Written Answers Nos. 524-542
524. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth how a person (details supplied) with a medical condition can receive personal assistance support to attend swimming lessons which greatly benefit their wellbeing as the organisation they were attending will no longer be providing this service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6072/24]
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 likely be aware that the industrial action by certain Fórsa grades in the HSE has been suspended. The HSE has indicated that they have recommenced issuing replies to questions but there is a significant backlog of PQs and Reps to be responded to and has advised that they are working to get through these as soon as possible while at the same time managing the volume of current PQs and Reps.
525. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the total estimated cost to increase the national childcare scheme universal rate from €1.40 to €2.14 for 20234 and projected cost for 2024; the total cost to increase the national childcare scheme by a further 25%, after the September 2024 increase comes into effect; the monetary value of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6076/24]
View answerOfficials 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 scenario can be derived.
526. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if all allegations of potential child safe guarding matters are investigated by Tusla once brought to their attention; since the introduction of CASP, if there have been any changes to this procedure in any way; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6082/24]
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.
527. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if a place will be funded from disability services for a person (details supplied); if this can be considered as a matter of urgency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6089/24]
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 likely be aware that the industrial action by certain Fórsa grades in the HSE has been suspended. The HSE has indicated that they have recommenced issuing replies to questions but there is a significant backlog of PQs to be responded to and has advised that they are working to get through these as soon as possible while at the same time managing the volume of current PQs.
528. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of persons with disabilities in 2023 that were in receipt of home-support hours in each LHO area; and the total number of hours provided in 2023 in each LHO area, in tabular form. [6138/24]
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 likely be aware that the industrial action by certain Fórsa grades in the HSE has been suspended. The HSE has indicated that they have recommenced issuing replies to questions but there is a significant backlog of PQs and Reps to be responded to and has advised that they are working to get through these as soon as possible while at the same time managing the volume of current PQs and Reps.
529. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if a response will issue to queries raised in correspondence (details supplied) in respect of the upcoming referendum; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6238/24]
View answerTwo Referendum Bills have passed all Stages in the Houses of the Oireachtas which will:
- amend Article 41 of the Constitution to provide for a wider concept of Family; and
- delete Article 41.2 of the Constitution to remove text on the role of women in the home, and to insert a new Article 42B to recognise family care.
The Referendum is planned to take place on 8 March 2024.
As the Bills have now been passed by the Houses of the Oireachtas, it is the responsibility of An Coimisiún Toghcháin, the Electoral Commission, to prepare a statement or statements containing a general explanation of the subject matter of the proposals for the referendums and of the text thereof in the relevant Bills and any other information relating to those matters that the Commission considers appropriate. It is also the function of the Electoral Commission to promote public awareness of referendums and to encourage people to vote.
530. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to provide an update on the escalating costs crisis facing crèches and childcare operators in the country; what measures will be taken to address this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6250/24]
View answerInvestment in early learning and childcare is at unprecedented levels with public funding exceeding €1.1 billion in 2023 for early learning and childcare – a clear demonstration from Government of the value of the sector.
The overwhelming majority of this funding is allocated through Together for Better, the new funding model.
Together for Better brings together four strands, the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE programme), including the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM), the National Childcare Scheme (NCS), and Core Funding, with a fourth programme, the Equal Participation Model in development.
The new funding model has been broadly welcomed by sectoral representative organisations who the Department meet with regularly through the Early Learning and Childcare Stakeholder Forum.
One of the key objectives of Core Funding is to support the sector as a whole with the introduction of direct supply-side funding, in addition to the ECCE programme and the NCS, to create a more stable and sustainable financial environment.
Core Funding improves:
- affordability for parents by instituting a fee freeze in participating Partner Services;
- access by expanding the capacity being offered by the sector, particularly for younger children;
- quality including through improved pay, conditions and career structure underpinned by Employment Regulation Orders; and
- stability and sustainability for providers.
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, some €259 million was allocated under the scheme and 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.
