Written Answers Nos. 132-149
132. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will provide on update on Ireland's progress in ratifying the Optional Protocol of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9594/24]
View answerRatification of the Optional Protocol is a commitment in the Programme for Government. The timeline for ratifying the Optional Protocol was anticipated to follow the conclusion of Ireland’s first review period before the UN Committee. Ireland submitted its first State Report in November 2021 and we await a review date from the UN Committee.
Ireland fully ratified the UNCRPD in 2018 and the Government remains committed to continuously advancing the rights of persons with disabilities. Ratification of the Optional Protocol is not a precondition to the implementation of the UNCRPD.
I am open to earlier ratification of the Optional Protocol, subject to the State being in a position to meet the obligations that arise. In order to map out the requirements for ratification my Department has commissioned external legal advice as part of an ongoing scoping exercise. Once I have received and considered the scoping advices I will engage with my cabinet colleagues as a matter of urgency and I have instructed my officials to establish an inter-departmental group to work through complexities with colleagues.
The ongoing scoping work is a necessary exercise in due diligence for the state to agree to any supra-national review process. Ireland takes its international obligations seriously, and seeks to act in good faith on the international stage; we do not enter into binding international treaties until we are confident that the obligations set out within can be complied with.
It is also important to note that the UN Committee already monitor and evaluate Ireland’s implementation of the UNCRPD through examinations of periodic State Reports. Examinations carried out at UN Reviews are robust and the State takes the Concluding Observations of UN Committees very seriously should implementation in relation to any particular right need to be strengthened.
133. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his views on what further assistance the State can give to families towards the cost of childcare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9728/24]
View answerMy Department provides a number of schemes which provides assistance to families with the cost of childcare both directly and indirectly, these include:
• The National Childcare Scheme (NCS)
• The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme
• The Core Funding Scheme
The NCS is a subsidy provided to help parents to meet the cost of childcare and allow children to access Early Learning and School Age Childcare.
My Department has made a number of enhancements to the NCS over the last three Budgets to reduce the cost of childcare for parents availing of the NCS, including increasing the eligibility for the NCS universal subsidy and increasing the NCS universal subsidy from €0.50 to €1.40 per hour in January 2023, this change reduced the out of pocket cost of childcare for those availing of the NCS by 25% on average. From September 2024 the NCS universal subsidy will be increased to €2.14 per hour, a change which will reduce the cost of childcare for parents availing of the NCS by a further 25%.
My Department also funds the ECCE programme, which allows all children in the eligible age range to avail of 2 years of preschool. This is provided free of charge to the parent.
Alongside the affordability measures of the NCS and ECCE, the fee freeze in place in 95% of early learning and childcare services as a result of the Core Funding scheme will ensure that the NCS enhancements will not be absorbed by fee increases. Through a combination of these measures I am working to ensure that high quality early learning and childcare is accessible and affordable to all regardless of means.
The impact of the above changes on the affordability of childcare is being monitored, the NCS in particular is designed to allow for rapid changes to subsidies, income thresholds and certain other eligibility criteria as Government decisions are made and exchequer funding becomes available.
134. Deputy Francis Noel Duffy asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he intends to include additional institutions in the schedule of the Birth Information and Tracing Act, 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9195/24]
View answerThe Birth Information and Tracing Act 2022 provides for the release of information to all relevant persons, that is individuals who were adopted, boarded out, nursed out, the subject of an illegal birth registration, or resided as a child in one of the institutions listed in the Schedule. The Schedule as included in the Act was based on the list of institutions that were investigated as part of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation.
Section 5 of the Act enables me as Minister to add to the list in the event that new evidence comes forward to suggest the historical existence of further institutions which should be included. The inclusion of this section mitigates the risk of anyone being excluded from the definition of "relevant person" set out in the Act. To date, no further institutions have been identified for addition to the Schedule.
Furthermore, Part 7 of the Act provides for the safeguarding of records. It mandates that any person or body in possession of relevant records under the Act must retain and maintain them, and inform the Adoption Authority of their nature. Where it is in the public interest to do so, the Adoption Authority may request the transfer of those records into its care. This will ensure that relevant records which may be held by other institutions can be accessed to release information. Relevant records are being identified and transferred into the care of the Authority on an ongoing basis.
135. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to report on his Department's dealings with residents in an IPAS centre (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9664/24]
View answer148. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to report on measures his Department will take to improve access to public transport for the residents at an IPAS centre (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9665/24]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 135 and 148 together.
The Deputy will be aware of the shortage of accommodation for adult male applicants for international protection. IPAS is unable to offer transfers to alternative accommodation on request at this time, due to unprecedented pressure on the accommodation portfolio.
