Written Answers Nos. 1323-1340
1323. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth how much was expended, per month, since February 2022 on accommodation for people in receipt of temporary protection; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56476/23]
View answerI am advised my officials that the total expenditure by my Department on the provision of accommodation and related costs for Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection since February 2022, as of 10 January 2024, is just under €1,996m which is on average approximately €100m per month.
These figures include direct food and board costs incurred by my Department in accommodating Ukrainian beneficiaries of temporary protection, as well as other costs such as Local Authority emergency accommodation costs, the City West processing hub, transport, facilities management, IT and other expenditure.
1324. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No. 466 of 14 November 2023, the number of State owned and operated accommodation facilities; the locations of the accommodation; and the number of applicants in each location. [56520/23]
View answerIreland is currently accommodating more than 101,000 people between those fleeing Ukraine and International Protection (IP) applicants. This includes almost 75,000 Ukrainian people who have sought accommodation from the State and over 26,000 IP applicants currently in International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) accommodation.
Intensive efforts are being undertaken daily by Department officials to source emergency accommodation. However, procuring enough bed space to keep pace with incoming arrivals remains extremely challenging.
As at 7 January 2024, the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) is operating 7 State owned accommodation centres across four counties, with capacity for 1,299 beds.
Please see in tabular format, the number of State owned centres in operation per county, along with capacity in each county.
|
County |
Number of State Owned IPAS Centres |
Capacity |
|
Cork |
1 |
301 |
|
Clare |
1 |
350 |
|
Kerry |
4 |
348 |
|
Westmeath |
1 |
300 |
|
Total |
7 |
1,299 |
1325. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the total amount of funding provided to the Place Finder Service in IPAS for people with status; who receives the funding; the locations the service operates from; and how many staff were employed in the service in each location in 2021, 2022 and 2023. [56523/23]
View answerThe Department has contracted the services of DePaul and the Peter McVerry Trust (PMVT) to provide ‘Housing Support’ for those with Status or Permission to Remain to transition out of International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) accommodation.
Prior to the publication of the Request for Tender (RFT) in 2022, IPAS engaged in a Service Level Arrangement (SLA) for ‘Housing Support’ services with DePaul and PMVT. Place Finder service is not the correct term as the RFT was for Housing Support for those with status in IPAS accommodation.
The RFT sought to assist Person(s) with Status in finding sustainable housing solutions, across four lots. A minimum of 32 staff were required to provide support services across 26 counties.
“The Contracting Authority requires that at minimum, the successful Tenderer will have a ‘Housing Support Team’ of at least (Lot 1: 10, Lot 2: 7, Lot 3:8, Lot 4:7) case workers plus one dedicated Accommodation Finder (a staff member dedicated to finding accommodation options, networking with estate agents and landlords), plus required administrative staff. The overarching aim of the Housing Support Team is to minimise the length of time spent in IPAS accommodation for those granted status and to support the household to access a sustainable housing solution as soon as possible.”
Please see as follows, in tabular format, the amounts paid to DePaul and PMVT between 2021-2023.
|
FRC |
Budget 2020 |
|
|
|
HILLVIEW |
€138,626.00 |
|
|
|
ROSEMOUNT |
€119,537.00 |
|
|
|
ST KEVINS |
€115,724.00 |
|
|
|
BALALLY |
€120,409.00 |
|
|
|
BALLYOGAN |
€107,390.00 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FRC |
Budget 2021 |
Covid payments made in Sept and Oct 2021 |
Once off funding |
|
HILLVIEW |
€138,626.00 |
€8,338.90 |
|
|
ROSEMOUNT |
€166,190.00 |
€9,013.00 |
€4,000.00 |
|
ST KEVINS |
€115,724.00 |
€7,064.00 |
|
|
BALALLY |
€120,409.00 |
€6,681.00 |
|
|
BALLYOGAN |
€107,390.00 |
€7,185.00 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FRC |
Budget 2022 |
Dormant funding |
Once off funding |
|
HILLVIEW |
€138,626.00 |
€8,264.46 |
|
|
ROSEMOUNT FRC |
€166,190.00 |
€8,264.46 |
€4,000.00 |
|
ST KEVINS |
€115,724.00 |
€8,264.46 |
|
|
BALALLY |
€120,409.00 |
€8,264.46 |
€4,832.00 |
|
BALLYOGAN |
€111,120.00 |
€8264.46 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FRC |
Budget 2023 |
Exchequer Funding |
Ukrainian Funding |
|
HILLVIEW |
€144,171.00 |
€2,850.00 |
€0.00 |
|
ROSEMOUNT |
€172,837.60 |
€17,500.00 |
€17,440.00 |
|
ST KEVINS |
€120,353.00 |
€0.00 |
€0.00 |
|
BALALLY |
€154,225.36 |
€0.00 |
€12,500.00 |
|
BALLYOGAN |
€111,685.60 |
€0.00 |
€12,500.00 |
|
|
Amount paid |
Amount paid |
Amount paid |
|
Year |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
|
DePaul |
€576,084.00 |
€678,326.73 |
€1,509,151.96 |
|
Peter McVerry Trust |
€2,066,543.57 |
€2,409,278.08 |
€1,659,677.50 |
1326. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his plans to increase supports for the provision of after school services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56541/23]
View answerThe availability of high-quality early learning and childcare is a key Government priority. My Department monitors early learning and childcare capacity on an ongoing basis, with a particular focus on responding to the unmet early learning and school age childcare needs of families.