For the second year of operation, Core Funding increased by €28 million or 11% increase to €287 million. The breakdown of the additional €28 million of the Core Funding for Year 2 is as follows:
- An additional €8.47 million is allocated towards funding the natural growth of the sector. This additional funding will support an increase in more Partner Services; and also more staff working in the sector, more rooms and places, and more graduate lead educators and managers. By providing additional funding for capacity in this way, year 2 of Core Funding will help Partner Services expand their businesses, which will lead to greater accessibility for parents and greater sustainability for services.
- An additional €6.11 million is allocated towards non-staff overheads. This additional funding is a contribution towards non-staff overheads in recognition of the increase in non-staff costs faced by all services throughout the sector. This enhanced level of funding is aimed at increasing the sustainability of Partner Services, while continuing the fee management process that began in Year 1, which will further improve affordability for parents.
- An additional €2.2 million is allocated towards administrative staff time. This additional funding is a contribution towards administration in recognition of the fact that the number of children registered on ECCE and NCS is anticipated to continue to grow in 2023/2024. Non-contact/administration time is also factored into the base rate through the staff costs component.
- €4 million is allocated to remove the year 3 experience requirement for the Graduates Premiums, underpinned by EROs.
- €7.22m is allocated for new targeted supports for small and sessional services iin 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
In a continued commitment to supporting these services, these targeted measures will continue to apply in the 2024/2025 programme year.
Through ECCE capitation and Core Funding combined, services receive a minimum of €79.20 per child per week and a maximum of €95.85 with additional funding for graduate lead educators and graduate managers and sessional only services will also receive an additional sessional only flat rate of €4,075.
The €287 million Core Funding scheme allows for substantial increases in the total cost base for the sector, related both to pay and non-pay costs thereby creating the conditions to introduce fee management. It is reasonable and justifiable that on receipt of Core Funding, services must agree not to increase their fees given the level of funding available.
Arising from Budget 2024, the Core Funding allocation for year 3 of the scheme will increase by 15% - to €331 million. 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.
- €9.27m will support a 3% increase in capacity in the sector in year three of the scheme, driven both by new services joining the sector and existing services offering more places and/or longer hours to families;
- The allocation for administration will increase by €3.21m; and
- The allocation for non-staff overheads will increase by €10.07m to ensure the Scheme continues to keep pace with cost pressures facing services.
- The remaining €21.49m will be used for other developments, to be informed by the emerging data from Year 2 of the scheme as well as the Financial Returns.
Special supports are available from my Department where a service is experiencing financial difficulty or has concerns about their viability, accessed through local City or County Childcare Committee (CCC).
This support can take the form of assisting services with interpreting analysis of staff ratios and cash flow, as well as more specialised advice and support appropriate to individual circumstances.
I would encourage any service experiencing financial difficulty and who would like support, to contact their City/County Childcare Committee (CCC) to access case management supports. Contact details for their local CCC can be found at www.myccc.ie .
531. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the reason Baggot Street Hospital, which is owned by the State, has not been used to house either international protection applicants or Ukrainian refugees; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6272/24]
View answerI thank the Deputy for this question. A response will be provided directly to the Deputy in the coming days.
The Deputy may wish to be aware that the Community Engagement Team has been established within my Department which stands ready to respond to queries of this nature, and they may be contacted directly at community@equality.gov.ie
532. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of Ukrainian refugees housed and international protection applicants, respectively, housed in each local election area as of 6 February 2024. [6273/24]
View answerThe information is not available in the manner requested by the Deputy with respect to Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) or in relation to International Protection applicants. However, data at local authority for BOTPs and at county level for IP applicants is presented in the two tables below.
I can advise that my Department releases statistics in relation to BOTPs by local authority regularly (www.gov.ie/en/publication/9ac7b-accommodation-of-beneficiaries-of-temporary-protection-botps/). My Department also releases statistics in relation to international protection (IP) applicants and accommodation (www.gov.ie/en/publication/07027-ipas-statistics/).