The IPAS Centre Management Team has been actively engaging with the management of Kilbride Army Camp in relation to the issues raised at previous clinics in order to improve the overall level of service and accommodation being provided to our residents in Kilbride.
The Customer Services Team has conducted four resident clinics at the centre since November 2023 and is committed to visiting on a regular basis.
IPAS staff have engaged with the management of Kilbride Army Camp in relation to the provision of transport for residents.
The International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) is always available to deal with any complaints from residents and residents are encouraged to engage with IPAS if they are unhappy with any aspect of their accommodation. Where a complaint is significant in nature or a resident is not comfortable raising a complaint with a centre manager, they may make the complaint directly, or through a representative authorised to act on their behalf, to the IPAS Customer Service Team.
The IPAS helpdesk can be contacted by email at ipasinbox@equality.gov.ie .
In the event of a resident not feeling comfortable with contacting the Department directly or the centre management, the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) operate a confidential support Freephone helpline 1800 929 00 or email: info@jrs.ie
All International Protection Applicants have access to the services of the Ombudsman and Office of the Ombudsman for Children, should they consider that their complaint has not been managed appropriately.
136. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to provide an update on the current discussions within his Department in respect of the dual use proposal for accommodation services within a hotel (details supplied) in Drogheda considering it is the only remaining hotel of scale in the town of Drogheda, the largest town in the country. [9523/24]
View answerI thank the Deputy for this question. My Department is engaged in discussions with the owner of the property identified. Once the discussions on this specific element conclude I will be providing the Deputy with an update.
138. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he intends to reduce the weekly payment to existing beneficiaries of temporary protection at any point in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9712/24]
View answerI wish to confirm to the Deputy that, at present, there is no intention to reduce the weekly payment to existing Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs).
On 12 December 2023, the Government agreed to amend its support offering for newly arriving BOTPs to more closely align with supports in other EU Member States and to ensure Ireland can continue to meet its obligations under the Temporary Protection Directive (TPD).
Under the revised policy, new arrivals from Ukraine (after a certain date) who seek accommodation from the State will be offered a maximum of 90 days in State-supported accommodation in ‘designated accommodation centres’.
Newly arriving BOTPs who request accommodation, and are assigned to fully serviced ‘designated accommodation centres’ will be entitled to a weekly payment of €38.80 per adult and €29.80 per child, in lieu of social welfare payments, under an administrative scheme that will be administered by DSP. BOTPs will also have access to Child Benefit and Additional Needs Payments where they meet the relevant eligibility criteria.
Those opting to make independent arrangements on arrival (e.g. private rental, “pledge”/Offer a Home) will be entitled to apply for social welfare equivalent to Irish citizens, subject to the same conditions.
These changes will come into effect in the coming weeks following legislative changes (Social Welfare and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023).
BOTPs who are already in the State will not be subject to the new policy and will retain their existing entitlements, although all accommodation is short-term and is kept under review.
139. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will establish a publicly owned childcare service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9514/24]
View answerThe Programme for Government contains a number of commitments for early learning and childcare, including reforming the system to create one that brings together the best of community and private provision and the development of a new funding model for affordable, accessible, sustainable and high quality early learning and childcare.
An Expert Group was established in September 2019 to develop a new funding model for the early learning and childcare sector. Under their terms of reference, the Expert Group was not asked to propose changes to the current model of delivery (i.e. privately-operated provision), rather that the Group should seek to further achieve policy objectives of quality, affordability, accessibility and contributing to addressing disadvantage in a privately-operated system through increased public funding and public management.
In December 2021, Government approved the 25 recommendations contained in the Expert Group report, Partnership for the Public Good: A New Funding Model for Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare. The recommendations were accepted in full by Government and implementation of this new funding model is well underway.
Of the 25 recommendations, three are grouped under the title 'Role of the State'. In particular, the final recommendation states that, “[I]n the medium term, the Minister should mandate the Department to examine whether some element of public provision should be introduced alongside private provision.”
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.
In September 2022, I launched Together for Better, the new funding model for early learning and childcare that supports the delivery of early learning and childcare for the public good. This new funding model supports the delivery of early learning and childcare for the public good, for quality and affordability for children, parents and families as well as stability and sustainability for providers. Its primary purpose is to improve pay and conditions in the sector as a whole and improve affordability for parents as well as ensuring a stable income to providers.
Together for Better brings together three major programmes, the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme, including the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM), the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) and the new Core Funding scheme. A fourth programme – the Equal Participation Model is under development.
