Michael Lowry
Question:702. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to review the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55092/23]
View answerChild and Family Agency
Questions (702)
Written answers
Statutory 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.
Childcare Services
Questions (703)
Niamh Smyth
Question:703. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the status of an application for the affordable childcare scheme submitted on 16 October 2023 (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55156/23]
View answerWritten answers
Officials in my Department have engaged with the Scheme Administrator, Pobal, to investigate this case on behalf of the applicant. We have been advised that the application was submitted on 16 October and processed by Pobal on the same date. This is standard procedure for NCS Universal Awards, which have the quickest turnaround times, with CHICKs typically being issued on the same day an application is submitted.
A notification was issued to the applicant on 16 October to advise that the application was complete, and that CHICK codes were available to view in the portal. Pobal have confirmed that the applicant did not read this notification. As a result, the applicant may not be aware that an award has already been issued.
To use their award, the applicant should present the CHICK along with their child’s name and date of birth to their chosen early learning and childcare provider. With these details, the provider will register the agreed hours. These hours must then be confirmed by the parent via the portal. Once complete, their chosen childcare provider will start to receive subsidy payments. More information on the registration process, and the Scheme more generally, is available on www.ncs.gov.ie.
As always, Pobal's Parent Support Centre is available for parents seeking advice or support in relation to the NCS. The Parent Support Centre may be contacted on 01 906 8530, Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm.
Special Educational Needs
Questions (704)
Kathleen Funchion
Question:704. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if a student (details supplied) will be given the opportunity to continue their studies in a school until December 2025. [55157/23]
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 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.
Direct Provision System
Questions (705)
Holly Cairns
Question:705. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of individuals who have been granted refugee status and remain resident in direct provision centres; and the number of these individuals who have been relocated to another direct provision centre since receiving refugee status. [55182/23]
View answerWritten answers
The International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) is currently accommodating nearly 26,000 people in over 200 accommodation centres throughout Ireland. Of these people, over 5,900 have been granted International Protection or a Leave to Remain.
Under The European Communities (Reception Conditions) Regulations 2018, those who have had their application determined are no longer entitled to Material Reception conditions. However, IPAS continues to accommodate those with status, until such time that they progress into the community.
IPAS has a specific Transition team who work in collaboration with Depaul Ireland, the Peter McVerry Trust, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and Local Authorities to support residents with status to exit IPAS accommodation and access other housing options. Those with status have the same housing entitlements as Irish citizens and are supported to register with a Local Authority and, if required, to avail of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) to secure alternative accommodation. In addition, those with status have the same social welfare entitlements as Irish citizens.
Those with status for the greatest length of time are currently being offered a transfer to alternative emergency accommodation. Those being offered this transfer have been granted status for at least 18 months.
This process began in September 2022, beginning with single applicants with status for over 3 years. Currently singles/couples with status over 18 months have been notified of the offer of emergency accommodation, if they have been unable to source accommodation within 6 weeks of the dated letter.
All those with International Protection/Permission to Remain are written to once status has been granted and are advised they must now seek alternative accommodation. They are also advised that the supports of Peter McVerry Trust/Depaul are available to them. In the past 18 months, over 2,000 people with status have left IPAS accommodation and progressed into the community.
Please see, in tabular format, the number of those who have received permission to remain and currently reside in IPAS accommodation, along with the number of those who have progressed into their communities, up to November 2023.
