Written Answers Nos. 409-428
409. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the steps that have been taken to create a centralised database of compliance notices on the failure of owners to chip their horses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5657/24]
View answerMy Department endeavours on an ongoing basis to maximise the levels of compliance with equine identification legislation and enforcement is carried out by authorised officers across the Regional Office network in conjunction with authorised officers in the Local Authorities, An Garda Síochána, the Revenue Commissioners and other relevant organisations .My Department does not maintain centralised data in relation to the levels of non-compliances for failure to microchip equines and there are no immediate plans to do so.
Strengthening our equine traceability system is a objective for my Department and one of the actions taken to increase compliance is the equine chip checker portal. In July of last year, my Department launched an equine microchip and UELN (passport number) checking facility on the DAFM website, providing members of the public with a direct link to the central equine database.
This facility can be accessed via the link EquineChipCheck.agriculture.gov.ie and promotes compliance by equipping potential buyers with key information such as whether the animal is officially registered and its foodchain status.
410. Deputy Verona Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will approve emergency funding for urgent remedial works to the collapsing pier at Duncannon harbour in County Wexford; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5658/24]
View answerIn January 2022, I launched the Brexit Adjustment Local Authority Marine Infrastructure (BALAMI) Scheme 2022-2023 exclusively for the rejuvenation of local authority owned public piers and harbours based on the recommendations of the Seafood Taskforce Report. The scheme was a unique initiative designed to support job creation and protection by distributing Brexit Adjustment Reserve (BAR) funds to enhance, upgrade, modernise and develop publicly owned coastal and marine infrastructure to facilitate diversification of economic opportunities.
Wexford County Council was allocated funding for 25 projects, 24 of which were delivered with support of €1.05m from the Scheme. Three of these projects were for works at Duncannon Harbour. The projects put forward were identified and prioritised by the local authorities themselves. The ongoing maintenance of piers and harbours is primarily a matter for the local authority concerned.
411. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to explain the error in an ANC payment for a person (details supplied) from his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5690/24]
View answerAn application for participation in the 2023 Areas of Natural Constraint (ANC) scheme was received from the above named applicant on the 25th May, 2023. The applicant did not receive an advance payment due to an overclaim with the land parcel B1420100022. This was subsequently resolved.
At the time of ANC payment issuance, January 15th 2024, a request to remove the ANC penalty amount attached to this herd owner was also requested. This should have resulted in the issuance of a further €595.29 to the herd owner along with the ANC payment of €747.03. On foot of the correspondence received, ANC Section have followed up with the Debt Recovery Section to ensure the penalty amount was removed.
Debt Recovery have advised that the ANC penalty has been removed and payment in the amount of €595.29 will issue to the above named herd owner and will be lodged to their nominated bank account as soon as possible.
412. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide an update on the independent and external review committed to under the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2023; the timeline for the review; which individual or body will carry out the review; the terms of reference for the review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5695/24]
View answerThe horse and greyhound racing industries receive financial support from the State through the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund (the Fund) under Section 12 of the Horse and Greyhound Racing Act, 2001. My Department disburses the Fund to Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) and Rásaíocht Con Éireann (RCÉ) with 80% allocated to HRI and 20% to RCÉ. As part of Budget 2024 €95m was allocated to the Fund of which €76m will be allocated to HRI and €19m to RCÉ.
The procurement process for a consultancy service to carry out an external review of my Department’s governance of the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund has been initiated. It is anticipated that the review will commence shortly.
413. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the monitoring mechanisms in place to prevent individuals who have been banned from keeping dogs from owning or dealing with dogs involved in the greyhound industry again; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5696/24]
View answerRásaíocht Con Éireann (RCÉ) is a commercial state body, established under the Greyhound Industry Act, 1958 chiefly to control greyhound racing and to improve and develop the greyhound industry. RCÉ is a body corporate and a separate legal entity to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
The question raised by the Deputy is an operational matter for RCÉ and, therefore, the question has been referred to the body for direct reply.
414. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the total cubic meterage of timber harvested by Coillte in County Clare for 2020, 2021 and 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5725/24]
View answer415. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the location by townland and hectarage associated with felling licences issued by his Department to Coillte for the County of Clare for 2020, 2021 and 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5726/24]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 414 and 415 together.
Coillte is a private limited company established under the Forestry Act 1988 and is operationally independent from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
My Department does not receive official figures on the amount of timber harvested by Coillte in specific counties. Day-to-day operational matters, such as their harvesting schedule in particular counties, are the responsibility of the company. I have therefore passed this query to Coillte for direct reply to the Deputy.
I have set out below the location by townland and hectarage associated with felling licences issued by my Department to Coillte for the County of Clare for 2020, 2021 and 2022.
There is an annual report with extensive statistics on forestry called "Forest Statistics Ireland 2023" and this can be found here: www.gov.ie/en/collection/15b56-forest-statistics-and-mapping.
416. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of educational welfare officers within Tusla Education Support Services; the number of open cases they each have assigned to them; the backlog of case per officer; and the average time to close a file. [4917/24]
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.
417. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will provide details of the number, locations and level of State funding provided to youth clubs in the Tallaght area for each the past five years; if he will also provide the same information for 2008; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4930/24]
View answerFrom 2020 to Budget 2024, my Department's current Exchequer funding for youth services and programmes increased from €61.789 million to €77.95 million, a 26% increase overall. I am committed to supporting this important sector, which an enormous benefit for the wellbeing of the many young people involved, and from a broader social and economic viewpoint.
