Written Answers Nos. 249-273
249. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the engagement he or the agencies under his remit has had with the National Broadband Plan in the past two months. [38197/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraFrom the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Minister Anne Rabbitte met with Fergal Mulligan, Programme Director of the National Broadband Plan within the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, on Friday June 18th.
The National Disability Authority were approached in December 2020 to be part of a Partnership committee being setup by National Broadband Ireland. NDA accepted the offer as the national broadband rollout is a vital enabler for all people but especially for persons with disabilities to participate in society be it education, work or leisure at any time of the day or any location, urban or rural. There is ongoing correspondence via the Partnership Committee.
The Office of the Children's Ombudsman, The Adoption Authority of Ireland, Tusla, will respond to the Deputy directly.
250. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of women formerly resident in a location (details supplied) who gave evidence to the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes and certain related matters by year of admission, by length of stay in the institution and by type of evidence given in tabular form; if such evidence was given to the Confidential Committee or to the Investigative Committee; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38213/21]
Amharc ar fhreagra251. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of women formerly resident in a home (details supplied) who gave evidence to the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes and certain related matters by year of admission, by length of stay in the institution and by type of evidence given in tabular form; if such evidence was given to the Confidential Committee or to the Investigative Committee; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38214/21]
Amharc ar fhreagra252. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of women that gave birth in the period 1985 to 1989 and gave evidence to the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes and certain related matters by institution of residence, by year of admission to institution, by year of birth of the child, by length of stay in the relevant institution and by type of evidence given including whether such evidence was given to the Confidential Committee or to the Investigative Committee in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38215/21]
Amharc ar fhreagra253. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of mothers that had a child while in a mother and baby home and who gave evidence to the Commission of Investigation whose child or children had a subsequent diagnosis of ADHD; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38216/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 250 to 253, inclusive, together.
The specific data being sought on mothers who gave evidence to the Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related matters) is not available to my Department.
The Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes was independent in the performance of its functions and this independence was guaranteed in law. The Commission was given robust powers in accordance with the Commissions of Investigation Act 2004 to facilitate the gathering of records and witness testimony. In accordance with its statutory functions, and at the conclusion of its investigation, the Commission submitted a report based on the evidence received by it, setting out the facts it established in relation to the matters referred to it for investigation. The Commission’s interim and final reports have all been published.
Within its final report, the Commission includes a number of chapters with detailed statistical information on the mothers and children who were resident by individual institution. These data sets were developed from the institutional records available to the Commission. The information is reported on a calendar year basis and covers areas such as; the number of admissions; the entry pathways; age on admission; occupation; previous pregnancy; marital status; length of stay; exit pathways; maternal deaths and child deaths. In the case of Miss Carr's, the information established by the Commission is reflected the body of Chapter 25 rather than in a separate chapter.
The Commission's final report states that 195 hearings were held by the Commission, with 64 former residents coming before the Commission to give evidence. An additional 304 who were resident as mothers, and 228 who were resident as babies/children, provided testimony to the Confidential Committee. The Commission noted that these mothers came from 12 different institutions and the children also came from 12 different institutions, but not the same 12 as the mothers.
In recognising the importance of maintaining the confidentiality of so many, including those who appeared before the Commission and the Confidential Committee, the Commission produced a report of a general nature, as it was tasked to do. Data was therefore compiled in a way that preserved the anonymity of those to which the data relates. For this reason, the data provided by the Commission does not facilitate a correlation between the data presented on former residents and those who provided testimony or other evidence to the Commission.
My Department is the data controller for all the personal data contained in the archive and associated records and databases since 28th February 2021, when the Commission was dissolved in law. GDPR provides the legal framework for individuals to make a request to my Department seeking access to their personal information in this archive and associated databases. My Department considers and responds to each data subject in accordance with its GDPR obligations. The Department does not have a legal basis to access the archive or otherwise process this data for any other purpose.
254. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will consider proposals for the equal entitlement to mothers of children born through surrogacy to apply for maternity leave, maternity benefits and parental leave; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38217/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraPolicy on surrogacy rests with the Minister for Health while policy on parentage rests with the Minister for Justice. Legislation on family leaves must be developed in the context of the legal situation concerning parentage, including in relation to surrogacy. Any changes in the legal situation with regard to parentage and surrogacy are matters for the Minister for Justice and Minister for Health. The payment of maternity benefit is a matter for the Minister for Social Protection.