In September 2022, the upper age eligibility for the NCS universal subsidy was extended from 3 years to all children under 15 years of age to support families access school age care inter alia. In January 2023, the hourly NCS Universal Subsidy was increased from €0.50 to €1.40. From September 2024, this hourly rate will increase to €2.14.
A new Supply Management Unit has been established in my Department this month. This new Unit includes early learning and school age childcare supply management advisors. A key part of the Unit’s remit will be to develop a planning function, for monitoring, analysing and forecasting of investment needs, in line with a recommendation of the Expert Group in their Report – Partnership for the Public Good.
The latest data on new service registrations and service closures provided to my Department by the Tusla Early Years Inspectorate in 2023 as of November 2023 shows a net increase of 158 stand-alone school age care services.
The Programme for Government commits to increase the range of after-school services in schools or community hubs to offer a range of education and family-focused measures.
First 5, the whole-of-government strategy to improve the lives of babies, young children and their families also recognises the potential for the use of school facilities for early learning childcare.
My Department, in partnership with the Department of Housing Planning and Local Government, is in the process of updating the 2001 Planning Guidelines for Local Authorities on Early Learning and Childcare Settings. As part of this work, my Department has been included in the updated list of prescribed bodies that need to be notified on certain planning matters, including the formulation of County Development Plans and Local Area Plans.
Data captured through the Annual Early Years Sector Profile shows that approximately 15% of early learning and childcare services are located on school sites.
The scope for wider use to be made of school buildings is a matter for the Department of Education and the various patrons that govern schools across the country. The Department of Education’s policy is to encourage the use of school facilities, where possible, for community, training and education-related activities, including early learning and childcare.
To assist schools in considering applications for use of their facilities, the Department of Education in consultation with representatives of schools published Guidelines on the use of School Buildings outside of School Hours in 2017.
In line with commitments in First 5, in 2023, the Department of Education conducted a survey of a representative sample of schools on the use of school buildings to facilitate early learning and childcare services. The results of this survey were used to review the Guidelines on the use of School Buildings outside of School Hours.
The ongoing development of Core Funding which has given rise to a significant expansion of places since the scheme was first introduced. The allocation for year 2 of this scheme provided for a 3% growth in capacity, which has materialised, and the allocation of year 3 of the scheme provides for further growth of 3%.
The extension of funding supports and regulation to childminders who are currently outside the scope of regulation is the focus of the National Action Plan for Childminding 2021-2028. Legislation is currently being drafted to remove the legal exemption of childminders from regulation, and a public consultation on the draft childminder-specific regulations will commence shortly. Subject to legislative and regulatory changes, it is expected that childminders will be able to start registering with Tusla and taking part in the NCS from autumn 2024.
The network of 30 City/County Childcare Committees across the country are in a position to match children and families to services operating with vacant places and engage proactively with services to explore possibilities for expansion among services, particularly where there is unmet need.
1327. Deputy Steven Matthews asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if his attention has been drawn to the HSE community healthcare east’s decision to not fund a programme (details supplied) in 2024; if he is concerned about the impact this will have on the children and families that had hoped to avail of this support; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56551/23]
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.