|
Month |
Grants Issued |
Progressions |
Persons with PTR Remaining in Accommodation (end of month totals) |
|
Jan 23 |
206 |
97 |
5040 |
|
Feb 23 |
142 |
118 |
5064 |
|
Mar 23 |
295 |
162 |
5197 |
|
Apr 23 |
170 |
150 |
5217 |
|
May 23 |
270 |
197 |
5290 |
|
Jun 23 |
301 |
200 |
5391 |
|
Jul 23 |
279 |
162 |
5508 |
|
Aug 23 |
284 |
142 |
5650 |
|
Sep 23 |
210 |
135 |
5725 |
|
Oct 23 |
411 |
130 |
6006 |
|
Nov 23 |
265 |
331 |
5960 |
|
Total |
2833 |
1824 |
5960 |
Childcare Services
Questions (706)
Thomas Gould
Question:706. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he is aware that a school (details supplied) is closing at year end; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55199/23]
View answerWritten answers
The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration & Youth funds 30 City/County Childcare Committees which provide support and assist families and early learning and childcare providers with early learning and childcare matters.
The Childcare Committee are working to support the National School where the service was located to put in place a new school age service for parents as quickly as possible.
The network of City/County Childcare Committees are in a position to match children and families to services operating with vacant places. These CCCs also engage proactively with services to explore possibilities for expansion among services, particularly where there is unmet need.
Providers and parents can find the details of their local City/County Childcare Committee by visiting www.myccc.ie.
My Department is taking a number of steps to increase supply.
A funding scheme was introduced last year - Core Funding – which allocates funding for providers based on the cost of delivery. Under Core Funding, providers delivering early learning and childcare for babies and toddlers attract higher levels of funding, given the higher staffing requirements determined by the regulatory ratios for these children. Though only in operation since September 2022, initial analysis shows that this new funding scheme has given rise to a significant growth in capacity – with capacity growth for cohorts including babies and toddlers where there has been significant pressure on places. €9.27m has been secured in Budget 2024 to invest in a further 3% capacity growth from September 2024.
In addition, and as part of the design of the Building Blocks Capacity Grant Scheme, officials in my Department have commenced a needs analysis in the Early Learning and Childcare sector. This analysis will look at undersupply by region and age category, which will ensure that my Department can fund additional capacity where it is most needed. I announced more details of the Capacity Grant on Thursday 7 December.
Departmental Priorities
Questions (707)
Cathal Crowe
Question:707. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his main policy and legislative priorities for 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55202/23]
View answerWritten answers
My Department is currently collating the information requested and a reply will issue directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
Departmental Expenditure
Questions (708)
Kathleen Funchion
Question:708. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth for a breakdown including ECCE pay, AIM pay of the €308.2 million provided for in line B.3 of the revised estimates for 2023. [55244/23]
View answerWritten answers
|
Subhead B3 |
2023 Original Allocation |
2023 Supplementary Estimates |
|
€'000 |
€'000 |
|
|
ECCE Programme Funding |
€ 264,600 |
€ 268,163 |
|
ECCE AIM Programme Funding |
€ 43,600 |
€ 47,356 |
|
Total |
€ 308,200 |
€ 315,519 |
Funding under the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECCE) Programme is paid on the basis of capitation and is not broken down by pay and non-pay costs.
Childcare Services
Questions (709)
Kathleen Funchion
Question:709. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to confirm the estimates given in Parliamentary Question No. 145 of 6 December 2023 includes ECCE and AIM staff. [55245/23]
View answerWritten answers
It should be noted that early learning and care (ELC) and school-age childcare (SAC) services are private, and the State is not the employer. As a result, the Government does not set wage levels nor determine staff working conditions or roles in the sector.
The estimates provided in the response to Parliamentary Question No. 145 on 6 December 2023 were calculated based on data provided by ELC and SAC services on all staff (including ancillary staff), which therefore includes staff who work in part or solely in the ECCE universal pre-school programme and staff supported by the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM).
Disability Services
Questions (710)
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn
Question:710. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if urgent respite can be provided for a person (details supplied) in Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55265/23]
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 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.