Some forms of family leaves may be available to commissioning surrogate parents. These include parental leave and parent's leave and benefit.
255. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if there are guidelines, written procedures or protocols or key performance indicators for acknowledgement of correspondence received and response to correspondence received, respectively by category of correspondence (details supplied) in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38237/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department's Customer Service Action Plan 2019–2021 and the associated Customer Charter affirms our commitment to the delivery of high quality services to all our customers. This includes timelines for acknowledging and responding to all categories of correspondence.
The Customer Service Action Plan is published on my Department's website and is available at the link below:-
www.gov.ie/en/organisation-information/b5ae0d-department-of-children-and-youth-affairs-customer-service/
256. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the budget allocation for better start early years specialists within his Department in 2019, 2020 and to date in 2021, in tabular form. [38257/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraBetter Start, which is located within Pobal, was established in 2014 by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) in association with the Department of Education to co-ordinate the work of existing State-funded supports for quality in early learning and care settings.
The Better Start team of specialists work across three areas: the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM), the Quality Development Service (QDS), and a Learning and Development Unit.
Under AIM, Better Start Early Years Specialists work collaboratively with parents, pre-school providers, and with other professionals to support the development of inclusive learning environments in pre-school services. Better Start provides early learning and care practitioners across the country with timely access to advice and support from experts in early learning and care (and disability in particular) to assist them meet each child's needs. Better Start also provides coaching and mentoring to the pre-school staff on supporting children with disabilities to participate in the ECCE pre-school programme.
Specialists in the Quality Development Service (QDS) work with early learning and care settings in a mentoring capacity to promote and develop the quality of practice, as set out in Síolta, the National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education, and Aistear, the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework.
The Better Start Learning and Development Unit co-ordinates the roll-out of a range of training options for early learning and care practitioners, to support them to deliver quality early learning and care experiences for all children.
The table below shows the total annual budget allocation for Better Start in 2019, 2020 and 2021.
|
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
|
€11.17m |
€13.2m |
€14.2m |
257. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the level of annual funding given to the access and inclusion model between 2015 and 2020, by year. [38271/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Access and Inclusion Model (AIM), which launched in June 2016, is a model of supports designed to ensure that children with disabilities can access the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme. Its goal is to empower pre-school providers to deliver an inclusive pre-school experience, ensuring that every eligible child can meaningfully participate in the ECCE programme and reap the benefits of quality early learning and care.
AIM is a child-centred model, involving seven levels of progressive support, moving from the universal to the targeted, based on the needs of the child in the context of the pre-school setting they are attending, and therefore requiring no formal diagnosis. AIM is administered by Pobal on behalf of my Department.
The table below shows the annual allocated funding for AIM from when implementation began in mid-2016 up to 2020.
|
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
|
|
Allocation |
€14.5m |
€32.4m |
€25.4m |
€35.5m |
€43.7m |
258. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he can provide exact clarity in relation to the running of summer camps for children, both indoors and outdoors and summer classes for children, both indoors and outdoors (details supplied); if they are allowed to be run; the State body providing advice on this for parents and guardians and those running the classes and camps; the State body that is assigned to monitor compliance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38357/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraI wish to advise the Deputy that I am not in a position to comment on these matters which are more appropriate for the attention of my Cabinet colleague, the Minister for Health.
259. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the amount of funding provided to youth services in Dublin 9 and 11 in each of the years 2018 to 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38398/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraI have provided over €2.1 million each year in funding to youth services in the Dublin 9 and 11 areas. Over €8.5 million has been provided in the period from 2018 up to end June in 2021, as per the table below.
My Department currently provides funding for targeted youth services through UBU Your Place Your Space to over 250 youth organisations. A further 30 National Youth Organisations receive annual funding through the Youth Services Grant Scheme.
I secured an increase of €5 million in funding for youth services in 2021. €66.8 million is being provided to youth services nationwide this year. Funding during Covid-19 restrictions was fully maintained. The additional funding allocated to youth services in 2021 will support the delivery of universal and targeted youth services nationwide, with a particular view to the role played by youth services in fostering resilience and developing the social and personal competencies of young people.
|
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
To June 2021 |
|
|
Total |
€2,121,651 |
€2,166,168 |
€2,183,570 |
€2,144,111 |
260. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of persons that have died while living in direct provision since 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38408/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe information requested by the Deputy can be found in the attached table.
