Written Answers Nos. 318-328
318. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection if a husband and wife can receive the fuel allowance in circumstances in which both are in receipt of a contributory pension; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17311/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Fuel Allowance is a payment of €33.00 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924 each year) from October to April, which is supporting up to an estimated 400,000 households in 2022, at an estimated cost of €366 million in 2022. The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs. The allowance represents a contribution towards the energy costs of a household. It is not intended to meet those costs in full. Only one allowance is paid per household.
To receive the Fuel Allowance payment an applicant must be in receipt of a qualifying payment, satisfy a means test and the household composition test. This ensures that the Fuel Allowance payment goes to those who are more vulnerable to fuel poverty including those reliant on social protection payments for longer periods and those who are unlikely to have additional resources of their own.
Contributory pensions such as the State Contributory Pension and Invalidity Pension are qualifying payments for Fuel Allowance and a husband and wife who are both in receipt of the payment may qualify for Fuel Allowance, subject to satisfying all other relevant qualifying conditions. However, it needs to be reiterated that only one allowance is payable per household.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
319. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Social Protection the steps she is taking to identify and address gender pay disparity in her Department and public bodies and agencies that operate under her remit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17365/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn the Department of Social Protection, females comprise 68% of all staff. The Civil Service average is 58%.
Employees at each grade are on Civil Service pay scales which are paid at the same rate for males and females. In the Department, while there are a greater number of senior roles from Principal and above held by men, there is significant female representation on the Management Board and at Principal Officer level at just over 42% for each. Females represent 48% of staff at Assistant Principal level.
The Gender Pay Gap Information Act 2021 has introduced the legislative basis for gender pay gap reporting in Ireland. Regulations under the Act will be published in the coming weeks by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. This reporting requirement will help to ensure pay transparency exists in organisations and will play an important role in achieving gender equality in the workplace.
In preparation for the gender pay gap reporting requirement, the Department's HR Equality, Diversity and Inclusion team, established in 2020, has been involved with a cross-departmental Gender Pay Gap Working Group and this group has met a number of times over the past year. In addition, a Gender Balance survey issued to all DSP staff in March 2022 in order to identify any potential causes for lower female representation at more senior levels and to provide an evidence base for any mitigating actions required.
The Citizens Information Board applies public sector pay scales at each grade to all employees. The Pensions Authority adheres to Civil Service pay circulars and abides by all equality reporting as a matter of course.
320. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Social Protection the steps she is taking to encourage active travel modes to and from work in her Department and public bodies and agencies that operate under her remit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17384/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn 2020, my Department established a Wellbeing Unit within the Human Resources Division and published a staff wellbeing policy . The unit promotes physical and mental health through a variety of support initiatives including step challenges, webinars featuring specialist guest speakers, online yoga and mindfulness classes, a monthly wellbeing E-zine, annual Men’s and Women’s Health Weeks, promotion of national/international health awareness days, and through Wellbeing clubs including walking/hiking, cycling, fitness and yoga clubs.
The Department supports its staff who walk or cycle to work by providing bike sheds and shower facilities and by creating awareness of the Government's cycle to work scheme.
The Citizens Information Board operates the cycle to work scheme and staff members have access to dedicated bicycle locking facilities and to showering facilities at their main office in George’s Quay House.
The Pensions Authority offers the cycle to work scheme for all employees and also offer the bus and rail travel saver ticket scheme.
321. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his plans to increase the standard capitation rate for the early childhood care and education scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17234/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra333. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will review the ECCE capitation rates in view of rising costs for providers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17318/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 321 and 333 together.
In December, I announced major reforms to the funding model for early learning and childcare services. These reforms are on foot of a report from an Expert Group established in 2019, which comprised national and international experts, and was independently chaired by Michael Scanlan. Its report, Partnership for the Public Good, proposes a new approach to State funding of the sector in future. Its recommendations include 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
Under the new funding stream, in return for a commitment that fees to parents will not increase, providers will be supported in meeting their operating costs, including increased costs related to improved quality measures which includes staff costs. Core Funding will also contribute to cost increases related to non-staff costs (for example, utilities, rent).
Core Funding is equivalent to an increase of at least 14% on the standard capitation for ECCE. At a minimum, for every ECCE child €78.75 per week will be available from ECCE and Core Funding, compared to €69 in ECCE standard capitation only. Because Core Funding is paid in respect of places rather than children, effectively this could mean a greater ‘per child’ marginal increase if the service has unfilled capacity. For example, with an ECCE occupancy of 9 children per staff member, Core Funding and ECCE together will be equivalent to weekly per child capitation of €80.92.