Childcare Services
Questions (711)
Jim O'Callaghan
Question:711. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the action taken to support the childcare and early years sector since 27 June 2020. [55284/23]
View answerWritten answers
Since 27 June 2020, there has been very significant action taken to support the early learning and childcare (ELC) sector. The full suite of actions are set out in the First 5 Annual Implementation Reports 2020, 2021 and 2022. The recently published First 5 Implementation Plan covering the period 2023-2025 includes 125 actions for the next phase of strategy implementation, each with a defined 2025 output and a clear schedule of associated annual milestones, including milestones for 2023.
Key actions over the period of interest to the Deputy include:
Covid-19 Supports
Multiple Covid-19 support packages were developed in response to evolving circumstances to support the ELC sector. The objective of these support packages were to:
• support ELC providers’ sustainability to enable services return to normal once restrictions were lifted;
• ensure that ELC could reopen after temporary closure periods and remain open, particularly for children of essential workers and vulnerable children, even at very low levels of occupancy;
• ensure that ELC services could operate safely for children, families and staff;
• support ELC providers to retain (and upskill) their staff, particularly during periods of closures and restricted access;
• ensure increased ELC delivery costs associated with public health requirements, and lower demand / occupancy were not passed on to parents;
• ensure parents were not charged when not using ELC services during periods of closures and restricted access; and
• ensure continuity of learning experiences to children during periods of closures and restricted access through the provision of remote supports.
A package of measures, which cost in excess of €1 billion was developed to support the achievement of these objectives included:
2020
• Continuation of DCEDIY subsidy schemes on an ex-gratia basis (12 March – 5 April)
• Temporary Wage Subsidy Childcare Scheme (6 April – 28 June 2020) that layered on top of the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme (TWSS), providing a top-up for staff wages and funding towards non-deferrable operational costs.
• Reopening Funding Package, (29 June – 23 August 2020), including a Reopening Support Payment, a capital grant; continued access to the TWSS and resumption of DCEDIY subsidy schemes.
• July Stimulus Package (24 August - 31 December) including the continuation of DCEDIY subsidy schemes, resumption of the ECCE Programme, the Employer Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS) with an exemption to the turnover rule and a Sustainability Fund
2021
• Funding arrangements during Level 5 restrictions, including continuation of DCEDIY subsidy schemes, Covid-19 Operating Support Payment and Covid-19 Impact Support (with EWSS) and a childcare matching service for essential workers (4 January – 29 March).
2022
• A Grant to Improve Ventilation and Reduce Transmission of Covid-19 in ELC to support services to improve ventilation, given the need to mitigate risks associated with Covid-19 in line with the National Public Health guidance. HEPA filters were among eligible items under this Programme.
ELC were eligible for the EWSS, with an exemption to having to demonstrate the 30% drop in turnover that applies to other sectors.
• Between October 2020 and November 2021 enhanced rate EWSS equalled €34 million, per month, for ELC providers, covering, on average, 80% staff costs or 50% total operating costs.
• Between December 2021 and February 2022 standard rate EWSS will amount to €22 million per month for ELC providers, covering, on average, 50% staff costs or 38% total operating costs.
• From March and April 2022 a new flat rate for EWSS of €100 will apply. This amounts of €11 million per month in the sector, and will cover, on average, 25% staff costs or 11% total operating costs.
In addition, there was an extensive range of:
• public health resources to assist services to reopen and operate safely.
• CPD resources for practitioners to upskill.
• resources to prepare children for the transition back to services following periods of closures/restricted access and to ensure children's continued access to learning opportunities at home during these times
Transition Fund
A Transition Fund was put in place to support providers between May and August 2022. The Fund was designed to support the financial stability of services in the period between the end of Covid-19 supports and ahead of the introduction of a new Core Funding Scheme in September 2022, while ensuring that fees to parents do not increase.
Interim Fund
Interim Funding was put in place to bridge the gap between the end of the Transition Fund (31 August 2022) and the introduction of Core Funding (15 September 2022). This enabled a smooth transition from one scheme to the other once the Employment Regulation Orders were in effect.