The Deputy may also be aware that I recently approved the new International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) Policy on the Recording and Publishing of Information on Resident Deaths. This new policy came into effect on 1 June 2021 and will be published, along with full historic data on deaths since the first known death was recorded in 2002. The policy and statistical data will be published on a new IPAS website which is due to go live later this month.
This new policy covers the procedures for notification of a resident death to appropriate authorities and the collation and provision of statistical information on all deaths since 2002. The policy also provides for the publication of cause of death statistics where these have been provided by the General Register Office.
Registered deaths of persons assigned accommodation by IPAS years 2018 - 2021
|
Year |
Number of people |
|
2018 |
5 |
|
2019 |
3 |
|
2020 |
5 |
|
2021 |
2 |
|
Total |
15 |
261. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of HIQA inspections that have taken place in direct provision centres to date in 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38423/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraI wish to inform the Deputy that my Department is in discussion with the Department of Health and HIQA to formulate the agreement for HIQA to start monitoring the application of the Standards in International Protection Accommodation Services accommodation. Work is currently being undertaken to establish the legislative basis for HIQA's monitoring role.
262. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if the Tusla adult retrospective team for the Carlow, Kilkenny and south Tipperary area have been redeployed to front-line child protection services; if this is resulting in referrals building up in the system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38429/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Deputy is referring to an operational matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. I have therefore referred the matter to Tusla, and asked that a direct response be provided to the Deputy.
As you may be aware, Tusla ICT systems have been severely impacted by the cyber-attack on Friday 14 May 2021. This has significant consequences in terms of how Tusla interact with services and service users. There is a great deal of work being undertaken to put alternative systems in place but at present electronic communications are impeded. Currently Tusla are dependent on telephone / post for all communications and are working hard to restore ICT systems.
263. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of referrals to the Tusla adult retrospective team that are currently awaiting action; the length of time these referrals have been in the system monthly in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38430/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Deputy is referring to an operational matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. I have therefore referred the matter to Tusla, and asked that a direct response be provided to the Deputy.
As you may be aware, Tusla ICT systems have been severely impacted by the cyber-attack on Friday 14 May 2021. This has significant consequences in terms of how Tusla interact with services and service users. There is a great deal of work being undertaken to put alternative systems in place but at present electronic communications are impeded. Currently Tusla are dependent on telephone / post for all communications and are working hard to restore ICT systems.
264. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the way his Department and public bodies and agencies under his remit are implementing Action 16 of the National Disability and Inclusion Strategy 2017-2021 (details supplied). [38475/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department has a dedicated ICT Unit which maintains, provides and troubleshoots day to day ICT services to a high standard for staff of the Department and to the public through its online services and the Department's website.
It is responsible for the development, implementation and ongoing management of the Department's ICT strategy and infrastructure and has overall responsibility for managing ICT functions, technical, human and financial.
The DCEDIY website is housed on the central Gov.ie portal. It is designed in accordance with universal design principles and any uploaded content must satisfy accessibility standards. There is a commitment to Gov.ie achieving a minimum of conformance with level Double-A with the Web Accessibility Initiative, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines and to complying with the Code of Practice on Accessibility of Public Services and Information Provided by Public Bodies. There is also a commitment under the NDIS to design public sector websites in accordance with universal design principles and in line with Ireland’s obligations under the WAD.
In addition, as part of its overall approach to ensuring equality of opportunity and addressing potential disability inequalities, the Department has a Disability Access Officer in place.
My Department has requested that the agencies under its remit respond to the deputy directly on this question.
265. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the way his Department and public bodies and agencies under his remit are implementing Action 32 of the National Disability and Inclusion Strategy 2017-2021 (details supplied). [38504/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Disability Policy Unit of my Department co-ordinates the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth's Departmental Consultative Committee (DCC). The DCC meets quarterly and in advance of the National Disability Inclusion Strategy (NDIS) Steering Group, which is chaired by my colleague Anne Rabbitte T.D., Minister of State for Disability. The DCC membership includes departmental officials across a range of policy areas, representatives from the National Disability Authority (NDA) and members of the Disability Stakeholder Group who represent people with lived experience of disability and disability organisations. The DCC provides a forum to discuss the actions in the NDIS that are relevant to my Department. Members of the DCC can also suggest other agenda items as required. The terms of reference allow for the inclusion of a wider membership and this will be kept under review.
