Written Answers Nos. 62-73
63. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the way that the new core funding for early years providers will be effective; the interim measures that he will put in place to ensure that fees will not rise for parents; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15361/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraCore Funding is a new supply-side funding stream available to Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) providers from September. It was originally announced in Budget 2022 and is informed by recommendations of an Expert Group to design a new funding model for the sector that were adopted by Government in December.
Core Funding marks a new departure in State funding of the sector and is a significant step towards ensuring high-quality, affordable, sustainable and accessible services.
Core Funding will be available to registered ELC and SAC providers, including full day care providers, ECCE-only providers, and stand-alone school-age providers, subject to the service agreeing to come into contract for the scheme. It will be a payment directly to services who choose to participate in the scheme.
The total available budget for Core Funding is equivalent to €221 million in a full programme year, contingent on an Employment Regulation Order being agreed by the Joint Labour Committee. Core Funding will be allocated to services based on their capacity and the qualifications of those working in a service. The majority of Core Funding (i.e. €183 million of the €221 million) will be distributed based on a service's capacity.
The remaining €38 million will be distributed to services with ELC graduate Lead Educators/Managers through the ELC Graduate Premium. The ELC Graduate Premium is calculated based on the number of hours of provision led by ELC graduate; and if the ELC or combined ELC and SAC service has an ELC graduate as the Manager.
The overwhelming majority of ELC and SAC services will see substantial increases in income through the new Core Funding model.
Approximately 1% of services will see the same income from Core Funding to what they have received this year. These are services which have benefited disproportionately from a previous disparity in the funding model for graduates working in ELC services.
My Department has issued a funding guarantee to providers whereby all services will receive at least the same level of funding in Core Funding as they received from higher capitation and Programme Support Payments in the 2021/22 programme year, assuming the numbers of children, graduate staff and type of service offered remains the same.
The structure of Core Funding is based on the recommendations of the Expert Group outlined in Partnership for the Public Good: A New Funding Model for Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare. Structuring Core Funding primarily based on capacity means that services will have an allocation each year that will not fluctuate in line with children's attendance. Providers will have a stable income source based on the service they deliver.
Core Funding is designed to operate alongside the existing funding schemes, including the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme and the National Childcare Scheme (NCS). Therefore, the NCS will continue to provide subsidies for children in attendance and ECCE will continue to provide capitation.
Services will be required to offer the NCS and/or the ECCE programme to all eligible children/parents, in line with their operations, and will be invited to report on the quality development measures they are pursuing.
A Ready Reckoner to support services to determine the potential value of Core Funding to their service is available at earlyyearshive.ncs.gov.ie/ReadyReckoner/.
Participation in Core Funding for ELC and SAC providers will require a commitment not to increase fees to parents from September 2021 rates in return for the increased State funding. This feature of the scheme will ensure that parents feel the affordability benefits of the NCS and ECCE, including the full effects of the NCS reforms announced in Budget 2022.
Budget 2022 also announced a once-off Transition Fund which will be available to ELC and SAC services from May to August inclusive, during the period between the ending of the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS) in April and the introduction of a new Core Funding stream in September. The primary conditionality of the Transition Fund is that fees to parents do not increase above September 2021 levels.
The introduction of fee management measures is one of the recommendations of the Expert Group, as approved by Government. Fee management will start with a requirement for providers to maintain fees at or below September 2021 levels to access the new Core Funding scheme and Transition Fund, as outlined above. Further information on proposed fee management mechanisms in the longer term is available in the Group's report, available at: first5fundingmodel.gov.ie
Providers who have increased their fees above September 2021 levels will be required to revert to September 2021 levels before May 2022 to be eligible for the Transition Fund in May 2022. Similarly, to be eligible for the new Core Funding stream, providers who have increased their fees above September 2021 levels will be required to revert to September 2021 levels before September 2022.
Budget 2022 also confirmed that ELC and SAC employers will continue to benefit from the exemption to the turnover rule for the EWSS until April 2022, in part to avoid the additional costs arising from public health measures being passed on to parents.
The EWSS has been available to employers in the sector since August 2020. Enhanced EWSS rates (from October 2020-January 2022) amount to approximately €34 million per month for the sector, covering on average 80% of payroll costs and 50% of total operating costs for providers. Standard EWSS (from August 2020-October 2020 and for February 2022) amount to approximately €22 million per month for the sector, covering on average 50% of payroll costs and 38% of total operating costs for providers. A new EWSS flat rate of €100 that will apply from March-April 2022 will amount to approximately €11 million per month for the sector, covering on average, 25% staff costs or 11% total operating costs.