1328. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if the case of a child (detail supplied) will be reviewed; if a similar funding application can be made in Cavan by the child development team; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56552/23]
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.
1329. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the status of an application by an accommodation provider (details supplied) to provide accommodation for Ukrainian refugees at a location approved by the local authority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56554/23]
View answerSince the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine in February 2022, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) continues to work as part of the whole-of-Government response with a focus on providing access to emergency temporary accommodation to those fleeing the conflict who request it. To date, over 100,000 beneficiaries of temporary protection (BOTPs) have arrived in Ireland and approximately 75,000 of those have been referred to this Department seeking accommodation from the State
My officials have advised that my Department received an offer of accommodation for Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) at the property to which the Deputy refers.
The property was put forward as part of the Emergency Refurbishment (Ukraine) Project (ERUP) overseen by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and managed with the assistance of the local authorities. This offer was reviewed and put forward to the Technical Working Group by Kerry County Council.
Further to assessment by the Technical Working Group, comprised of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, my Department, and the Local Government Management Agency, a Letter of Intent to Contract was issued by my Department in late December 2023.
1330. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to provide details of the amount of funding allocated to local authorities for the integration of IPAS and BOTP; what the funding was spent on, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56606/23]
View answerIreland is currently accommodating over 101,000 people between those fleeing Ukraine and International Protection (IP) applicants. This includes nearly 75,000 Ukrainian people who have sought accommodation from the State and over 26,000 IP applicants currently in International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) accommodation.
The Programme for Government committed to developing and implementing a successor to the Migrant Integration Strategy, which concluded in 2021. Work is currently under way to develop a new national strategy, which will build on the momentum of its predecessor and will address ongoing and emerging needs in supporting migrant integration in Ireland. It is intended that this strategy will be published in early 2025.
A new local integration model has been developed in collaboration with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (DHLGH), the City and County Management Authority (CCMA) and the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA). The model centres on a new national network of four person Local Authority Integration Teams (LAITs), funded by DCEDIY, to be located in each local authority, to better help IP applicants engage with existing local services. The teams will provide supports to IP Applicants, Programme Refugees and Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs). The cost per Local Authority for the LAITs is €330,000. This includes funding for one Integration Support Coordinator, two Integration Support Workers and one Administrative support. Recruitment for the LAITs is under way by individual Local Authorities.
1331. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if a payment will be expedited for a person (details supplied) under the mother and baby home redress scheme. [56637/23]
View answerIt is not possible to comment on a specific individual's potential eligibility for benefits under the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme. It may be helpful to note that the Scheme will be straightforward and non-adversarial, and will provide benefits to applicants based on time spent in an institution without any requirement to bring forward evidence of abuse or harm.
I am acutely aware of the urgency in opening the Scheme and I am very conscious that many potential applicants to the Scheme are elderly. In that regard I made provision in the underpinning legislation for the Scheme that priority may be given to an application depending on the applicant’s circumstances, including their age and their health.
This Payment Scheme will be the largest scheme of its type in the history of the State with an anticipated 34,000 people eligible for its benefits. Given its scale and significance the Scheme has been placed on a statutory footing and enabling legislation was signed into law last July. A comprehensive body of work has been undertaken to develop the substantial administrative framework required to deliver a scheme of this size and the Payment Scheme will open in Q1 this year.
1332. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will provide free access to childcare to families in receipt of a medical card; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56653/23]
View answerThe National Childcare Scheme (NCS) provides financial support to help parents to meet the cost of childcare and allow children to access Early Learning and School Age Childcare.
The medical card operates on a means assessed basis. The NCS operates on a universal basis with enhanced provision for those lower incomes through an income assessment. As both operate on a needs basis, it is not clear how introducing the medical card would enhance provision
The NCS is designed to be highly inclusive and to meet the needs of those families who need it the most.
The subsidies on older schemes such as CCSP did not have any inform of direct income assessment but were grounded instead in medical card and social protection entitlements. The NCS replaced these schemes with a single coherent and integrated scheme with its own application and income assessment. It is a central policy component of the NCS to poverty proof and assist people in exiting the poverty traps, some of which were associated with older early learning and childcare schemes being tied to other entitlements.