Budgets
The allocation for early learning and childcare in 2020 was €638m. That allocation remained unchanged in 2021. This excluded the substantial package of Covid-19 supports outlined above that cost in excess of €1 billion.
In Budget 2022, the allocation for early learning and childcare increased by €78m to €716m. In 2023, the allocation increase by €346m to €1.025 billion. In 2024, the allocation for early learning and childcare will be €1.109 billion, a €83 million (8%) increase on the 2023 allocation.
Schemes
The overwhelming majority of funding is allocated through Together for Better, the funding model for early learning and childcare, which comprises three strands: the ECCE programme, including the Access and Inclusion (AIM), the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) and the Core Funding scheme. A fourth strand, the Equal Participation Model (EPM), will be rolled out from September 2024. Each strand of the funding model has evolved since first being introduced. Some key developments of the period of interest to the Deputy are set out below:
Access and Inclusion Model (AIM)
In 2021, the AIM Level 7 capitation rate increased from €195 per week to €210 per week. In 2022, the AIM Level 7 capitation rate increased from €210 per week to €240 per week.
In Budget 2024, I secured an additional €14m for AIM. €7m of this allocation will support the increasing cohort of children with a disability requiring AIM supports to access and meaningfully participate in the ECCE programme. An additional €7m provides for an expansion of targeted AIM supports to these children beyond time spent in the ECCE programme, in term and out of term from next September.
National Childcare Scheme (NCS)
In September 2020, the minimum and maximum NCS subsidised hours increased from 15 to 20 and 40 to 45 hours respectively
In April 2022, the practice of deducting time spent the pre-school or school from NCS subsidised hours was discontinued
In September 2022, the upper age eligibility for the NCS universal subsidy was extended from 3 years old to all children under 15 years of age.
In January 2023, the hourly NCS Universal Subsidy was increased from €0.50 to €1.40.
I announced further improvements to the NCS as part of Budget 2024 due to come into effect from September 2024, these include:
• An increase to the hourly NCS universal subsidy from €1.40 to €2.14.
• An increase to the NCS Sponsor Referral rates to €5.30 per hour for children over the age of 1.
• The introduction of childminder specific regulations in NCS legislation, which will allow a wider cohort of childminders to avail of the scheme.
Core Funding
Core Funding, was introduced in September 2022, and designed to meet the combined objectives of:
• Improved affordability for parents by ensuring that fees do not increase;
• Improved quality for children through better pay and conditions for the workforce by supporting agreement on an Employment Regulation Order through the Joint Labour Committee and supporting the employment of graduate staff; and
• Improved sustainability and stability for services.
Core Funding in Year 1 – with an overall allocation of €259 million - contributed to services’ sustainability and significantly increased income for the overwhelming majority of services while providing greater funding stability.
For Year 2 of Core Funding, the budget increased by 11% to reach €287 million, providing a sustainable platform for investment with increases for all services. Budget 2024 allocated an additional €37.4m to Core Funding. This 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, this 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.
This will support the delivery of 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.
Equal Participation Model (EPM)
Officials in my Department are progressing work to finalise the EPM which will aim to help children and their families who may be experiencing disadvantage to access ELC settings, through a range of supports, universal and targeted.
I am pleased to have secured an allocation of €4.5m to commence the first phase of roll-out of the EPM from September 2024.
Capital Funding
In addition to Covid-19-related capital grants, I secured €10.5 million for the 2021 Fire Safety Grant and the Playing Outside Grant.
In addition, some €69 million has been allocated to my Department over the period 2023-2025 to the sector under the revised National Development Plan (NDP). This will enable significant capital investment across three pillars: the Building Blocks – Improvement Grant, the Building Blocks – Capacity Grant and the Building Blocks – Innovation Grant.