Given the level of investment being made available to the sector through EWSS, it is difficult to see any justification for an increase in fees at this time.
Sustainability Funding also continues to be available to providers where there are sustainability difficulties and I have requested that providers would exhaust this route before considering increases in fees for parents. I encourage providers to contact their local City/County Childcare Committee if they require any further information or support.
Core Funding is part of Government’s commitment to realising the First 5 target of investment of approximately €1 billion by 2028. Core Funding introduces a strategic way of funding the sector and begins to implement the recommendations of the Expert Group to develop a new funding model.
64. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will detail progress to date in meeting the commitments set out in the Action Plan for Survivors and Former Residents of Mother and Baby and County Home Institutions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15309/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraOn 16 November 2021, my Department published an Action Plan for Survivors and Former Residents of Mother and Baby and County Home Institutions. The Action Plan is a high-level framework to drive, monitor and report on implementation of the 22 wide-ranging measures announced by Government in responding to the needs and concerns of those who spent time in these institutions.
Each action identifies key strategic milestones and related timelines. Of the 22 actions, 6 have already been completed while another 13 are currently in progress. Work is ongoing in all thematic areas to advance measures in accordance with the published Action Plan. My Department and other state authorities are working to ensure survivors see tangible results as early as possible.
In addition to an annual progress report, to be laid before the Houses, my Department will prepare quarterly progress updates. The first of these updates was published in February on my Department's website. It was also issued directly to every person who provided their contact information to my Department's dedicated mailing list.
The following are some examples of our progress to date.
Firstly, dedicated professional counselling support continues to be available nationwide with services being prioritised for survivors.
A centre-piece of the Government’s response is the development of a scheme to provide financial payments and a form of enhanced medical card. On 16th November 2021, the Government approved proposals for a Scheme to be known as the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme. The legislation required to establish the Scheme is currently being developed as a matter of priority, with a view to opening the Scheme for applications in 2022.
My Department has also published two substantial pieces of draft legislation this year.
The Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2022 was published on 12 January and has just passed Committee Stage in Dáil Éireann. This legislation will provide a full and clear right of access to birth certificates, birth and early life information for all persons who were adopted, boarded out, the subject of an illegal birth registration or who otherwise have questions in relation to their origins.
The Institutional Burials Bill 2022 was published on 22 February. The Bill passed Second Stage in the Dáil on 3 March. The children in Tuam deserve an appropriate burial and I am determined to deliver legislation which achieves this dignity for them and their families and provides a clear legal basis should such intervention be necessary at other locations.
I established a dedicated Information Management Unit, with a professional archivist, to manage the Commission’s archive of records and provide access for individuals to their personal information. So far, we have received 562 Subject Access Requests for information from the archive, and we have issued replies to 480 of these requests, with the remainder in progress.
On 10 March 2022, the Minister for Health signed the new Data Protection Act 2018 (Access Modifications) (Health) Regulations 2022. The Regulations have a positive impact as it will no longer be mandatory in all cases to consult the individual’s health practitioner before releasing their health data to them. My Department is reviewing all Subject Access Request responses and working to provide health data to individuals as quickly as possible.
On the theme of Education and Research, my Department is funding a new Postgraduate Scholarship in Childhood Disadvantage in memory of all the children who died in Mother and Baby and County Home Institutions. In conjunction with the Irish Research Council, I hope to be able to announce details of the first research projects to be funded in the coming weeks.
My colleague, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, is developing central guidance to assist local authorities in facilitating local memorialisation in line with the wishes of survivors. In addition, he is in the final stages of preparing a circular which will issue to all planning authorities advising on the approach they should take to protecting possible burial sites in their area from potentially harmful development.
I am aware of the urgency and sensitivity of this work and it is an absolute priority for myself and the Government.
66. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if records for the former Carlow Mother and Baby Home, Carlow Maternity Hospital and a home (details supplied) are held by either the Adoption Authority of Ireland and or Tusla; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15356/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the subject matter of the Deputy's question relates to an operational matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, I have referred the matter to them for a direct reply.
67. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if his Department has examined the replication of the DEIS programme for early language and care and school age service services considering many services operate in deprived areas and feed into DEIS primary schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15485/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraPartnership for the Public Good, A New Funding Model for Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School-Age Childcare (SAC) - the report of an independently chaired Expert Group - was adopted in full by Government last December. This sets out a new approach to State funding of the ELC and SAC sector that includes:
- A new additional funding stream for the sector, Core Funding, to support quality of provision, improved pay and conditions for staff, management of parental fees and sustainability of services
- Universal and targeted Tackling Disadvantage funding and support, building on Core Funding.
- Continued provision of the universal Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme and the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) with enhancements
- An expanded role for the State in managing and supporting supply, quality, accessibility, and affordability
A number of research inputs contributed to this work including a paper on “Approaches to Identifying Children or Settings in Need of Additional Support” and another on “Funding Models Addressing Early Childhood Disadvantage”. There was also extensive and detailed stakeholder consultation on the issue of addressing disadvantage. The Expert Group was also briefed on the DEIS model.
Of 25 recommendations in Partnership for the Public Good, 9 relate to issues of disadvantage.
In Budget 2022, I secured an additional allocation of €78m for ELC and SAC to commence implementation of these recommendations. Among new measures in 2022 are:
- The introduction of Core Funding from September 2022 – a new scheme worth €221 million in a full year.
- An extension to the NCS universal subsidy to all children under 15 from September 2022, benefitting up to 40,000 children.
- A discontinuation in the practice of deducting hours spent in pre-school or school from the entitlement to NCS subsidised hours from spring 2022, benefitting an estimated 5,000 children from low income families.
As recommendation by the Expert Group, once core funding is embedded and changes existing programmes take effect (ECCE and NCS), my Department will progress the development of the Tackling Disadvantage funding and support. Informed by recommendations in Partnership for the Public Good, through this, services will be provided with a proportionate mix of universal and targeted supports to support children and families accessing their services who are experiencing disadvantage. Whilst this will not be a replication of DEIS, it will be informed by that approach.
68. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if his attention has been drawn to the inequality facing one parent families in relation to parent's leave; if the matter will be examined for Budget 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14877/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the Parent’s Leave and Benefit Act 2019 (as amended), working parents are entitled to five weeks of paid parent’s leave for each relevant parent, to be taken in the first two years after the birth or adoptive placement of a child.
The intention of this leave is to enable parents to spend time with their child in the earliest years. It is deliberately non-transferable between parents to ensure that both parents are encouraged and supported in taking time out from work to spend time with their child. This is further supported through the provision of Parent’s Benefit.
It is important to note that the entitlement under the 2019 Act is for each parent in their own right and it is not an allocation per family. The Act was drafted in such a way as to take account of the broad complexion of family life and allows for an entitlement for the spouse, civil partner or cohabitant of the parent.
This means that each parent of the child, and their respective spouse, civil partner or cohabitant, is entitled to take parent’s leave in respect of that child. In effect this means that, if the parents of a child are not a couple but are in a separate relationship then their partner is entitled to parent’s leave to care for the child. As such there is no inequality for parents living apart as both can avail of the leave.
There are currently no plans to review the relevant provisions with respect to parent's leave entitlements for one parent families. The Government has, however, made provision in Budget 2022 to increase the number of weeks of Parent’s Leave and Benefit available to eligible parents from five weeks to seven weeks from July 2022. It has been decided that the additional two weeks' leave and benefit will apply to parents of children who are under age 2 in July 2022, or adoptive children who have been with their parents for less than two years at that point.
69. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if consultations will take place with representative groups in relation to the roll-out of his Department’s Capital Programme in 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15372/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the National Development Plan 2021 to 2030 my Department secured capital funding which will support capital programmes across the Department including the implementation of a new system of accommodation for International Protection applicants as envisaged under the White Paper to end Direct Provision and establish a new International Protection Support Service along with capital spending in relation to Early Learning and Childcare, Child and Family Agency, Youth organisations and Oberstown Children Detention Campus.
As part of the implementation of the White Paper I am very conscious of the importance of communicating clearly on the progress that we are making in implementing the new model of accommodation for International Protection applicants. Currently we are developing a communication strategy for the programme, which will include a community engagement strategy and include a process for consulting relevant communities when locating a Reception and Integration Centre in a particular location.
In the meantime information on the new model can be found on the new IPSS website at gov.ie/ipss.