BOTPs by Local Authority
|
Local Authority |
BOTP number |
|
Carlow County Council |
854 |
|
Cavan County Council |
1246 |
|
Clare County Council |
3830 |
|
Cork City Council |
2076 |
|
Cork County Council |
3817 |
|
Donegal County Council |
5119 |
|
Dublin City Council |
2434 |
|
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council |
390 |
|
Fingal County Council |
1363 |
|
Galway City Council |
1223 |
|
Galway County Council |
2380 |
|
Kerry County Council |
7333 |
|
Kildare County Council |
674 |
|
Kilkenny County Council |
891 |
|
Laois County Council |
574 |
|
Leitrim County Council |
1089 |
|
Limerick City and County Council |
2111 |
|
Longford County Council |
354 |
|
Louth County Council |
868 |
|
Mayo County Council |
2805 |
|
Meath County Council |
1921 |
|
Monaghan County Council |
444 |
|
Offaly County Council |
1399 |
|
Roscommon County Council |
736 |
|
Sligo County Council |
1771 |
|
South Dublin County Council |
2574 |
|
Tipperary County Council |
1655 |
|
Waterford City and County Council |
1137 |
|
Westmeath County Council |
1841 |
|
Wexford County Council |
1964 |
|
Wicklow County Council |
1509 |
|
Grand Total |
58,382 |
IP Applicants
|
County |
Occupancy |
|
Carlow |
244 |
|
Cavan |
158 |
|
Clare |
726 |
|
Cork City |
615 |
|
Cork County |
1024 |
|
Donegal |
1707 |
|
Dublin City |
3328 |
|
Dun Laoghaire Rathdown |
751 |
|
Fingal County |
2389 |
|
Galway City Council |
1121 |
|
Galway County Council |
167 |
|
Kerry |
805 |
|
Kildare |
817 |
|
Kilkenny |
147 |
|
Laois |
610 |
|
Leitrim |
87 |
|
Limerick City and County |
402 |
|
Longford |
141 |
|
Louth |
875 |
|
Mayo |
1353 |
|
Meath |
906 |
|
Monaghan |
572 |
|
Offaly |
259 |
|
Roscommon |
194 |
|
Sligo |
432 |
|
South County Dublin |
3348 |
|
Tipperary |
596 |
|
Waterford |
652 |
|
Westmeath |
828 |
|
Wexford |
591 |
|
Wicklow |
1261 |
|
Total |
27,106 |
533. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth in relation to the plan for Dublin to become an "autism and neurodiverse friendly" city, if he is aware that changes in relation to things like unpredictable public transport, where bus numbers change when shifting from public to private ownership, routes drop of the digital display unexpectedly, and timetables being unpredictable and beyond reasonable delays due to traffic and people entering and exiting the bus, can cause autistic (or neurodiverse) individuals to dysregulate and, in some situations, can cause extreme anxiety and distress; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6302/24]
View answerI am aware of efforts being taken by Dublin City Council and the Lord Mayor of Dublin to make Dublin a more autism-friendly city. I would direct the Deputy to contact Dublin City Council directly for further information about this initiative.
More broadly, within my remit as Minister of State with Special Responsibility, I am committed to improving the lives of autistic people and their families right across Ireland, in line with the commitment in the Programme for Government. Support for disabled people, including autistic people, is advanced on a mainstream first basis, this means that individual departments and agencies support persons with disabilities within their areas of responsibility. This is in line with the approach set out in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which Ireland ratified in 2018.
I recognise that autistic people and their families face a range of challenges and barriers in all areas of life, including in relation to accessing and using transport. It is for this reason that I have prioritised development of a new national strategy on autism, the Autism Innovation Strategy, to address these bespoke challenges.
The Autism Innovation Strategy will provide a framework for cross-Government action on autism, which is designed to complement and enhance existing policy frameworks. It will seek to provide for better mainstream understanding and accommodation of the needs of autistic people across the public system.
A draft of the Autism Innovation Strategy has now been published. This data incorporates feedback submitted as part of an initial public consultation. The draft Strategy is also the product of extensive engagement right across Government to agree a suite of clear, simple actions that can address gaps in existing supports and services for autistic people within an 18 month timeframe. This process included careful consideration of the recommendations contained in the final report of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Autism.