The UNCRPD requires State parties to actively involve people with disabilities in policy development (Article 4.3). It is important that the experiences and perspectives of people with disabilities are integrated into the development of policies and programmes so that they meet their needs effectively.
My Department has funded the development of a Disability Participation and Consultation Network to build capacity within the disability community so that people with disabilities and their representative organisations can participate fully. The Network was formed in late 2020 and its first task was to bring the voices of people with disabilities into consultations on Ireland’s first State Report to the UN on our progress in implementing the Convention.
The Network is now engaging in a piece of facilitated work, funded by the Department, which will aid it to put in place the working structures and practices that will allow it to carry out its role effectively.
266. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the current demand for places under the early childhood care and education scheme in County Cork; the way he envisions any deficit being made up in local areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38578/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme runs from September to June each year. The table below sets out the number of children registered for ECCE in Cork over the last 3 programme years.
Pobal, who administer the programme on behalf of the Department, advised that the demand for ECCE in Cork has decreased over the past 3 programme years, this follows the national trend due to demographic changes.
|
Programme Call |
ECCE 2018 |
ECCE 2019 |
ECCE 2020 |
|
Number of unique children registered in Cork |
14,717 |
14,018 |
13,337 |
In relation to the availability of ECCE places in County Cork, Pobal advise that in response to high demand for ECCE places in certain areas during the 2020/21 programme year, service providers increased the number of afternoon ECCE sessions to meet local demand.
In relation to Cork City, Pobal advise that there was sufficient capacity for ECCE throughout the city region in 2020/21.
The demand for ECCE services is expected to reduce again in 2021, due to continuing demographic trends.
I would encourage any parent struggling to secure a suitable ECCE placement to contact the local Cork City/County Childcare Committee (CCC) who will work with them to secure a place.
267. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if his attention has been drawn to the fact that childcare costs continue to pose a serious financial challenge for families; the measures he will introduce to address this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38579/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraOne of my top priorities in Government is to improve affordability for parents. The Programme for Government commits to reforming the childcare system to create one that brings together the best of community and private childcare provision, is focused on children’s rights and quality outcomes, reduces inequalities, supports staff retention, and substantially reduces costs to parents.
State investment in this sector has increased by an unprecedented 141% since 2015. This funding has been used to remove barriers to access so that children can enrol and meaningfully participate in high-quality Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School-Age Childcare (SAC). It has, for example, funded a second year of the universal Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) pre-school programme and enabled the introduction of the National Childcare Scheme (NCS).
The ECCE pre-school programme provides for ELC provision for all children in the two years before they begin primary school for fifteen hours per week, entirely free for parents.
Families may also be entitled to subsidies under the National Childcare Scheme. The NCS represents the first ever statutory entitlement to financial support for childcare in Ireland. The Scheme aims to improve outcomes for children, reduce poverty, facilitate labour activation, and tangibly reduce the cost of childcare for tens of thousands of families.
The Scheme comprises two types of subsidies:
- A universal subsidy is payable for children between the ages of 24 weeks and 36 months (or until the child qualifies for the ECCE programme if later) who are availing of childcare services from an approved childcare service provider. The universal subsidy is not means-tested and is available to all qualifying families of any income level.
- An income assessed subsidy is payable for children from 24 weeks to 15 years of age who are availing of childcare services from an approved childcare service provider. The level of subsidy is determined by the family’s assessable income (i.e. gross income minus tax, PRSI and other deductibles and minus any applicable multiple child discount).
Information on the Scheme can be found at www.ncs.gov.ie and by phoning the Parent Support Centre at 01 906 8530, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm. Parents can also contact their local City/County Childcare Committee to learn more about Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare supports available to them. Details about local CCCs can be found at www.myccc.ie .
Looking to the future, First 5, the whole-of-Government strategy for babies, young children and their families, commits to at least doubling investment in ELC and SAC in the decade to 2028. A key vehicle to ensure that such significant additional investment delivers for children, families and the State will be a new funding model. The new funding model will be the framework for additional investment in services in return for clear evidence of quality and affordability to ensure effective use of public funding.