Pillar 1, the Building Blocks – Improvement Grant scheme was launched in September 2022 and has operated over 2023. Grants awarded ranged from €35,000 to €75,000 across two separate strands: Green Energy and Retrofit. The Green Energy Strand supported services to increase their energy efficiency by utilising renewables, where feasible, through the installation of solar panels heat pumps, and insulation. The Retrofit Strand supported existing services in need of upgrading. A total of 151 services were offered grants under the scheme.
A range of other actions have also been taken over this period including:
Quality Supports
My Department has made significant strides over the last number of years in progressing the quality agenda both nationally and locally, to enhance quality and safety in ELC. Better Start Quality Development Service and the City and County Childcare Committees provide quality supports through mentoring and training to services all across the country.
Irish Language supports
My Department has continued to work closely with the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts,
Gaeltacht, Sport and Media and the Department of Education to provide supports for Irish language provision in the ELC sector that were agreed as part of the 5 Year Action Plan for the Irish Language 2018-2022/3.
These actions are designed to affirm the importance that ELC settings have in encouraging the development and revitalisation of the Irish language.
In 2023, the development of a Comprehensive plan for Irish language provision in Early Learning and Childcare has commenced. To support the development of this Comprehensive Plan, it was necessary to survey Irish-medium ELC/SAC settings including childminders to obtain a baseline of the current level of Irish-medium provision in the sector. A report on this survey was published in October 2023.
Partnership for the Public Good
In December 2021, Government adopted the 25 recommendations contained in the Expert Group report, Partnership for the Public Good: A New Funding Model for Early Learning and Childcare and School-Age Childcare.
The 25 recommendations are grouped across five themes: Core Funding; Tackling Disadvantage; Affordability Measures; Fee Management; Role of the State.
Taken together, these recommendations reflect a key theme of the report, which is the importance of strengthened State involvement and enhanced public management in the sector, in conjunction with increased State funding. This is underpinned by a cultural shift to a partnership relationship between providers and the State that reflects the public good dimension of early learning and childcare, with new responsibilities on both sides.
Announcements in Budget 2022, 2023 and 2024 signalled the commitment to the first stage of implementation of the Expert Group’s recommendations - providing funding to introduce and/or enhance the NCS, AIM, Core Funding and the EPM.
Nurturing Skills
In December 2021, I launched Nurturing Skills: The Workforce Plan for Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare, 2022-2028. Nurturing Skills aims to strengthen the ongoing process of professionalisation for those working in early learning and care (ELC) and school-age childcare (SAC).
Nurturing Skills includes an implementation for 2022-2024.
A Monitoring Committee was established in 2022 with the task of monitoring the implementation of this plan and it published its first annual progress report in March 2023.
Review of the Child Care Act 1991
As part of the overall review of the Child Care Act 1991, a number of proposals regarding Part VII A of the Act, which regulates Early Years services, were approved by Government for drafting of the necessary legislative amendments.
The amendments as currently drafted will allow Tusla Early Years Inspectorate to immediately close unregistered early learning and childcare services, to temporarily suspend registered services where there are concerns about significant risk to children, to share information on enforcement action with parents, to place some additional enforcement measures on a legislative footing, and to introduce a “Fit Person” regulation. They will also provide for the regulation of childminders in line with the National Action Plan for Childminding 2021 – 2028.
I hope to bring these amendments to the Oireachtas in early 2024 with the intention of commencing this part of the Bill in Q3 2024.
Streamlining of Registration Process
The Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years Services) Regulations 2016 were amended in order to streamline the re-registration process from 2022 onwards. This change reduced the burden attached to renewal of registration for services.
Childminders
The National Action Plan for Childminding 2021 – 2028 was published in 2021. It set out a phased supported pathway to the regulation of childminders. Regulation will enable more childminders to access Government subsidies, making their services more affordable to parents. It will also enable them to access a variety of supports to assist them in meeting regulatory and quality requirements.
Since 2020, the number of childminding officers (CMDOs) based in the City and County Childcare Committees has increased from 6 to 22 FTEs, one in every county. Their role is to directly support childminders in all aspects of their business.