By making this fundamental shift away from the legacy schemes s, and by tangibly reducing the cost of quality childcare for thousands of families, the NCS aims to improve children’s outcomes, improve labour market participation and reduce child poverty.
I would also note that the NCS has a mechanism in place to provide free childcare to families who need it most. The NCS sponsorship arrangement allows designated sponsor bodies to refer children to the Scheme on child welfare, protection, family support or other specified grounds. Where a child is referred to the Scheme, the full cost of the childcare place is paid without cost to the family.
Early this year, my Department will begin the process of reviewing the NCS which has been in place since 2019. This review will examine whether the NCS is meeting its objective of reducing the cost of childcare for those who need it most, it will also examine any possible enhancements that could be made to the Scheme.
1333. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will provide the necessary funding to increase the capacity of early intervention in school aged teams to address issues relating to long waiting lists and inadequate service provision for children with additional educational needs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56656/23]
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.
The Deputy will be aware that due to the ongoing industrial action by Fórsa administrative and management grade staff in the HSE (which commenced on 6 October, 2023), delays remain in receiving answers to parliamentary questions and ministerial representations.
1334. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if consideration could be given for funding from the recently announced 'Building Blocks - Capacity Grant' for a project where Government funding previously announced has been revoked (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56697/23]
View answerThe funding the Deputy is referring to relates to a grant agreement between the organisation and the Irish Refugee Protection Programme which expired in December 2021.
In relation to Building Block grants, some €69 million has been allocated over the period 2023-2025 to the early learning and childcare sector under the revised National Development Plan (NDP). This will enable significant capital investment in early learning and childcare across three pillars:
Building Blocks - Improvement Grant
Building Blocks - Capacity grant
Building Blocks - Innovation Grant
Under the Building Blocks - Improvement Grant, €9 million was allocated last year in grants ranging from €35,000 to €75,000 for green energy upgrades and retrofit projects for services in need of upgrading. In total 151 services were awarded funding under this scheme. This scheme is now closed.
Some €45 million has been set aside under Pillar 2 for early learning and childcare capital projects over 2024 and 2025. On 7 December, I announced details of the Building Blocks - Capacity Grant scheme which is aimed at addressing capacity gaps, where most needed. The scheme will be broken into two strands.
Under the first strand, €15m will be made available from early 2024 to providers to fund renovations and upgrades of existing premises to cater for more children. Under the second strand, funding will be made available to providers later in 2024 to commence larger-scale expansion projects for completion in 2025. Total funding available for this scheme will be €20m. Both strands are open to services that have signed up to Core Funding. My Department is undertaking a detailed needs analysis which will ensure that the funding is targeted towards communities with identified under-supply and categories of need.
1335. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of vulnerable international protection applicants who had an appointment with an IPAS social worker to date in 2023, broken down by age bracket, gender, and type of vulnerability; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56698/23]
View answer1355. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of IPAS referrals to an independent medical referee in 2022 and to date in 2023; the outcomes of those assessments, broken down by age bracket, gender, and type of vulnerability; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56842/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1335 and 1355 together.
I thank the Deputy for her question. This information will be provided directly to the Deputy in the coming days.
1336. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the reason why inspections of childcare facilities are not managed by one agency and how much extra costs does the State incur arising from multiple agencies conducting multiple inspections of the same facility. [56700/23]
View answerQuality assurance of early learning and care (ELC) settings currently includes inspections carried out by both the Tusla Early Years Inspectorate and the Department of Education Inspectorate, while inspection of school-age childcare (SAC) settings is undertaken by the Tusla Early Years Inspectorate.
The Tusla Early Years Inspectorate is the independent statutory regulator for the early learning and childcare sector. Tusla are committed to ensuring that children attending ELC and SAC services are safe, that they receive appropriate care and have a positive experience where they can develop and learn in a quality service.
The Department of Education Inspectorate conducts education-focused inspections of ELC services that receive funding from my Department. These inspections evaluate the quality of the nature, range and appropriateness of the early educational experiences for children participating in ELC services.
Under First 5, as recently announced, my Department is beginning a design and implementation planning process to bring together the functions carried out by Tusla’s Early Years Inspectorate and the Department of Education (DE) Inspectorate’s Early Years team into a single body that provides integrated care and education inspections.