An Expert Group has been leading the work on developing this new funding model since 2019. The Group is independently chaired and includes national and international experts in ELC and SAC systems, funding, quality, economics, and relevant policy experts from the Government Departments who will be involved in implementing the new funding model. They have met seventeen times to date and it is expected that their report will be submitted in November 2021. It is anticipated that the Expert Group’s work will inform the Budget 2022 process and Department officials are already engaged in this.
ELC and SAC services are private businesses and are free to set their own policies regarding the charging of fees and contract conditions. First 5 sets out as part of the reform of the funding model, the development of an appropriate mechanism to control fees charged to parents in return for increased State investment in affordability, quality and sustainability. As set out in the Terms of Reference for the Expert Group, an essential and top priority for this Group will be to make recommendations for a mechanism to control fee rates for different types of provision for ELC/SAC. The Programme for Government sets out a commitment to examine the approach of other European countries to set a cap on parental fees, irrespective of income.
The research partner for the funding model project, Frontier Economics, has produced eight working papers, with three that directly address affordability issues including international comparisons of fees and public investment, approaches to funding the early learning and care sector, and mechanisms to control fees charged to parents. Further information on the work of the Expert Group and documentation related to the process is available at www.first5fundingmodel.ie.
268. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his views on a matter (details supplied) in relation to proposed childminding regulations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31564/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Action Plan for Childminding, which was published in April 2021, aims to improve access, through childminding, to high quality and affordable childcare. The Action Plan sets out a pathway over the next eight years towards regulation, support and subsidies for all paid, non-relative childminders. The Action Plan will involve change and will bring significant benefits for childminders, and for the children and the families using their services.
A National Action Plan for Childminding Steering Group is in the process of being formed, to drive, oversee and monitor implementation of the National Action Plan. The Steering Group will be supported by four Advisory Groups in relation to: regulation and inspection; training and support; funding and financial supports; and consultation and communications.
The National Action Plan commits to representation of childminders, parents and other key stakeholders on the Steering Group, which will be chaired by my Department. Additionally, the National Action Plan commits to representation of childminders on all four Advisory Groups.
Initial work on some aspects of future training for childminders began prior to launch of the National Action Plan, in the context of on-going work on developing a Workforce Development Plan for early learning and care and school-age childcare. In order to draft proposals, a working group was established specifically on childminding, with strong representation of childminding views. All decisions on the design and implementation of training programmes for childminders will be made by the Steering Group of the National Action Plan for Childminding.
The National Action Plan itself was based on extensive consultation and engagement with childminders, and the blueprint for the National Action Plan was the 2018 report of the Working Group on Reforms and Supports for the Childminding Sector, which was coordinated and chaired by Childminding Ireland. The National Action Plan commits to further consultation with childminders, especially during Phase 1 of the Plan when developing regulations specific to childminders.
While the organisation referred to in the correspondence temporarily withdrew from processes related to the National Action Plan on 2 June, I am pleased to inform the Deputy that officials in my Department received written confirmation on 5 July that the organisation is now re-engaging in the National Action Plan processes. They have confirmed that they will accept the invitation to take up a seat on the Steering Group for the National Action Plan.
Their agreement to re-engage is very welcome as I believe that active engagement and consultation with childminders and their representatives will be key to successful implementation of the National Action Plan.
269. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the engagement he or the agencies under his remit has had with the National Broadband Plan in the past two months. [38204/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department of Further and Higher Education Research Innovation and Science has not been directly engaged with National Broadband Ireland (NBI) but HEAnet, the Education sectors shared service network provider has attended several technical workshops with NBI over the past two years.
270. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if there are guidelines, written procedures or protocols or key performance indicators for acknowledgement of correspondence received and response to correspondence received, respectively by category of correspondence (details supplied) in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38244/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department aims to provide its customers with a professional, efficient and courteous service and does not distinguish between unsolicited and solicited correspondence.
A full statement of commitments contained within my Department’s Customer Charter can be found on gov.ie at the following link:
www.gov.ie/en/publication/045e7-customer-charter/
The Customer Charter underpins the quality customer service and the commitments contained within this Charter dictate acknowledgement and response timelines for correspondence received in the Department.
271. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the enrolment figures for each of the Youthreach services in County Kildare in 2019, 2020 and to date in 2021, in tabular form. [38270/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Youthreach programme is a national programme of education and training for early school leavers.