My Department secured funding in the NDP for Early Years, which will enable significant capital investment in early learning and childcare over the period 2023-2025. This adds to the substantial level of capital investment by the State in recent years through the Department’s Annual Capital Programme. My Department is engaging with early learning and childcare services, through City/County Childcare Committees, in areas where there is unmet need for early learning and childcare from families. This engagement will inform the design and rollout of the early learning and childcare capital funding scheme.
In relation to youth affairs, it is expected that there will be an engagement in the first quarter of 2023 with the Education and Training Boards and the National Youth Council of Ireland in relation to a capital grant scheme to support minor works and equipment purchases for national youth organisations, local youth clubs and UBU Your Place Your Space funded organisations. The application criteria for the scheme will be updated where appropriate on foot of this engagement.
In general my Department closely monitors the capital spending across the Department and when and where appropriate will engage with relevant stakeholders in terms of programme delivery and design.
70. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will provide a fast-track funding mechanism for communities seeking to provide preschool and or after-school facilities co-located on the grounds of existing primary schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15513/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraDuring 2021, my Department successfully secured €70m in the revised National Development Plan (NDP) allocation. This will enable significant capital investment in early learning and childcare during 2023-2025.
Investment under the NDP will consist of three pillars: Modernisation, New Capacity and First 5 Initiatives. This will enable significant capital investment in early learning and childcare during the lifetime of the NDP as follows:
(1) Modernisation: Much of the existing early learning and childcare infrastructure that was previously delivered by large scale capital programmes is now in need of upgrading and modernisation in order to be fully compliant with new regulations and more recent guidelines, as well as to maximise energy efficiency. This investment will prioritise follow-up funding for buildings that were funded through the Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme (EOCP) and the National Childcare Investment Programme (NCIP), with funding also available for previously non-funded infrastructure.
(2) New Capacity: Ireland is approaching the limits of capacity, with shortfalls for early learning and childcare places already evident in some areas and for some cohorts. The rates of participation in early learning and childcare are also lower than European averages. As investment in subsidisation grows in the coming years as committed to in First 5 and the Programme for Government, demand from parents will also increase.
In the coming two years, NDP capital funding allocated to early learning and childcare will be used to increase the stock of early learning and childcare infrastructure, in order to address capacity challenges including the undersupply for certain types of provision and in specific areas of the country.
(3) First 5 Initiatives: First 5 (Government Strategy for babies, young children and their families 2019 -2028) was launched in 2018 and was re-committed to in the Programme for Government: Our Shared Future. First 5 envisages a range of innovative initiatives for the early learning and childcare sector, including piloting Family and Early Childhood Centres and piloting outdoor early learning and childcare provision, piloting meal provision. Each of these initiatives have capital requirements.
As outlined in the National Development Plan 2021-2030, access to affordable early learning and childcare is inherently linked to creating an equitable society, sustainable communities and a thriving economy. Early learning and childcare provision is therefore considered under the National Development Plan, along with housing, schools and health facilities as an integral part of national infrastructure.
Further information on the Department’s NDP allocation and the application process will be communicated to the sector in the near future. The Department advises the services to contact their local County Childcare Committees, who will provide information on future capital supports when it becomes available.
71. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the progress that he has made in his discussions with the Catholic Church and the Church of Ireland regarding contributing towards redress; and if he formally requested a meeting with persons (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15448/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes made significant findings in relation to the failings of the State and Religious Congregations, who together ran Mother and Baby and County Home Institutions. The Government believes that all relevant parties have a collective responsibility to respond to Ireland's legacy in relation to these institutions. Following Government approval on 16th November 2021 of the proposals for the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme, I commenced meetings on an individual basis with each of the organisations involved.
So far, meetings have taken place with the 6 Religious Congregations and one lay Catholic organisation concerned and a meeting has also been held with the Church of Ireland. It is my intention to arrange a meeting with the Catholic church hierarchy. The purpose of the meetings to date was to outline the details of the proposed Payment Scheme and to discuss how the Congregation or organisation intended to contribute towards the cost of this Scheme.
The Government recognises that these discussions are very important to survivors and to the public. They are very important to Government also. In order to allow for open engagement throughout, and in keeping with the standard approach taken to matters of negotiation, it was agreed that this process, while ongoing, would be treated as confidential.
This does not mean that the process is not transparent or that a full account will not be made to Government in due course. The Congregations have been made aware that I am accountable to the Oireachtas and, as such, will be making a full report available when this process is concluded. I am keen to make progress in the shortest possible timeframe but it is expected that it may take a number of months.