The Tusla Early Years Inspectorate costs in 2023 were approximately €7 million. In 2024, the Tusla Early Years Inspectorate has been allocated approximately €11 million. The majority of this increase is related to the plans to extend regulation to childminders later this year, in line with the National Action Plan for Childminding 2021-2028.
It should be noted that, in addition to ELC services, the Department of Education Inspectorate carries out inspections of primary and post primary schools, as well as the education provision of other centres of education. The Department of Education Inspectorate is funded through the Department of Education and questions regarding their budget should be directed to that Department.
Pobal, more specifically Pobal Compliance, Audit and Risk (CAR), are responsible for carrying out compliance inspections on providers in the ELC and SAC sector. These inspections are separate to the quality assurance inspections and are there to ensure that beneficiary scheme monies are being used appropriately and that risks to Exchequer funding are detected and minimised. The budget from these inspections comes from the budget allocated to Pobal.
1337. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth why the NCS portal closes at 11 p.m. on Tuesday evenings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56701/23]
View answerEarly learning and childcare providers are required to submit a ‘Weekly Return’ under the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) in order to be included in that week’s payment run. These weekly returns can be made from the last day (Sunday) of the reporting week and must be completed no later than 23:59 on the following Tuesday on the Early Years Hive, which is the payment deadline for that week's payment run.
Providers who make a return after the Tuesday deadline, will be paid in the payment run of the subsequent week.
As such the Service Provider Portal (i.e. the Hive) does not ‘close’, rather there is an 23:59 deadline on Tuesdays for providers to submit returns to ensure inclusion in the payment run of that week.
Providers experiencing difficulty completing their weekly returns should refer to the Early Years Hive website for further information. Alternatively, the Early Years Provider Centre (EYPC) remains available to address queries related to the Scheme. The quickest way of contacting the EYPC is by submitting a Request on the Early Years Hive. Further contact details may be found here.
1338. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of childcare providers that stopped receiving Core Funding in 2023. [56702/23]
View answerCore Funding is in operation since 15 September 2022 and has achieved very significant success in terms of the high levels of participation. With 95% participation of eligible services in year 1 and to date, 94% or over 4,300 providers have signed up for Core Funding Year 2, with applications still open. There are officially more services contracted for Core Funding year 2 than there were at the peak of Core Funding year 1.
According to data provided by Pobal, the scheme administrator, the number of providers that stopped receiving Core Funding in 2023 is 43. This is due to a variety of reasons, such as; service closed, application incomplete and/or change of circumstance.
1339. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if consideration will be given to linking the Core Funding payment to inflation. [56703/23]
View answerInvestment in early learning and childcare is at unprecedented levels with public funding exceeding €1.1 billion in 2024 for early learning and childcare – a clear demonstration from Government of the value of the sector.
Core Funding makes a significant additional contribution to services’ income, allowing them to better absorb increased costs including energy costs. In Year 1 of Core Funding, 99% of services saw their income increase through Core Funding with 1%, or close to 60 services, receiving top up payments to ensure their income did not decrease for the same level of provision offered.
All services will have seen further increases to their Core Funding allocations from the second year due to the increased allocations towards non-staff overheads and administrative staff/time. In addition, a number of targeted supports for small and sessional services were introduced 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 30% this year.
In a continued commitment to supporting these services, these targeted measures will continue to apply in the 2024/2025 programme year.
In addition, as announced in Budget 2024, the allocation for Year 3 of the Scheme (from September 2024-August 2025) will increase by €44m or 15%, to €331m. 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 continued improvement in sustainability for providers.
To note, the Consumer Price Index (CPI), Ireland's official measure of inflation, dropped steadily over the course of 2023 from a high of 8.5% in February 2023 to 3.9% in November 2023, which is the latest month for which data is available.
However, as a further measure, sustainability supports will continue to be available in 2024, and can be accessed through local City and County Childcare Committees (CCC). Once a service engages with their local CCC they will be able to avail of supports through the case management process.
Through this process, local CCC and Pobal work together to assess and provide support to ELC and SAC services experiencing difficulties. This support can take the form of general operational supports as well as more specialised advice and support appropriate to the individual circumstances of a service. In some instances, financial supports may be deemed appropriate in tandem with the case management process.