A second public consultation is currently underway to give people an opportunity to share their views on the draft Strategy before it is finalised and adopted. More information is available on my Department's website at the following link:
www.gov.ie/en/consultation/f7f8d-public-consultation-on-the-autism-innovation-strategy/#:~:text=The%20Autism%20Innovation%20Strategy%20aims,and%20across%20the%20public%20system.
It is anticipated that the Strategy will be launched in the first half of this year and that is the clear focus of work for my officials at present.
534. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will review the case of a person (details supplied); when a final decision will be issued; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6311/24]
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 likely be aware that the industrial action by certain Fórsa grades in the HSE has been suspended. The HSE has indicated that they have recommenced issuing replies to questions but there is a significant backlog of PQs to be responded to and has advised that they are working to get through these as soon as possible while at the same time managing the volume of current PQs.
535. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if his Department plans to house applicants for international protection at a location (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6312/24]
View answerI thank the Deputy for this question. A response will be provided directly to the Deputy in the coming days.
The Deputy may wish to be aware that the Community Engagement Team has been established within my Department which stands ready to respond to queries of this nature, and they may be contacted directly at community@equality.gov.ie
536. Deputy Joe Flaherty asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his views on the need for a dedicated behaviour therapist for the CDNT in Longford (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6313/24]
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 likely be aware that the industrial action by certain Fórsa grades in the HSE has been suspended. The HSE has indicated that they have recommenced issuing replies to questions but there is a significant backlog of PQs and Reps to be responded to and has advised that they are working to get through these as soon as possible while at the same time managing the volume of current PQs and Reps.
537. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if there are plans to use a facility in County Kerry (details supplied) for direct provision; if so, what are his Department's intentions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6352/24]
View answerI thank the Deputy for this question. A response will be provided directly to the Deputy in the coming days.
The Deputy may wish to be aware that the Community Engagement Team has been established within my Department which stands ready to respond to queries of this nature, and they may be contacted directly at community@equality.gov.ie
538. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth what progress has been made by his Department regarding the purchase of Grant's Hotel in Roscrea to become a community hotel; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6389/24]
View answerAs part of the whole of government humanitarian response to the war in Ukraine and the increase in those seeking International Protection, a range of measures have been put in place to respond to local need and the potential pressures on services.
At a sectoral level, individual Departments have put in place processes to ensure there are systems to allow an appropriately targeted response to increased demands at local level.
These include additional resources and processes to support Education; Health; investment in local community facilities (Community Recognition Fund) and additional funding for communities through the Social Inclusion Community Activation Programme.
The three Government parties are in support of the proposal the Deputy mentions. Discussions are ongoing to advance the proposal further.
539. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if his Department has acquired use of, or is considering, the former addiction recovery centre at Talbot Grove in Castleisland, County Kerry, as accommodation for refugees or asylum seekers; and if so, if he will provide details on the number of persons being placed in the facility, and if they are asylum seekers or refugees. [6410/24]
View answerI thank the Deputy for this question. A response will be provided directly to the Deputy in the coming days.
The Deputy may wish to be aware that the Community Engagement Team has been established within my Department which stands ready to respond to queries of this nature, and they may be contacted directly at community@equality.gov.ie
540. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will consider deferring the forthcoming referenda on family and care to permit further and better debate and discussion on the subject matter in view of the very short timeframe allowed for debate. [6468/24]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, efforts within the Oireachtas to amend the Constitution to address the sexist wording contained within Article 41 go back to at least 1996, through the then Constitutional Review Group.
In terms of the present proposals, the Deputy will also recall that the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality was established almost five years ago and its 100 members, over the course of 10 plenary meetings between January 2020 and April 2021, discussed in detail a very broad range of matters and considered 246 published submissions. As part of this process, the Citizens' Assembly devoted a considerable amount of time to the matter of Article 41 wording and other constitutional matters. The ultimate report of the Citizens' Assembly contained 45 recommendations, including recommendations for constitutional change.
Following publication of the Citizens' Assembly report, the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality met from March - December 2022 to consider the recommendations, as the Deputy will be very much aware from her membership of the committee. The committee met 23 times and, in addition to its final report, published an interim report specifically focused on constitutional change.