Core Funding replaces the ECCE Higher Capitation payment which pays a higher capitation rate of €80.25 for all children attending ECCE classes with a graduate ECCE room lead. Core Funding includes a new a graduate premium which will be to be paid to services with graduate room leads for all early learning and care age groups.
Core funding is largely contingent on an employment regulation order, ERO, being agreed by the joint labour committee, JLC, for the sector. If agreed, an ERO will establish minimum rates of pay and conditions for all workers and it is a matter for the JLC to determine whether different rates should apply for different roles and qualification levels of staff. A JLC was established this year and has been meeting regularly in recent months.
In addition, my Department will shortly appoint a consultant to undertake a 12 month review of ECCE which will consider any enhancements that can be made based on international evidence and experience to date. The review will involve a wide consultation with providers, educators, parents, children and other stakeholder.
322. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will publish the results of cost of childcare surveys compiled by his Department within the past five years; if it is the case that while costs in regional and city locations are similar, the differential in parental charges is considerable; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17411/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraCrowe was commissioned by the then Department of Children and Youth Affairs to undertake an independent review on the cost of providing quality childcare in Ireland in 2018. The brief for the Review included:
- analysing the current costs of providing childcare and the factors that impact on these costs;
- the development and delivery of a model of the unit costs of providing childcare that allows analysis of policy changes and variation in cost-drivers, including the potential impact of professionalisation; and
- providing an objective, high-level market analysis of the childcare sector in Ireland, including analysis of fee levels charged to parents.
The project has provided a robust evidence base for the development of policy and implementation of initiatives to support the delivery of high quality ELC and SAC in Ireland.
The final report, Independent Review of the Cost of Providing Quality Childcare Services in Ireland , was published on 19 October 2020.
The report found that average unit cost per hour in the cost modelling tool is 63 cent higher for providers operating in urban settings versus those in rural areas. The urban/rural split is based on the CSO classification of services. The average unit cost in urban settings is €4.37 as opposed to an average unit cost of €3.74 in rural settings. While this shows there is a difference in cost for those operating in urban and rural settings, it does not take into account the variation in cost within these settings.
Data on provider income and cost was also collected in 2021 by Pobal to enable similar analysis. A further round of data collection on income and cost drivers will take place in April 2022 to gather to most recent information.
Information on fees charged is collected as part of the Annual Early Years Sector Profile, administered by Pobal. The Deputy is correct in saying that fees vary across the country. According to the 2019/20 Sector Profile, average fees are higher in services located in urban areas – 13% higher for full day care, 12% higher for part-time provision and almost 7% higher for sessional care. It is worth noting that the use of averages can mask significant variation in fees between providers.
As part of Budget 2022, I was pleased to announced Core Funding, a new supply-side funding stream available to Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) providers from September. It is informed by recommendations of an Expert Group to design a new funding model for the sector that were adopted by Government in December.
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. Further information on proposed fee management mechanisms in the longer term is available in the Group's report, available at: first5fundingmodel.gov.ie.
323. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the current capacity in school-age childcare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17140/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraBased on data gathered as part of the Annual Early Years Sector Profile 2020/21 (in June 2021), the overall capacity among ELC and SAC services in contract to provide DCEDIY funding schemes was estimated to be 220,500 places. The table below presents these estimates by age range. There was an estimated 91.177 places for children aged 4-5 and 32,644 places for children age 6 and older.
These data include places for children who are school-age (i.e. age 4 and old) but who have not yet transitioned to school. These data also refer only to services in contract to deliver DCEDIY funding schemes. In addition to these services, there are up to 600 standalone SAC services registered with Tusla providing services to school-age children but not in contract to provide DCEDIY funding schemes.
|
Age group |
Capacity |
|
Up to 1 year (0-12 months) |
2,608 |
|
1 year+ to 2 years (13-24 months) |
10,630 |
|
2 years+ to 3 years (25-36 months) |
23,081 |
|
3 years+ to 4 years (37-48 months) |
60,360 |
|
4 years+ to 5 years (49-60 months) |
67,296 |
|
5 years+ to 6 years (61-72 months) |
23,881 |
|
6 years+ to 8 years (73-96 months) |
16,716 |
|
8 years+ |
15,928 |
|
Total |
220,500 |
Capacity data - by type of provision - is currently being captured by the City/County Childcare Committees and will be available in the coming weeks. These data are being gathered as part of the Action Plan developed by my Department to respond to the ELC and SAC needs of Ukrainian children and their families.
Moreover, fieldwork for the next Annual Early Years Sector Profile Survey will commence in April 2022, which will allow for more detailed information on capacity among services, including SAC services, to be gathered.
324. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of children in each of the age categories supported under the national childcare scheme; and the cost per child in each of those age categories. [17162/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Childcare Scheme (NCS) is a Scheme of financial support to help parents with the cost of their childcare.
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 Early Childhood Care and Education 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-related 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).
In addition to the income related subsidy and the universal subsidy the NCS makes provision for vulnerable children under section 14 of the Childcare Support Act 2018. It specifies 5 statutory bodies with which the Minister may make agreements in relation to referral procedures for free or additional childcare. Signed agreements are in place with all sponsor bodies.
Subsidy rates per hour
Universal subsidy
The universal subsidy is payable at a rate of €0.50 per hour.
Income related subsidy
The rate for income-related subsidies depends on the applicant’s reckonable income. The table below shows the maximum and minimum income-related subsidy rates per hour, which vary according to the child’s age and the child’s education stage.
|
Child’s age |
Minimum subsidy per hour |
Maximum subsidy per hour |
|
Less than 12 months old |
€0.50 |
€5.10 |
|
12 to 35 months old |
€0.50 |
€4.35 |
|
3 years old or older and not yet qualifying for ECCE |
€0.50 |
€3.95 |
|
3 years old or older and qualifying for ECCE |
€0.00 |
€3.95 |
|
At school (or older than 6 years of age and less than 15 years of age) |
€0.00 |
€3.75 |
Sponsor Subsidy
|
Child’s age |
Subsidy per hour |
|
0-1 year |
€5.87 |
|
1-3 years |
€5 |
|
3 years old to school age |
€4.54 |
|
School Age |
€4.31 |
Number of Children (14/3/2022)
Universal Subsidy Number of Children
Age
24 weeks to 36 months 13620
Income related subsidy
Age Number of Children
Less than 12 months old 665
12 to 35 months old 12452
36 months to 5 years 11 months old and not qualifying for ECCE 4684
36 months to 5 years 11 months old and qualifying for ECCE 11901
6 to 14 years and 11 months old 10267
Sponsor related subsidy
Age Number of Children
Less than 12 months old 22
12 to 35 months old 586
36 months to 5 years 11 months old and not qualifying for ECCE 253
36 months to 5 years 11 months old and qualifying for ECCE 560
6 to 14 years and 11 months old 912
325. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if his attention has been drawn to the very positive impact of a project (details supplied); and if he will ensure that this project can be centrally funded by his Department or the HSE after their current funding runs out in the next six months. [17170/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am aware of the project the Deputy is referring to and have met with members of the organisation responsible for leading on the project on Monday 28th February in what was a very informative discussion.
During the meeting, the objectives of the project and the supports it offers to people with disabilities were discussed.
I recognise the merits of the project and commend the organisation in question.
The issue of central funding is receiving consideration by my officials, having regard to the broader context of the normal rules regarding public expenditure and due transparency.
326. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the costs incurred by International Protection Accommodation Services for taxis and private transport hire to transport international protection applicants to either a direct provision centre or emergency hotel accommodation following their arrival in the State from 2011 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17241/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe below table represents costs in relation to transport to reception centres, accommodation centres and emergency accommodation located throughout the State from 2011 to date.
|
Year |
Cost |
|
2011 |
€0.068m |
|
2012 |
€0.071m |
|
2013 |
€0.036m |
|
2014 |
€0.046m |
|
2015 |
€0.103m |
|
2016 |
€0.129m |
|
2017 |
€0.093m |
|
2018 |
€0.182m |
|
2019 |
€0.579m |
|
2020 |
€0.479m |
|
2021 |
€0.638m |
|
Total |
€2.424m |
327. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will provide the annual turnover of social care and social work staff members in the children-in-care teams in the mid-west region for the years 2019, 2020 and 2021; the number of social care and social work staff members who were out of work due to work-related stress for the years 2019, 2020 and 2021; the number of children who have been assigned one to five, six to ten, and more than ten social care and social work staff members since being brought under the responsibility of the children-in-care teams in the mid-west region; and the median length of time in months that each child has had the same social care and social work staff member. [17247/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI wish to inform the Deputy that my officials have asked Tusla to respond directly to you on this matter.
328. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if refugee resettlement workers and inter-cultural workers will be appointed for each local authority area to assist in the resettlement of Ukrainian persons, as was the case for previous resettlement programmes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17262/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy will be aware, the Ukrainian crisis is a dynamic situation. At the present moment, the focus for my Department is providing accommodation.
My Department continues to source accommodation as quickly as possible for Ukrainian refugees.
To date my Department has contracted almost 2,800 hotel rooms. Community fora are being established in each local authority area under the aegis of the local authority to coordinate local services to Ukrainian refugees. These fora will determine the supports needed at local level for these refugees and beneficiaries of temporary protection.