Financial supports, which may also be accessed through the case management process, are available to all Core Funding Partner Services, both community and private, who are experiencing financial difficulty, following a financial assessment by Pobal.
I would strongly encourage any service who would like to avail of advice or supports on a concern regarding their sustainability, to reach out to their local CCC. Contact details for their local CCC can be found at www.myccc.ie.
1340. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth for a list of all IPAS centres providing accommodation to beneficiaries of temporary protection; the breakdown of residents in each centre, by age bracket, relationship status and gender; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56726/23]
View answer1413. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the current occupancy number of all IPAS accommodation for beneficiaries of temporary protection; the current capacity of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1185/24]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1340 and 1413 together.
My Department does not publicly detail the locations of accommodation centres in the interest of the privacy and security of residents and providers. For the same reason, my Department also does not publicly detail the occupancy, contracted capacity and location of each centre.
I can inform the Deputy that, at the end of 2023, there were some 58,000 Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) reported as receiving accommodation under my Department’s remit (gov.ie - Accommodation of Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) (www.gov.ie)). Data on relationship status is not collated in the manner requested by the Deputy. In respect of gender and age cohorts, I can report that some 30% are under 18 years of age, and that about 60% of BOTPs are female and 40% are male. The following table, figures rounded, outlines the position at the end of September 2023.
|
Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection – Q3 2023 |
|||
|
Age Class |
Female |
Male |
% of Total |
|
0-4 years |
51% |
49% |
5.2% |
|
5-9 years |
48% |
52% |
9.0% |
|
10-14 years |
50% |
50% |
9.4% |
|
15-19 years |
45% |
55% |
8.4% |
|
20-24 years |
63% |
37% |
5.3% |
|
25-29 years |
61% |
39% |
6.5% |
|
30-34 years |
63% |
37% |
8.4% |
|
35-39 years |
65% |
35% |
10.4% |
|
40-44 years |
67% |
33% |
9.0% |
|
45-49 years |
68% |
32% |
6.9% |
|
50-54 years |
70% |
30% |
5.3% |
|
55-59 years |
76% |
24% |
4.1% |
|
60-64 years |
64% |
36% |
4.7% |
|
65-69 years |
65% |
35% |
3.5% |
|
70-74 years |
71% |
29% |
2.1% |
|
75-79 years |
74% |
26% |
0.8% |
|
80-84 years |
79% |
21% |
0.3% |
|
85 + years |
81% |
19% |
0.2% |
|
Total |
60% |
40% |
100% |
I also wish to draw attention to the wide ranging analysis produced by the CSO on a regular basis as part of its ‘Arrivals from Ukraine in Ireland Series’ (www.cso.ie/en/statistics/population/arrivalsfromukraineinireland/)
Each accommodation provider who has a contract with my Department to provide accommodation for Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) is required to notify my officials of any vacancies at the accommodation regularly by sending a weekly register via email to a designated mailbox.
Maximising the use of contracted vacancies is a priority for my Department. A dedicated team were established last year to actively validate vacancies notified to us by accommodation providers to ensure these are within contract and meet our standards. In addition, improvements to our processes have significantly increased accommodation provider compliance with the requirement to submit weekly registers, currently over 94%, and my officials are actively contacting providers not currently doing so to ensure we have a full picture of contracted vacancies.
There are a number of circumstances, however, under which vacancies cannot be used in the short term and must be paused. Where a provider is nearing the end of their contract, for example, or where an issue has been raised with my Department such that the provider’s offering is under review, vacancies notified by that accommodation provider will not be filled until these matters are resolved to ensure the safety and security of BOTPs.
Vacancies which are suitable for immediate use are made available by my officials to operational teams for allocation. Due to varying room configurations and geographical location, some vacancies may take longer to fill then others given they are utilised to meet the specific requirements of individuals and family groups of BOTPs.
The total number of vacancies available for allocation changes daily as vacancies are both validated and allocated to BOTPs on a daily basis. While the number of total available vacancies notified to my Department are not insignificant and welcomed, it is important to note that a large proportion of the vacancies notified will be for small numbers of beds in disparate locations which brings logistical difficulties. Where small numbers are identified these are regularly single beds available in family rooms with resident BOTPs, which are difficult to fill.
My Department will continue to engage with providers to fill suitable vacancies where this is possible.