Following this, the Government, over the period from March - December 2023, considered recommendations for constitutional change very carefully and ultimately brought forward the legislation permitting the holding of two referendums - the thirty ninth amendment and the fortieth amendment of the Constitution - to finally put to the people proposals to remove outdated, sexist language and modernise references to the Family and care.
Furthermore, the polling orders have now been signed by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, the Electoral Commission has commenced its public information campaign, with printed materials being distributed to all 1.8 million households in the State, ballot papers and polling cards are being printed for the entire electorate, and voting and counting arrangements are being made at centres all over the country
541. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth for further details on the rationale for the practice of the mother of a child entering foster care continuing to be paid child benefit for six months even though the child now resides with a foster family; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6513/24]
View answerChild Benefit is a monthly payment of €140 to support parents and guardians which falls under the remit of the Department of Social Protection. If a child is not living with or being maintained by their parents, the person caring for the child may get Child Benefit. Child Benefit payments begin automatically from the month after birth once the child’s birth has been registered. It should be noted that only one individual can be paid Child Benefit in respect of a child at any particular point in time.
As the Deputy has outlined, where a child is placed into care, the qualified parent retains the Child Benefit payment for 6 months thereafter. This allows a period for potential reunification with the parents. Payment may then transfer to the foster parent(s) provided that the child has been in their continuous care for a period of 6 months. The Department of Social Protection has advised that this is in order to preserve the birth parent’s entitlement where the child is placed in short-term foster care. The immediate withdrawal of Child Benefit may have an adverse financial effect on the birth parent who may, regardless of the duration of the foster care, maintain some level of contact with the child.
Given the fact that foster care arrangements can often be short-term and that legislating for all possible scenarios would be impractical, it was decided that six months represents a reasonable ‘lead-in’ time before the transfer of Child Benefit to a foster carer, as appropriate.
542. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to provide an update on what changes his Department has made to charter of accounts; if his Department is still requiring accounts to be signed off by a chartered accountant; if he is aware that a number of services are finding it impossible to engage chartered accountants to do this work; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6522/24]
View answerProviders that had an active Core Funding Contract during the 2022/2023 Programme Year must provide validated Financial Returns as per their Core Funding Partner Service Funding Agreement.
Following constructive engagement with members and nominees of the Early Learning and Childcare Stakeholder Forum (ELCSF), including Childhood Services Ireland (CSI), Childminding Ireland, Early Childhood Ireland (ECI), the Association of Childhood Professionals Ireland (ACPI), the Federation of Early Childhood Providers (FECP), the National Childhood Network (NCN), the National Community Childcare Forum and Seas Suas, my officials have now finalised transitional arrangements for financial reporting to cover year 1 and year 2 of the scheme.
Financial reporting requirements in this transitional phase have been significantly simplified and streamlined. Specifically, in this transitional phase, the financial reporting requirement is for an Income and Expenditure report based on a significantly reduced set of Core Funding Chart of Accounts nominal codes, the sector has already been provided with the templates and guidance documents in relation to this.
This Income and Expenditure Report will need to be submitted onto an online reporting portal by either a qualified accountant from a registered practice or a registered professional; * ICAI, ACCA , CPA, AIA, CIMA, CIPFA, by 22 March 2024.
My Department will be providing guidance to Partner Services in the coming weeks on how to access and upload the completed Income and Expenditure report. All early learning and childcare Department income information will be provided to the Partner Services through the financial reporting portal in the coming weeks.
My Department are also working on other supports for providers in preparing and submitting these returns, including training supports and targeted financial supports for those that may need it.
Officials from my Department will continue to engage with members and nominees of the ELCSF on this and have committed to continued engagement on future development to the financial reporting requirement under Core Funding from year 3 of the scheme.
* Please see list below:
ICAI - Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland
ACCA - Association of Chartered Certified Accountants
CPA - Institute of Certified Public Accountants in Ireland
AIA - Association of International Accountants
CIMA - Chartered Institute of Management Accountants
CIPFA - Chartered Institute of Public Finance & Accountancy
