Written Answers Nos. 668-680
668. Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of children that have been assessed through CDNTs in County Meath; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6261/25]
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.
669. Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of children that have been assessed through CDNTs in County Meath but have yet to be seen by intervention therapists; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6262/25]
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.
670. Deputy Tom Brabazon asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the new measures her Department is taking to reduce the cost of childcare, including children who attend after school services; and when they are due to be implemented. [6297/25]
View answerInvestment in early learning and childcare is now at unprecedented levels with public funding exceeding €1.37 billion in 2025, clearly demonstrating Government commitment to this area.
As well as addressing affordability this investment has served to improve accessibility, availability and the quality of provision.
The ECCE programme, which provides two years of pre-school without charge, enjoys participation rates of 96% each year. Over 70% of families on low income report that they would not be able to send their child to pre-school without this programme.The National Childcare Scheme (NCS) complements the ECCE programme, providing subsidies – both universal and targeted - to reduce the costs to parents for children to participate in ELC and SAC.The minimum NCS subsidy has steadily risen from €0.50 in 2022 to €2.14 in September 2024 alongside extensions to eligibility. Additionally, families using a childminder can now avail of an NCS subsidy towards their childcare costs.
The fee management system introduced through the Core Funding Scheme has ensured that the investment in NCS has resulted in real change for parents with the cumulative reduction in out of pocket over this period estimated to be 50% on average.
Record numbers of children and their families are now benefiting from the NCS. Almost 220,000 unique children benefited from an NCS subsidy in 2024.
The Government of Ireland is committed to continuing to improve affordability and reach the €200 per month cap within the lifetime of the Government. However, further progress on affordability cannot be made in isolation and must be integrated with our efforts to improve access, availability and quality.
671. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if her Department has taken advice in respect of the use of artificial intelligence (AI) within her Department in 2024 and to date in 2025; if any section of her Department currently makes use of artificial intelligence; if she will outline the purposes it is utilised for and costs associated with same; if she has consulted with any consultancy firms in respect of the use of AI; if she will provide a schedule of consultants engaged and costs of same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6332/25]
View answerThe Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) is guided by the Interim Guidelines for Use of AI in the Public Service published by the Public Service Transformation Delivery Unit in the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform, the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer and by the National Cyber Security Centre on ICT policy and security matters.Beyond this, DCEDIY does not have a specific policy on the use of artificial intelligence. DCEDIY has recently upgraded its suite of standard office productivity tools to the latest version of these applications, based on the Microsoft 365 platform.This platform includes additional business intelligence, process automation, app development, and app connectivity products we avail of to develop line of business solutions for the Department. The underlying technology for this platform includes services that are labelled as A.I. DCEDIY does not use AI, including large language models, in the preparation of legislation or statutory instruments; and does not use A.I. for decision making. Several staff have undertaken AI familiarisation sessions. DCEDIY does not have any specific costs associated with A.I.
672. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if she and officials from her Department will provide some funding to assist a family (details supplied) in their efforts to bring their child to pre-school each day; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6368/25]
View answerThis Department is aware of the matter raised.
Officials in the Department have been working with the local County Childcare to seek an appropriate solution in this case.
Unfortunately, there is no direct funding provision through the Department for transport to early learning and childcare services. Some services may at local discretion provide for such services which form part of their fee structures. Those fees are substantially subsidised by funding from this Department.
It does not appear that such a service is available in this instance.
Staff within the County Childcare Committee have made contact with the school and local organisations within the county to try and assist the family. My officials will actively monitor the situation.
673. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the appeal mechanisms in place for a person (details supplied) who reported sexual abuse to TUSLA, but which TUSLA has deemed not to have been sexual abuse; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6369/25]
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.
674. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of applications received under the mother and baby institutions payment scheme in 2024 (since March) and to date in 2025, in tabular form; the corresponding number of notices of determination issued; the number of payments made; the amount of money paid out from the scheme in both years; and the amount of money allocated to the scheme in 2025. [6372/25]
View answer675. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if she will review the institutions excluded from the mother and baby institutions payment scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6373/25]
View answer676. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the amount of money allocated to the mother and baby institutions payment scheme in 2024 and the corresponding amount paid out; and the same for 2025, in tabular form. [6374/25]
View answer677. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if she will engage with survivors excluded from the mother and baby institutions payment scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6375/25]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 674, 675, 676 and 677 together.
The Deputy has sought some statistics pertaining to the operation of the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme which I provide here up to 10 February 2025.
|
Year |
Applications* received |
Notices of determination |
Paid or in process of being paid |
Total payment in millions |
|
2024 |
5,997 |
5,031 |
3,475 |
€54.95 |
|
2025 |
162 |
186** |
373 |
€4.37 |
Note:
* 392 of these are incomplete applications. In such cases, applicants are being supported by the Payment Scheme Office in order to provide the outstanding information required so that their application can move forward. This could be, for example, a supporting document such as certified photo ID.
** Some notices of determination issued in 2025 relate to applications received in 2024
The 2024 allocation for the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme, following the Supplementary Estimate received in respect of the Department's Vote in October 2024, was €64.6m and the provisional outturn for 2024 was €61.9m. This expenditure was inclusive of 2024 upfront development costs to enable the Scheme to open in March 2024. The amount allocated for the Scheme for 2025 is €100m.
The Payment Scheme is designed to provide payments and other benefits to people who spent time in any of the Mother and Baby or County Home Institutions that were identified by the Commission of Investigation as having a main function of providing sheltered and supervised ante and post-natal facilities to single mothers and their children. The institutions covered by the Payment Scheme are set out in Schedule 1 to the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Act 2023.
Chapter 2 of the Social History section of the Commission of Investigation report - https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/89e43-chapter-2-institutions/ - details the different types of institutions that existed and whether they fulfilled the criteria to be considered as Mother and Baby institutions.
The Government recognises that there are people who suffered stigma, trauma and abuse in other institutions. If it were to come to light that an institution, in which the State had a regulatory or inspection function, fulfilled a similar function with regard to single women and their children as those included in the Payment Scheme, section 49 of the Act provides that the Minister, with the consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform, may insert an additional institution into the Schedule.
It is important to emphasise that the Payment Scheme is just one element of the Government’s response to the country’s complex legacy of Mother and Baby Institutions. Of the seven major commitments set out in the Government Action Plan for Survivors, six are now delivered and in place, while the seventh is well underway. Key actions include access to birth information, the services of the Special Advocate and counselling support, all already in place, as well as the ongoing development of a National Centre for Research and Remembrance.
678. Deputy Johnny Mythen asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth whether her Department are considering using a former residential convent (details supplied) for persons seeking international protection; if so, the breakdown of the number of persons who will occupy this building, families and so on; if local persons will be consulted given the location is situated close to a Pobal designated, disadvantaged area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6394/25]
View answerI thank the Deputy for this question. A response will be provided directly to the Deputy in the coming days.
679. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of people waiting for home support in each month of 2024, up to 31 December 2024, broken down by CHO and LHO; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6414/25]
View answer680. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of HSE home support hours delivered in each month of 2024 compared to targeted delivery, broken down by CHO and LHO; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6415/25]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 679 and 680 together.
As this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