This new funding model being implemented aims to transform the sector to one that is increasingly publicly funded and publicly managed. This is the start of a multi-annual investment plan – with investment this year exceeding €1.1 billion – achieving the First 5 investment target five years ahead of time. Full implementation of all recommendations, including recommendation 25, which would likely involve an estimate of cost and timeline for delivery of a portion of public provision, will be progressed in the coming years as additional funding is secured through the annual Estimates process.
140. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will provide details of the recently released data on vacancy rates and waiting lists for early learning and childcare and school aged services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9499/24]
View answerIn December 2023 the Department launched the Early Learning and Childcare Data website. The website provides a new and innovative way of displaying administrative data as well as survey data collected annually from over 4,400 Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) services across the country, to support evidence-informed policy development and planning.
This website includes a series of interactive dashboards that will be released by Pobal on behalf of the Department, including data that was previously published in the Annual Early Years Sector Profile report. The first two interactive dashboards – ‘Overview of Service Providers’ and ‘Capacity’ are now available.
The most recent capacity data for the 2022/23 programme year estimated that there were 213,154 children enrolled in ELC and SAC services, 51% of services had at least one vacant place, and 48% had a waiting list.
In the most recently released data, the indicators for monitoring capacity across the sector have been updated. The vacancy indicator has been replaced by the number/percentage of services with vacant places which is based on services reporting one or more unoccupied places for any age group.
The waiting list data gives an indication of demand for places for a given age group or service type. It cannot be used as a measure of demand as not all services operate a waiting list and an individual child may be on multiple waiting lists in different services.
142. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of children currently in State care in special emergency accommodation; the number of whom are unaccompanied minors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8788/24]
View answerThe Deputy has sought information in relation to the number of children currently in State care in special emergency accommodation, including the number of whom are unaccompanied minors.
I am informed by Tusla that, as of the 18th of February, there are 176 children in Special Emergency arrangements (SEAs), and that 115 of these children are separated children seeking international protection or unaccompanied minors.
Tusla has indicated that it is facing significant and ongoing challenges in sourcing appropriate placements for children in the care of the State. This is due to a number of factors, including difficulties in recruiting and retaining staff, difficulties in maintaining the number of foster carers, the complexity of the presentation of some children presenting to Tusla, and the unprecedented number of Separated Children Seeking International Protection (SCSIP) requiring Tusla services.
Tusla has also advised that referrals to the Agency increased by around 10% between 2022 and 2023, and are now standing at roughly 91,500.
Both Tusla and I as Minister share a common aim to meet the needs of all children in mainstream alternative care placements. Tusla, supported by my Department, are working to reduce reliance on SEAs. In the interim, specific measures are being taken to promote and support the quality and safety of these placements, and to reduce the cost of same. I and my Department are committed to continuing to provide whatever support to Tusla is necessary to address these challenges, and within the context of our respective roles.
In this regard, I have resourced Tusla to maintain and expand their services by securing additional funding as part of Budget 2024. This represents the single largest annual increase in core funding since Tusla’s establishment, and Tusla will receive over €1.1 billion in overall funding from my Department in 2024.
143. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the steps he is taking to ensure that asylum seekers who have not been provided with accommodation are protected from attack by far right and racist people; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9510/24]
View answerThe Department has a legal obligation to provide accommodation to those seeking International Protection (IP) in Ireland, and deplores any acts of intimidation towards IP applicants.
The Department also encourages those with information on any suspected criminal activity to report this to the appropriate authorities to be investigated.
An Garda Síochána, which comes under the remit of the Department of Justice, is responsible for policing matters, and matters pertaining to assault and hate crime.
Despite intensive efforts to source emergency accommodation, the Department is currently providing contingency material reception conditions in the form of an expense allowance of €113.80 per week to some IP applicants due to the severe shortage of accommodation. This is an increase of €75 per week from the standard expenses allowance of €38.80 for IP applicants in accommodation.
In addition to this increase in the increased expense allowance, a system of triage of adult males is being implemented to ensure that those who are most vulnerable are prioritised for the provision of accommodation.
Drop-in day services are provided to all non-accommodated persons who wish to avail of them. In such centres, IP applicants can access facilities including hot showers, meals and laundry services seven days a week.
Department officials are working to bring more bed spaces into use. The Department is presently utilising a wide range of accommodation options to provide shelter to record numbers of IP applicants, over 200 accommodation locations utilised since January 2022 across 26 counties.
144. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will outline the methods in place for ensuring that new international protection centres are supported with necessary services and activities so that integration into the community is facilitated. [9733/24]
View answerI am pleased to say that 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 underway by individual Local Authorities.
