Written Answers Nos. 1-20
6. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the expected timeline for the introduction of paid domestic violence leave; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28543/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraSince its formation, this Government has made it clear that tackling domestic, sexual and gender-based violence is a key priority. Counsious of the risk of poverty those fleeing Domestic Violence face, the Programme for Government contains a commitment to investigate the provision of paid leave and social protection provision to victims of domestic violence.
The issue of domestic violence leave has been researched by officials in the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. This research has included consideration of domestic violence leave at international level, identifying best practice and developing a suitable model for roll-out in Ireland.
The Department has engaged in a targeted consultation process with relevant stakeholders and social partners to examine how a scheme of leave should operate to address the needs of victims most effectively. This has included consulting with the monitoring committee of the Second National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence, employers' groups and trade unions. Stakeholders of the National Equality Strategy Committees have also been consulted.
I have met with a number of employer representative bodies in relation to the domestic violence leave, as well as the upcoming Work Life Balance Bill, including IBEC, Chambers Ireland and ICTU. Some of the issues that have arrisen with the groups has been the need for support for employers implementing such leave, as well as the need for flexibility in terms of people taking up the leave, and the documentation that would be required to support and application for domestic violence leave.
A report is being prepared based on this work, which will be brought to Government shortly. The report will include recommendations on how best to support employees experiencing domestic abuse, including proposals for the introduction of domestic violence leave. I intend to progress this leave as part of the Work Life Balance Bill.
13. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the steps that he is taking to address high childcare costs. [28408/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI want to develop a world class childcare system. One that is affordable for parents, provides quality care and education to children, and pays staff well.
We all recognise that childcare fees should not be a burden. We want every parent to be able to access childcare without worrying about what it will cost. That's why I am moving forward with far-ranging reforms in the Early Years sector, informed by the recommendations of the Expert Group to develop a new funding model that will see much greater State management of the sector, whilst delivering cost reductions for parents.
Core Funding marks a new departure in State funding of the sector in order to deliver early learning and childcare for the public good, for quality and affordability for children, parents and families, and sustainability and a stable income for services.
Core Funding is equivalent to €221 million in a full year. It will require a commitment not to increase fees from September 2021 rates. This will ensure that parents feel the full affordability benefits of the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) and the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme. This is particularly important because from September 2022, universal NCS subsidies will be extended to children of all ages up to 15.
A Transition Fund is now available to providers between May until August ahead of the introduction of Core Funding. The Transition Fund invests in services, subject to their agreement not to increase parents' fees from September 2021 levels.
I am pleased that, so far, 92% of services have signed up for the Transition Fund and the associated fee control.
I hope to see a similarly high take up rate for Core Funding, to allow the maximum number of parents to benefit from continued fee control and existing and new investment in the NCS and ECCE Programme.
As mentioned, the reforms I am implementing will for the first time provide Government with the means to meaningfully reduce the cost of early learning and childcare for parents. With these reforms in place, preparations are now underway in my Department to seek significant investment into the National Childcare Scheme in the context of the forthcoming budget that will lead to a substantial reduction in fees for parents without adversely affecting the sustainability and availability of services.
14. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the status of the review of the disabled drivers and disabled passengers' scheme [28538/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Disabled Drivers and Disabled Passengers Scheme provides relief from Vehicle Registration Tax and VAT on the purchase and use of an adapted car, as well as an exemption from motor tax and an annual fuel grant. The Scheme is open to severely and permanently disabled persons as a driver or as a passenger and also to certain charitable organisations.
In response to recent concerns raised around access to the scheme and the relevant qualifying criteria, my colleague, Minister of Finance, Paschal Donohoe T.D committed to undertaking a comprehensive review of the scheme.
Following engagement with Minister Donohoe last year, it was decided to use the Transport Working Group, which was established in 2020 to advance Action 104 of the National Disability Inclusion Strategy, to assist with the review of the Disabled Drivers and Disabled Passengers Scheme. However, actual legislative and budgetary responsibility for the Scheme continues to lie with the Department of Finance, which will be able to address granular queries in relation to the Scheme.
The objective of the Transport Working Group is to coordinate action on transport provision for people with disabilities across Government. Action 104 of the NDIS commits that a review will be conducted of existing transport schemes, and a coordinated plan will be developed to enhance the options for transport to work or employment for people with disabilities.
The Transport Working Group met at the end of January, chaired by my colleague, the Minister of State for Disability, Anne Rabbitte T.D.. The Disabled Drivers and Disabled Passengers Scheme was discussed at this meeting. The work of the Transport Group was also discussed at the April meeting of the Steering Group for the National Disability Inclusion Strategy.
The current focus of the Group's work is on scoping the provision of transport supports across government departments and public bodies, with a view to assessing gaps or anomalies in provision.