As part of a range of youth work supports funded by my Department, the Local Youth Club Grant Scheme supports volunteer-led youth clubs at a local level. This scheme supports some 1,400 youth clubs nationwide and €2.5m was provided to this scheme in 2023.
Grants under this scheme are made available through the local Education and Training Boards (formerly the Vocational Education Committees); and funding is allocated by my Department by ETB region rather than by specific areas.
The funding provided through the Local Youth Grant Scheme in the Dublin Dun Laoghaire ETB region, including Tallaght, for 2008 and 2018 - 2022, is set out below. Data on the specific youth clubs funded is also included. The information requested by the Deputy 2023 is not yet available.
418. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if respite and other supports will be provided to the parents of a persons (details supplied); if he will provide details of a plan for their care; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4995/24]
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 FORSA 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.
The HSE has been engaged with Forsa through the auspices of the WRC in an effort to resolve the dispute but a resolution has not been reached as of yet.
419. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he is aware that in 2023 children in CHO9 were assessed as part of the assessment of need and or autism diagnostic observation schedule process by a clinician not qualified to conduct such assessment; if he has received a report from the HSE into this matter; if he can provide details of mitigation measures in place to ensure that this cannot be allowed to happen again; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5000/24]
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 FORSA 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.
The HSE has been engaged with Forsa through the auspices of the WRC in an effort to resolve the dispute but a resolution has not been reached as of yet.
420. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to provide an update on the publication of the Special Rapporteur on Child Protection 16th Report; when he expects the report to be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5007/24]
View answerEarly last year, the Government appointed Ms Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC as Special Rapporteur on Child Protection for a three-year term from 1 February 2023.
The functions of the Rapporteur are to keep under review and to audit legal developments for the protection of children; to assess the impact, if any, litigation in national and international courts will have on child protection; to prepare a report annually and to examine, upon request, the scope and application of existing or proposed legislative provisions and to make comments/recommendations as appropriate.
The annual reports of the Special Rapporteur have tended to cover a wide range of policy areas and contain commentary and recommendations relating to several Departments and Agencies. In advance of publication the report is provided to all relevant Departments, on a confidential basis, so that they may consider the report and engage with relevant findings.
The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth then submits the report to Cabinet for approval to publish. Once approved, it is laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas and published on the Department’s website.
The Department expects to receive Ms Gallagher’s first annual report shortly and it is intended that it will be published once the above process has been completed.
421. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to provide, in tabular form, the number of special derogations that have been sought and granted annually from 2018 to 2023, regarding the placement of a child under twelve years of age in a residential care setting; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5008/24]
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.
422. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to provide, in tabular form, the number of children supported by Tusla under section 5 of the Child Care Act 1991 annually from 2018 to 2023 broken down by age; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5009/24]
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.
423. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the reason there is currently no publicly available disaggregation of data related to children in care and young people in aftercare with disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5010/24]
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.
424. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the reason there is currently no publicly available disaggregation of data related to separated children seeking international protection; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5011/24]
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.
425. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the reason there is currently no publicly available disaggregation of data related to children in care and young people in aftercare by ethnicity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5012/24]
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.
426. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to provide an update on the publication of the National Equality Data Strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5013/24]
View answerWork to develop a National Equality Data Strategy is being brought forward by the Central Statistics Office, with policy support from the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. A working group has been established to draft the Strategy which brings together a range of stakeholders from across Government, as well as civil society and research bodies. The Strategy, which is at a well advanced stage, aims to provide a general approach to improving the collection, use and dissemination of equality data. It is planned that the Strategy will be ready for publication within the coming months.
427. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if assistance is available to provide a modular home/log cabin to adults with additional needs to help them to transition to independent living; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5038/24]
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 FORSA 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.
The HSE has been engaged with Forsa through the auspices of the WRC in an effort to resolve the dispute but a resolution has not been reached as of yet.
428. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if a facility (details supplied) can be assisted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5043/24]
View answerMy Department oversees a case management process, through which local City and County Childcare Committee (CCCs) and Pobal work together to assess and provide support to all Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Care (SAC) services experiencing challenges.
Under the direction of my Department, Pobal co-ordinate the overall case management process with the CCC administering on-the-ground case management assistance. The CCCs can provide specialised advice and support appropriate to individual circumstances.
In some instances, financial supports through Sustainability Funding may be appropriate, in tandem with this case management process.
If any service has viability concerns, I would encourage them to reach out to their local CCC to start availing of supports through the aforementioned case management process.
If they have not already done so, my Department would encourage the provider to engage with the Tusla Early Years Inspectorate to ensure that they are operating within their registration:
• It is a legal requirement for all services proposing to operate to submit an application under section 58D(2) of the Childcare Act 1991, at least 3 months before it is intended to commence operation.
• Temporary early years services need to submit an application at least 21 days before they plan to open. This application must be approved prior to children attending the service.
• Registered providers are required to notify the Early Years Inspectorate in writing whenever they propose to make a change to their current registration in accordance with Regulation 8 of the Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years Services) Regulations 2016 (S.1. 221 of 2016) & Regulation 7 Child Care Act 1991(Early Years Services) (Registration of School Age Services) Regulations 2018. This application must be approved prior to the change coming into effect.