Under the European Social Fund 2021-2027 funding has been allocated my department to recruit dedicated practitioners to support families living in IPAS accommodation. Adopting a multiagency, multidisciplinary approach, these practitioners will provide a standardised pathway for family support within each of the 17 Tusla areas. Supports will vary depending on the needs of each individual family but may consist of delivering individualised parenting programmes and family support clinics or facilitating the integration of families by building connections with Family Resource Centres in the locality.
My Department administers a number of funding streams addressing integration.
In the last two years €2.8m has been made available through the International Protection Integration Fund to community-based organisations to carry out integration projects at a national, provincial or local level. A further €1.5m will be provided in 2024.
€1.3m in funding was provided in 2023 to the Children and Young People Services Committee (CYPSC) to further develop, enhance and expand the provision of their support services to families in the International Protection system. A further funding scheme has been launched in recent weeks and a further €1.5m in funding is being made available in 2024.
The purpose of the National Integration Fund (NIF) is to support communities across Ireland to play a greater role in promoting the integration of migrants at a national or regional level. Approximately €750,000 is committed per year, subject to the availability of funds. This funding can be used for both once-off initiatives and projects rolled out over a maximum of three years. Projects must take an inclusive approach, aiming to bring migrants and host communities together.
Under Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) 2021-2027, Ireland will build on the work done of the previous AMIF 2014-2020, and improve its effectiveness where possible. The programme will also support elements of State-run programmes, both at national and local level, which provide integration measures tailored to the needs of third-country nationals. A Call for Proposals from organisations planning projects to support the reception and integration of Third Country Nationals in Ireland was launched in October 2023.
The Integration and Employment of Migrants (IEM) stream under the European Social Fund Plus is aimed at legally resident migrants who are experiencing barriers to participation and employment because of language difficulties, lack of training, or social exclusion.
145. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to provide an update on the ongoing situation with an organisation (details supplied) that has stated that it will transfer care services to the HSE by August 2024; the interactions that have happened between his Department and other Government Departments about the issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9352/24]
View answerSt John of God Community Services provide essential disability and mental health community supports to 8,000 people across the country. The Government recognises that they are a valued long-term partner in delivering publicly funded services.
Following agreement with the HSE, St John of God Community Services has withdrawn notice of transfer and confirmed it will continue to deliver services on behalf of the State. Most importantly, the organisation has informed those in receipt of services, their families and staff, that the organisation will continue to deliver its full range of services at all existing locations.
The HSE has worked intensively with St John of God Community Services over several years to address operational challenges. Significant work on a Sustainability Impact Assessment process has provided a pathway to sustainable high quality and person-centred services. The HSE, backed by relevant Departments, remains committed to following through on the outcome of this process.
The agreement puts in place a timeframe to arrive at a time-bound implementation plan for the outcomes of the Sustainability Impact Assessment Report. There is a commitment to the in-year funding for 2024, and there is a guaranteed timeframe within which final decisions will be made about the issues arising from the historical deficit of the organisation.
It is recognised that the financial challenges facing the voluntary sector are highly complex, arising from both historical issues around funding arrangements as well as emerging service challenges due to changing profile of user need, higher safety and quality standards, and general demographic pressures.
The Government is working to progressively address these challenges. The Disability Capacity review in 2021 was an important step in mapping out and acknowledging the levels of unmet need in the sector. The recently published Disability Action Plan sets out our ambition for reform and expansion of disability services over the next three years.
146. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth further to his debate in Dáil Éireann with this Deputy, if he has considered making an apology on behalf of the State to a person (details supplied) after they received an apology from Tusla regarding how they and their family were treated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9702/24]
View answerI acknowledge that the situation you have described must be very difficult for all involved. However, statutory and operational responsibility for the delivery of child protection and welfare services is a matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. I must inform you that as Minister I am not in a position to intervene in individual cases as Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, is required by law to be independent in its work as set out in Section 8(11) of the Child and Family Agency Act 2013 that "the Agency shall be independent in the performance of its functions".
Decisions by public organisations or Government Departments can be brought to the attention of the Office of the Ombudsman. The Ombudsman provides an independent, fair, and free to use service. The Ombudsman will ask for details relating to the issue and a copy of the organisation or department's final response to a complaint. The Ombudsman can be contacted by clicking on the ‘Make A Complaint’ link at www.ombudsman.ie or writing to the Office of the Ombudsman, 6 Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2, D02 W773. The Ombudsman can also be contacted on 01 636 5600 to advise on queries or provide assistance.
149. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the investment and enhancement in respite services for people with disabilities in counties Cavan and Monaghan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9517/24]
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 Forsa 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.