It is hoped that the new regulations will be ready for implementation, and registration open to childminders from autumn 2024.
National Early Learning and Childcare Agency
Indecon International Consultants were commissioned to carry out a review of the Review of the Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School-Age Childcare (SAC) Operating Model in December 2020.
On 29 March 2022, Government accepted the findings of the Review of the Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School-Age Childcare (SAC) Operating Model that a dedicated State agency is the optimal operating model for the ELC and SAC sector for the years ahead. This independent Review was carried out by Indecon International Consultants and published on 30th March 2022. It is envisaged that this dedicated agency will undertake the functions currently carried out by Pobal Early Years (including Better Start), the City/County Childcare Committees, as well as operational functions currently undertaken by my Department.
Considerable progress has been made in advancing this ambitious and transformative reform programme. My Department has commenced a comprehensive phase of analysis, planning, consultation, and engagement with sectoral stakeholders to determine how the recommendation arising from the Review can best be implemented. This phase will include a detailed design of a new agency, which will involve a comprehensive evidence-based cost projection for the establishment and annual running costs of a new state agency, determining the appropriate national, local and regional structures, an examination of all legal requirements, transition and continuity planning, and risk management. This work will culminate in a fully costed full agency design and implementation plan which will be presented to Government for approval. Indecon International Consultants have recently been appointed by my Department to carry out this work.
Disability Services
Questions (712)
Jennifer Whitmore
Question:712. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he is aware that the previously funded programme under a waiting list initiative, ‘More Than Words’, considered to be an efficient and effective outsourcing of clinical specialist skills, in the context of the disability teams inability to provide timely intervention to children, who in Wicklow are waiting up to five years + for the commencement of their ASD interventions, has been cancelled; if he is aware that the programme cancellation will constitute a failure in duty of care to these children; what measures are in place to replace the programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55303/23]
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 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.
Childcare Services
Questions (713)
Kathleen Funchion
Question:713. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the estimated first year, full year and annual costs to reduce childcare fees by 20% in year one, 40% in year two, 60% in year three, 80% in year four and 100% in year five. [55306/23]
View answerWritten answers
Officials in my Department are currently experiencing temporary issues in accessing the ESRI SWITCH Model, which is required to model complex changes to the National Childcare Scheme.
Officials will revert to the Deputy directly as soon as possible once access is restored and an accurate estimate to the above scenarios can be provided.
Maternity Leave
Questions (714)
Ivana Bacik
Question:714. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth when it is intended to introduce legislation to ensure that pregnant women with cancer are not required to use their maternity leave entitlement to cover periods during which they are in treatment. [55314/23]
View answerWritten answers
The Maternity Protection Act 1994 and the Maternity Protection (Amendment) Act 2004 provide a pregnant employee with six months of paid maternity leave and an additional 16 weeks of unpaid leave.
All forms of family leave are kept under review to ensure that they are effective in supporting families and children. I recently announced my intention to bring forward proposals to allow for deferral of maternity leave where a mother falls ill during this period, in response to the issues raised by the Irish Cancer Society.
Legislative proposals will be finalised in the coming weeks and will be brought to Government for approval early in 2024.
Social Welfare Benefits
Questions (715)
Kathleen Funchion
Question:715. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the estimated annual, first year and full year cost to increase the aftercare payment for all young people up to the age of 23 years irrespective whether they are in full-time education; and the annual costs over a five-year period. [55335/23]
View answerWritten answers
As this relates to Tusla operational matters, the question has been forwarded to Tusla for direct reply to the Deputy.
Direct Provision System
Questions (716)
Pa Daly
Question:716. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth how many of those residing in direct provision have deportation orders against them. [55400/23]
View answerWritten answers
As at 26 November 2023, there were 114 persons with deportation orders reported as presently residing in International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) centres.
Please note that this figure is subject to change as it is based on presence during the time of reporting.