Further meetings of the Transport Working Group will be scheduled shortly.
15. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will provide an update on the Transition Fund for Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare and efforts to introduce a parental fee freeze; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27406/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraOne of my top priorities in Government is to improve affordability of Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare for parents. The package of measures I announced in Budget 2022 is designed to ensure that fees to parents do not increase and that the full affordability benefits of the National Childcare Scheme and the Early Childhood Care and Education programme are felt without being absorbed in fee increases.
The Transition Fund starts this process and will be in place between May and August 2022. This is a temporary, once-off scheme, to support providers transition from the end of the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS) to the new Core Funding Scheme in September.
The main contractual requirement for the Transition Fund is that fees remain at or below September 2021 levels for the period of the scheme. This requirement will apply to all services who contract into for the Transition Fund. Participation is optional but I am very pleased that approximately 93% of providers have now signed-up and thereby have agreed to maintain their fees at or below September 2021 rates.
Core Funding is equivalent to €221 million in a full year. It will also require a commitment not to increase fees from September 2021 rates. This will ensure that parents feel the full benefits of investment into the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) and the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme. This is particularly important because from September 2022, universal NCS subsidies will be extended to children of all ages up to 15.
As part of providers coming into contract for Core Funding, detailed data on their income and costs has been required. Analysis of this data will assist my Department to develop its approaches to fee management in future years, in line with recommendations in Partnership for the Public Good, the report of the Expert Group for a new funding model for this sector.
16. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the steps that he is taking to ensure that there is an adequate supply of affordable childcare throughout the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28304/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraEnsuring the availability of high-quality early learning and childcare that is affordable and accessible is a key priority for me.
Since 2015, significant increases in State investment in early learning and childcare has given rise to a substantial growth in the numbers of children participating in these services. Every year, more than 100,000 children participate on the universal pre-school programme (ECCE) and the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) subsidises up to 80,000 children.
My Department’s Transition Fund operating from May-August this year and the new Core Funding Scheme to roll out from September include a fee freeze condition, which will ensure that parents feel the full affordability benefits of the ECCE programme and the NCS, including the enhancements to the NCS, which I announced as part of Budget 2022.
The reforms I am implementing will for the first time provide Government with the means to meaningfully reduce the cost of early learning and childcare for parents. With these reforms in place, preparations are now underway in my Department to seek significant investment into the National Childcare Scheme in the context of the forthcoming budget that will lead to a substantial reduction in fees for parents without adversely affecting the sustainability and availability of services.
I am also taking a range of steps to address issues of under supply. Some €70m has been allocated to my Department through the revised National Development Plan (NDP) – with the majority of this funding earmarked for new places. Under the National Action Plan for Childminding, I have committed to opening up access to the NCS to parents who use childminders following the extension of regulation to childminders, which is expected to happen within the first 2-3 years of the Plan.
My Department, in partnership with the Department of Housing Planning and Local Government, is in the process of updating the 2001 Planning Guidelines for Local Authorities on Early Learning and Childcare Settings. In addition, City/County Childcare Committees have been mobilised to engage proactively with services to identify vacant places and to explore possibilities for expansion among services, particularly where there is unmet need.
17. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his plans to ensure that all children and families in direct provision that are being moved from congregated hotel style living are housed in own door or independent living accommodation as close as possible to the community in which they have been residing. [28407/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs set out in A White Paper to End Direct Provision and to Establish a New International Protection Support Service, my Department is currently working on implementing a new model of accommodation and supports for International Protection applicants.
Under the new model, an applicant for International Protection will initially be accommodated in one of six new Integration and Reception Centre. Accommodation in a Reception and Integration Centres will be own-door for families and own-room for single people, with specific tailoring for people with identified vulnerabilities. These centres will be newly built and be operated by not-for-profit organisations on behalf of the State.
Residents will remain in the centres for a maximum of four months - where they will undergo a programme of orientation, support and integration. Once the four month programme is complete, if the applicant has not received a positive first-instance decision on their application, or is undergoing an appeals process, they will transition from a Reception and Integration Centre to a house, apartment or own room in the community. This new approach will end congregated and institutional living and will focus on supporting integration from day one.
In the interim, a request for tender has been issued by my Department seeking additional accommodation for applicants for international protection which enables families to be accommodated in independent living options. This tender is a key plank in the strategy to end the current reliance on emergency accommodation. The aim is to ensure that all families in the international protection process are accommodated in independent living options once they have completed the initial reception process. The compliance check process was due to begin on 28 February but was delayed due to the Ukrainian refugee situation. However, the compliance check has now recommenced and the aim is to contract shortly any properties which meet the requirements of the tender.
