update was completed so that payment can now be processed for BISS, CRISS, ECO and ANC in the coming days.
92. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the estimated cost in 2024, if each family resource centre were allocated an additional 6.5% increase in their core funding. [48859/23]
View answerThank you for your question in relation to Family Resource Centres. an increase of 6.5% across the FRC programme would have an estimated cost of €1.2m. This form of increase would benefit the larger FRCs to a greater extent and result in only nominal increases for smaller FRCs.
Given the budgetary challenges and numerous competing priorities any potential increase would have to be done in a fair and equitable fashion.
Please note FRCs are Section 56 organisations, as such and dependent on the outcome of ongoing union ballots they will benefit from increases in pay related funding of an order of:
• 3% backdated to April 2023
• an additional 2% from Nov 2023 and
• a further 3% in March 2024
93. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of WTE social workers employed by Tusla in County Tipperary in 2021, 2022 and to-date in 2023; and the number of vacancies that currently exist. [48860/23]
View answerI wish to inform the Deputy that my officials have asked Tusla to respond directly to you on this matter.
94. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the reason an organisation (details supplied) was unsuccessful in its funding application to the 2023 LGBTI+ community services funding call scheme A; and if he will reconsider this decision. [48879/23]
View answerIn 2023, the LGBTI+ Community Services Fund was oversubscribed and as a result the assessment process was very competitive. For this reason, unfortunately, my Department was only in a position to provide funding to 25 out of a total of 101 applicants.
In recognition of the highly competitive funding call, all applications received were assessed and scored in strict adherence with the assessment criteria set out in the published funding call guidelines. Applications were assessed by two separate assessors within the Department. For applications where there was a pertinent difference of opinion between the scores given by those two assessors, an external reviewer was asked to review the application to provide a final score.
Thirty three percent of Scheme A (€25,000 to €100,000) applicants were successful. Due to oversubscription of the fund, and our commitment to fund as many worthwhile projects as possible, successful Scheme A applicants were only awarded only 70% of the amount sought in their original application.
Nineteen percent of Scheme B applicants were successful. Successful Scheme B projects (€5,000 to €10,000) were awarded the full amount applied for as it is likely the projects would not be feasible if funding was reduced.
Should additional funding become available, the highest scoring unsuccessful organisation will be contacted.
Any organisation looking for feedback or who wishes to appeal the assessment team’s decision should contact lgbti@equality.gov.ie
95. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the total funding allocated for existing levels of service (ELS) in disability services in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024, by the areas it was allocated to each year, in tabular form. [48886/23]
View answerOver the past three years significant resources have been invested in disability services, with core funding increasing from €2.2bn in 2021 to €2.8bn in 2024.
The increase in 2024 includes €131m for existing level of service (ELS) funding and €64m for new development measures. This represents a €195m or 7.6% increase on 2023 funding levels and reflects the Government’s commitment to strengthening the funding provided for the disability sector and to addressing the shortfalls identified in the Disability Capacity Review.
Existing Level of Service (ELS) funding made available to Disability Services over the past number of years is shown in the following table. The table splits the ELS funding into its component elements: the full year cost of prior year new developments, non-pay and pay.
The analysis below detailing the year on year increase is not a true comparison as ELS funding for 2024 still has to be finalised and will not be known until the Revised Estimated are agreed in December.
|
Year |
Full Year impact of previous years’ New Developments |
Non-pay |
Pay |
Total |
|
€m |
€m |
€m |
€m |
|
|
2021 Revised Estimates |
23.0 |
47.0 |
21.1 |
91.1 |
|
2022 Revised Estimates |
22.9 |
36.2 |
22.9 |
82 |
|
2023 Revised Estimates |
27.6 |
54.9 |
95.9 |
178.4 |
|
2024 Budget |
30.0 |
84.0 |
17.0 |
131.0 |
96. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth when the parents of a child (details supplied) in County Donegal can expect an assessment of needs carried out; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48907/23]
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.
97. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will examine a case (details supplied) of an individual in need of special needs education but who now has no service; and if he will ensure that this individual can access suitable services. [48932/23]
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.
98. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will provide an urgent update on a placement appeal for a person (details supplied). [48934/23]
View answerAs this is an service matter, 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.
99. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth when a child (details supplied) will receive an assessment for childhood apraxia of speech given the urgent need; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48958/23]
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.
100. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth how many healthcare professionals are employed within each HSE region including psychiatrists, psychologists and multi-disciplinary support service professionals with expertise in forensic learning disabilities; how many of the recommendations were acted on following a report in 2005 by the Forensic Learning Disability Psychiatry Working Group, People with a Learning Disability Who Offend; Forgiven but Forgotten including the establishment of national forensic learning disability service; how many persons with a diagnosed learning disability have been referred to forensic learning disability services outside the State for each year since 2005; the cost, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49060/23]
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.
101. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth why a contract was awarded to accommodate international protection applicants at a location (details supplied) in County Kerry when Kerry County Council had confirmed to IPAS that services were at capacity in the area; if an alternative location to accommodate these applicants will be considered in this case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49080/23]
View answerAs at 29 October, there are over 25,000 people accommodated in the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) system as a whole, compared with 16,000 people at this time last year. There are currently 651 international protection applicants (IPs) accommodated in Co. Kerry.
The Department continues to explore all offers of accommodation for international protection applicants (IPAs) in as far as it can. There remains an acute shortfall with respect to accommodation, and the Department is working to bring further properties into use to ensure that all those who arrive in Ireland seeking shelter can be accommodated.
While the Department acknowledges accommodation capacity may be limited in the area as a result of the current emergency situation, its actions are guided by the need to contract temporary accommodation in order to accommodate people fleeing the war in Ukraine and those seeking International Protection. I will raise the issue of service provision with my Cabinet colleagues, as requested during my recent meeting with public representatives from the County.
The Government is stepping up action to maximise the pace and scale of delivery on the accommodation strategy for people seeking international protection in Ireland. This includes an expanded programme of work and the development and use of alternative sites. However, given the extent of the crisis and elevated number of arrivals, the development of suitable and sufficient alternative accommodation will take time to become available.
102. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Health when the proposed surrogacy legislation will be published (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48844/23]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, the Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Bill 2022 was introduced to, and passed Second Stage in, the Dáil in March 2022 and has been referred to the Select Committee on Health for Third Stage. The focus of this Bill is on the regulation, for the first time in this country, of a wide range of assisted human reproduction (AHR) practices undertaken within the jurisdiction.
The Bill as published provided for domestic altruistic surrogacy but does not contain provisions to regulate surrogacy arrangements undertaken in other jurisdictions. However, on foot of Government approval of a proposal from Minister McEntee, Minister O’Gorman and myself, the Special Oireachtas Joint Committee on International Surrogacy was formally established in February 2022.
Following the publication of the Committee’s Final Report in July 2022, through a structured and collaborative engagement process, the three relevant Departments (Departments of Health, Justice, and Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth) reviewed the Report’s recommendations along with other relevant matters. This project culminated with the approval by Cabinet in mid-December 2022 of a policy approach in respect of both the regulation of international surrogacy and the recognition of certain past surrogacy arrangements (domestic and international) as well as outline draft legislative proposals.
The formal drafting process of these new surrogacy provisions by the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel (OPC), in conjunction with the three relevant Departments, as appropriate, is at an advanced stage. This is notwithstanding the fact that drafting by the OPC on the AHR Bill had to be paused over the summer due to a diversion of OPC personnel to work on highly-prioritised, non-Department of Health legislation.
The new provisions will then need to be approved by Government following the completion of the formal drafting process. It is intended that the finalised approved legislative provisions will then in effect be added to the AHR Bill at Committee Stage, in tandem with the bringing of substantial proposed amendments to the 11 Parts and 134 pages of the published Bill.
It is important to note that there is no international consensus on or any agreed legal instrument addressing the issue of international surrogacy and no other jurisdiction has legislated for a similar type of bespoke process to that which we propose to be set up here. It is imperative that we get this complex legislation right, including ensuring alignment with provisions in existing related legislation on the Irish Statute Book.
I wish to reiterate my commitment to ensuring both that the goal of providing for a route to formal recognition by the State of past surrogacy arrangements or surrogacy arrangements in other jurisdictions is achieved and that a robust regulatory framework for AHR more broadly is put in place, as quickly as possible.