The Youthreach programme provides two years integrated education, training and work experience for unemployed early school leavers without any qualifications or vocational training, who are between 16 and 21 years of age. The programme offers participants the opportunity to identify and pursue viable options within adult life, provides them with opportunities to acquire certification, and includes a work experience element to prepare participants for progression on to further study, training or working life.
I attach the enrolment figures identified in each of the Youthreach centres in Co. Kildare.
272. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if there are provisions in place within the support grant scheme process to allow the awarding authority to reclassify application; if not, the reason; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38375/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe purpose of the Student Grant Scheme is to provide additional assistance where parental income is below a certain threshold, or in the case of independent mature students, where the level of income of the student and his or her spouse warrants additional assistance by way of a grant.
For student grant purposes, students are categorised according to their circumstances either as students dependent on parents or a legal guardian, or as independent mature students.
A student may be assessed as an independent student (i.e. assessed without reference to parental income and address) if he/she has attained the age of 23 on the 1st of January of the year of first entry to an approved course, and is not ordinarily resident with his/her parents from the previous 1st October. Otherwise, he/she would be assessed as a dependent student, i.e. assessed with reference to parental income and address.
A student’s status for grant purposes is defined at their first point of entry to an approved further or higher education course or at their point of re-entry to an approved course following a break in studies of at least three years, and continues to apply for the duration of their studies.
However, there are points at which a student may reclassify from a dependent student to an independent student. These are where he/she:
- Progresses from further education to higher education.
- Is returning following a 3 year break in studies.
- Is returning as a "second chance" student after a five year break in studies.
The decision on eligibility for student grant applications is a matter for the centralised grant awarding authority, SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland).
Applicants who do not meet the criteria to be assessed as an independent student for grant purposes, or who cannot supply the necessary documentation to establish independent living for the required period, may still apply to SUSI to have their grant eligibility assessed as a dependent student. The relevant information, including details of parental income, would be required by SUSI to determine grant eligibility as a dependent student.
If an individual applicant considers that she/he has been unjustly refused a student grant, or that the rate of grant awarded is not the correct one, she/he may appeal, in the first instance, to SUSI and subsequently to the Student Grants Appeals Board within the statutory timeframes.
Further information regarding class of applicant (independent or dependent) and the types of documentation accepted as evidence of living independently from parents is available from SUSI’s website: susi.ie/eligibility/applicant-class/
The scheme operates in the context of competing educational priorities and limited public funding. The aim of the scheme is to make a contribution to the cost of going to college. The existing rules reflect the fact that very significant numbers of third-level students move out of home to go to college and continue to be supported by their parents, where their parents have sufficient means, while in full-time education.
In line with the Programme for Government, a review of the Student Grant Scheme is currently underway and is due to report in Autumn 2021. A public consultation process closed in April with over 280 submissions received. The views of students were sought via an online survey process in May and over 9,000 survey responses were received. It is intended that the future direction of the SUSI scheme will be guided by the outcome of the Review.
Students in third-level institutions experiencing exceptional financial need can apply for support under the Student Assistance Fund. This Fund assists students, in a sensitive and compassionate manner, who might otherwise be unable to continue their third level studies due to their financial circumstances. Information on the fund is available through the Access Officer in the third level institution attended. This fund is administered on a confidential, discretionary basis.
273. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the percentage of on-campus accommodation provided to international students; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38419/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraUniversities are autonomous bodies under the Universities Act 1997, and are therefore administratively independent, including in relation to their accommodation allocation practices. Therefore the information requested by the Deputy would be held by the universities themselves, not by my Department.
The synopsis available in the attached table was provided by the Universities for the National Student Accommodation Strategy, based on data from the 2016/2017 academic year. However these breakdowns may be been changed in the intervening years.
|
Institution |
1st Year Students |
Continuing Students (incl. Post-Grads) |
International Students |
Special Circumstances |
|
Trinity College Dublin |
40% |
31% |
22% |
7% |
|
University College Dublin |
32% |
11% |
46% |
11% |
|
Maynooth University |
55% |
20% |
25% |
8% of previous categories |
|
Dublin City University |
75% between these categories - data is not split out |
25% |
Data not split out for this category |
|
|
University of Limerick |
40% |
35% |
25% |
Data not split out for this category |
|
NUI Galway |
No split data provided other than accommodation is reserved for first year and international students only |
|||
|
University College Cork |
38% |
29% |
33% |
Data not split out for this category |