18. Deputy Steven Matthews asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the consultation that he has held with social partners on the work life balance and miscellaneous provisions Bill 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28400/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraOn 21 April the Government gave its approval for the drafting of a Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill, the main purpose of which is to transpose elements of the EU Work Life Balance Directive and provide new rights to parents and carers in order to support a better work life balance. The General Scheme of the proposed Bill, which is published on my Department's website, has been referred to the Office of the Attorney General for drafting of the Bill.
The General Scheme has also been referred to the Oireachtas Committee on Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth for pre-legislative scrutiny.
I have invited ICTU as representatives of trade unions, and Chambers Ireland, Ibec, and ISME representing employer's interests to meet with me to discuss the draft General Scheme of the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill and to hear their views on its content and potential impact. They have also been consulted as to how it can be implemented so to maximise the potential benefits for employees and mitigate any potentially negative impact on employers. These discussions are ongoing.
It is intended that the legislation will be passed and enacted prior to summer recess.
19. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his plans for the implementation of each of the recommendations of the report of the Special Rapporteur on Child Protection Proposals for a State Response to Illegal Birth Registrations in Ireland; the timeline for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28489/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn March 2021, following publication of the Independent Review into Illegal Birth Registration, I asked Professor Conor O’Mahony, the Special Rapporteur on Child Protection, to consider the significant complexities and challenges which arise in relation to the issue of illegal birth registration, and to provide a report proposing an appropriate course of action. On 14th March 2022 I published the report which sets out 17 numbered recommendations.
The Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2022 will robustly fulfill the vast majority of the report's recommendations, specifically addressing recommendations 1- 14 inclusive. In terms of the status of this Bill, it was passed by Dáil Éireann on 27th April 2022 and is currently at Committee Stage in Seanad Éireann. My hope is that it will be enacted this summer, with some elements of the legislation having immediate effect and others being commenced in the autumn.
In relation to recommendation 16 regarding a payment towards legal costs associated with, for example, a declaration of parentage - I have previously signalled my intention to establish a payment scheme to make once-off payments of €3,000 to the individuals affected by confirmed illegal birth registration. The development of this scheme is at an advanced stage with a view to implementation as soon as possible in 2022.
In relation to recommendation 17 that a State inquiry into illegal adoptions should be established on a non-statutory basis, this must be considered in the context of the overall Action Plan for Survivors and Former Residents of Mother and Baby and County Home Institutions and, specifically, in the context of the recently announced proposals for a National Centre for Research and Remembrance. The Centre will comprise a number of distinct, yet interrelated, areas, including a museum and exhibition space, the development of which will be led by the National Museum of Ireland; and a place for reflection and remembrance.
In addition, it will contain a research centre and central repository of records related to institutional trauma in the 20th century, which will form part of the National Archives. One unique aspect of the central repository will be the intended inclusion of the personal testimonies of survivors; allowing the lived experiences of survivors- in their own words- to be formally acknowledged as part of the official record and preserved for posterity.
This important initiative, therefore, addresses the issue of access to records which is so crucial for any further analysis or inquiry, as well as fulfilling one of the key objectives of any truth commission, namely giving voice and providing official recognition to the lived experience of people affected by the legacy of these institutions and historical adoption practices.
20. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his plans to tackle the shortage of affordable childcare places in Cork city; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28118/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs indicated in my earlier reply, the availability of high-quality early learning and childcare that is affordable and accessible is a key Government priority.
Before the onset of Covid-19, national data indicated that supply of early learning and childcare places was broadly meeting demand, though there was evidence of undersupply for certain cohorts of children and in certain areas.
Data gathered throughout the Covid-19 pandemic revealed lower demand for early learning and childcare. Indeed, data captured in June 2021 found significant vacancy rates across the country – with the national vacancy rate averaging at 21% and a vacancy rate in Cork City of 29%.
My Department has continued to monitor early learning and childcare capacity, with a particular focus on monitoring Covid-19 impacts as public health restrictions have been lifted and on responding to the unmet early learning and childcare needs of families.
In April of this year, City/County Childcare Committee (CCC) undertook a nationwide survey of capacity in early learning and childcare services. This was followed in May by the Early Years Sector Profile Survey that is undertaken by Pobal annually on behalf of my Department.
Capacity data captured through the recent CCC survey and the Early Years Sector Profile Survey has been extracted and will be made available in the coming weeks. An initial analysis of these data show vacancy rates in Cork City are now approximately 14%.
In addition to some of the measures to address undersupply referred to earlier, City/County Childcare Committees, including Cork City Childcare Committee are proactively engaging with early learning and childcare services to explore the potential for services in increase capacity where there is evidence of unmet early learning and childcare needs of families - with applications to Tusla to increase capacity in ELC services fast tracked, where possible.
Parents in Cork City experiencing difficulty in relation to their early learning and childcare needs should contact their Cork City Childcare Committee (CCC) for assistance.
