Written Answers Nos. 483-506
483. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the monitoring mechanisms which are in place to ensure compliance with the Gender Pay Gap Information Act 2021 is monitored; and if such monitoring will be the task of his Department. [58717/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra484. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if his Department maintains a list of all businesses required to report gender pay gap information under the Gender Pay Gap Information Act 2021. [58718/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra485. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if a register of employers who have not complied with the requirements of the Gender Pay Gap Information Act 2021 will be made available on the Government’s dedicated website. [58719/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 483, 484 and 485 together.
Regulations have been made under the Gender Pay Gap Information Act 2021 which enable reporting in 2022. The Regulations require organisations with over 250 employees to report on their gender pay gap in 2022. Employers were required to choose a ‘snapshot’ date in June 2022 and to base their reporting on the employees they have on that date. Employers have six months from that date to make the relevant calculations and prepare their report, which should be published on the equivalent date in December 2022. The Regulations also require employers to publish a statement setting out, in the employers’ opinion, the reasons for the gender pay gap in their company and what measures are being taken or proposed to be taken by the employer to eliminate or reduce that pay gap. Employers will be required to publish their report and statement in a manner easily accessible to the public, such as on their website.
Measures concerning enforcement of reporting obligations by relevant employers are provided for in Section 3 of the Gender Pay Gap Information Act 2021, which inserted new sections 85B and 85C in the Employment Equality Act 1998. Section 85B enables the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, IHREC, to apply to the Circuit Court or the High Court for an order requiring a person to comply with the regulations. A person who fails to comply with a Court order is in contempt of that Court. Section 85C allows for an employee to make a complaint to the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, of non-compliance with reporting regulations by their employer. The Director General of the WRC or an adjudication officer, to whom one would expect this function will be delegated, will investigate the complaint if satisfied that there is a prima facie case. If, on investigation, the officer finds in favour of the complainant, he or she may make an order requiring the employer to take a specified course of action in order to comply. Enforcement of WRC orders is through the District Court.
My Department does not maintain a list of individual employers required to report and does not have a role under the legislation in enforcing compliance.
Future regulations made under the Act may provide for a central website on to which employers will be required to upload their information. Such a system is not in place for the 2022 reporting cycle.
Plans are in place to develop an online reporting system for future reporting cycles. The specification of this system is at an early stage of development. It is envisaged that it would provide for the publication of employers' reports as specified in the Regulations, and reports for previous years as specified in the Regulations.
486. Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will provide an update on a matter (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58759/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am advised by my officials that a payment issued from my Department to this provider on 23 November and was set to arrive in the provider’s account by Friday 25 November. My officials will continue to engage with this provider to ensure invoices are processed in a timely fashion.
487. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will consider extending the closing date for the building block improvement grant scheduled for Friday 25 November 2022 (details supplied); if he will acknowledge this difficulty and grant an extension for submission of required paperwork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58769/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Building Blocks – Improvement Grant opened on Friday 28th October 2022. The closing date for this Grant was originally Friday 25th November 2022.
Officials in my Department have been working closely with Pobal, to identify and resolve any issues being experienced by providers, including whether the closing date should be extended.
I am pleased to advise that Pobal has announced an extension to the closing date, which will now be 16th December. Service providers have been notified through the online portal, the Hive.
488. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if his Department will extend the deadline for the building block improvement grant programme, in light of the difficulties in getting the necessary reports back on time that many institutions are experiencing (details supplied). [58778/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Building Blocks – Improvement Grant opened on Friday 28th October 2022. The closing date for this Grant was originally Friday 25th November 2022.
Officials in my Department have been working closely with Pobal, to identify and resolve any issues being experienced by providers, including whether the closing date should be extended.
I am pleased to advise that Pobal has announced an extension to the closing date, which will now be 16th December. Service providers have been notified through the online portal, the Hive.
489. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the progress being made in relation to the provision of part-time and wrap-around childcare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58793/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraOfficials in my Department are currently compiling the information as requested by the Deputy. This information will be supplied to the Deputy in no later than 10 working days. I have asked my officials to follow up on this to ensure delivery as a matter of urgency.
490. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the sanctions that are in place or those that he intends to put in place with respect to professionals who have been informed of current or historical child abuse allegations and who do not report same to relevant authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58857/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe statutory bodies with primary responsibility for child welfare and protection are Tusla and An Garda Síochána. Both have distinct functions, powers and methods of working. Tusla has a statutory duty under the Child Care Act 1991 to promote the welfare of children who are not receiving adequate care and protection. In doing so, it relies heavily on individuals reporting concerns about children, in accordance with Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children 2017 and the Children First Act 2015.
The Children First Act 2015, which was fully commenced in December 2017, provides for a number of key child protection measures, including raising awareness of child abuse and neglect, providing for mandated reporting of child protection concerns and improving child protection arrangements in organisations providing services to children.
The Act operates side-by-side with the non-statutory obligations provided for in Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children 2017 . The guidance sets out how reports about reasonable concerns of child abuse or neglect should be made by the general public and professionals to Tusla and what organisations need to do to keep children safe. These guidelines have been in place since 1999 and were fully revised and published in October 2017 to include reference to provisions of the Act.
The Children First Act provides for mandatory reporting of child protection concerns by certain key professionals, including teachers and health care professionals. Under the Act, mandated persons are required to report child protection concerns at or above a defined threshold to Tusla. Mandated persons are people who have contact with children and/or families and who, because of their qualifications, training and/or employment role, are in a key position to help protect children from harm. The list of mandated persons is set out in Schedule 2 of the Act.
Mandated persons who receive a disclosure from adults that they were abused during their childhood must report this information to Tusla. This is because the person against whom there is an allegation may pose a current risk to children. The reporting requirements under the Children First Act apply only to information that mandated persons received or became aware of since the Act came into force, whether the harm occurred before or after that point. However, if the mandated person has a reasonable concern about past abuse, where information came to their attention before the Act and where there is a possible continuing risk to children, they should report it to Tusla under the Children First National Guidance. Overall, any person concerned that a child may have been, is being or is at risk of being abused or neglected, should inform Tusla in line with the Guidance.
The Children First Act does not impose criminal sanctions on mandated persons who fail to make a report to Tusla. However, there are a number of administrative actions that Tusla could take if, after an investigation, it emerges that a mandated person did not make a report and a child was subsequently left at risk or harmed. Tusla may:
- Make a complaint to the Fitness to Practise Committee of a regulatory body of which the mandated person is a member.
- Pass information about the mandated person’s failure to make a report to the National Vetting Bureau of An Garda Síochána. This information could then be disclosed to their current or future employers when they are next vetted.
Apart from the Children First Act, a number of other policy and legislative improvements have been made to child protection standards in recent years. These include the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Acts 2012 to 2016 and the Criminal Justice (Withholding of Information on Offences against Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012, both of which fall under the remit of the Minister for Justice. This latter Act requires that any person who has information about a serious offence against a child, which may result in charges or prosecution, must report this to An Garda Síochána. Failure to do so is a criminal offence under that legislation. This obligation is in addition to any obligations under the Children First Act 2015.
491. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if the centralised website portal will include overall breakdowns and averages of the gender pay gap across all of those required to report in relation to gender pay gap reporting. [58904/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra492. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if the centralised website portal will include breakdowns and averages of the gender pay gap for those required to report to be presented, for example, by sector, occupation, and income decile. [58905/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra493. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his views on a matter (details supplied). [58906/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra494. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his views on a matter (details supplied). [58907/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra495. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the resources from the Government that will be provided to develop the reporting website for gender pay gap reporting. [58908/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra496. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the way in which compliance with the Gender Pay Gap Information Act 2021 will be monitored; if the reporting will be monitored by his Department and or if a separate body will be established. [58909/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra497. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if his Department has a complete list of all businesses required to report, in order to enable them to track compliance. [58910/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra498. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if there will be a register of employers that have not complied with the requirements in relation to gender pay gap reporting. [58911/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra507. Deputy Imelda Munster asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if the centralised online reporting system that he announced in September (details supplied) will include overall breakdowns and averages of the gender pay gap for all employers included in the scheme, as required by the Gender Pay Gap Information Act 2021; if it will include breakdowns or averages of the GPG for employers who are not required to report under the scheme; if it will provide a summary list by employer of the size of the gender pay gap by each of the different measures on which businesses are required to report; if it will provide a summary in order to track of the size of the gender pay gap of each employer over time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59270/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra508. Deputy Imelda Munster asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the resources that are being made available by his Department to develop the centralised online reporting system announced in September under the Gender Pay Gap Information Act 2021; his views on the way that compliance with the Act will be monitored; if this will be carried out by his Department or by another body; if his Department will keep a complete list of all businesses required to report on their gender pay gap under the Act; if his Department will maintain a register of employers that have not complied with their responsibilities and requirements under the Act; if such a register will be made available publicly; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59271/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 491, 492, 493, 494, 495, 496, 497, 498, 507 and 508 together.
Regulations have been made under the Gender Pay Gap Information Act 2021 which enable reporting in 2022. The Regulations also require employers to publish a statement setting out, in the employers’ opinion, the reasons for the gender pay gap in their company and what measures are being taken or proposed to be taken by the employer to eliminate or reduce that pay gap. Employers will be required to publish their report and statement in a manner easily accessible to the public, such as on their website.
Future regulations made under the Act may provide for a central website on to which employers will be required to upload their information. Such a system is not in place for the 2022 reporting cycle. Plans are in place to develop an online reporting system for future reporting cycles. The specification of this system is at an early stage of development. It is envisaged that it would provide for the publication of employers' reports as specified in the Regulations, and reports for previous years as specified in the Regulations. It may Include reports produced voluntarily by employers who are not currently required to report. Aggregate statistics for employers reporting gender pay gap information will not be produced on this system. Statistical information on the gender pay gap in Ireland is published by Eurostat from data provided periodically by the Central Statistics Office and available disaggregated by sector (NACE Rev.1.1 and Rev.2 activity), age class, public or private ownership of organisation, and full-time or part-time working. The necessary costs will be assessed in the development of any tender.
Measures concerning enforcement of reporting obligations by relevant employers are provided for in Section 3 of the Gender Pay Gap Information Act 2021, which inserted new sections 85B and 85C in the Employment Equality Act 1998. Section 85B enables the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, IHREC, to apply to the Circuit Court or the High Court for an order requiring a person to comply with the regulations. A person who fails to comply with a Court order is in contempt of that Court. Section 85C allows for an employee to make a complaint to the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, of non-compliance with reporting regulations by their employer. The Director General of the WRC or an adjudication officer, to whom one would expect this function will be delegated, will investigate the complaint if satisfied that there is a prima facie case. If, on investigation, the officer finds in favour of the complainant, he or she may make an order requiring the employer to take a specified course of action in order to comply. Enforcement of WRC orders is through the District Court.
The Department does not maintain a list of individual employers required to report and does not have a role under the legislation in enforcing compliance, including in terms of maintaining a register of employers that have not complied with their responsibilities.
499. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of times emergency services were called to incidents in direct provision centres in the State in each of the past ten years and to date in 2022. [58993/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraDeputy, my Department does not hold such records and as such is not in a position to respond to your question.
The offices responsible for the emergency services, namely the Health Service Executive, the Department of Justice and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage may keep records on call outs to International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) centres.
500. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will provide an update on the provision of communal space for an organisation (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59089/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraSince the outbreak of the war in Ukraine on 24 February, and the invoking of the Temporary Protection Directive by the European Union shortly afterwards, my Department has worked intensively as part of the cross-governmental response to the Ukraine crisis.
The operational challenges brought about by responding to the conflict are significant. Our country has never experienced an influx of displaced persons like the one that we have seen over the past months. To date over 60,000 people have arrived fleeing the war in Ukraine and of those, 47,000 have been accommodated by my Department.
Overseeing provision of accommodation on this scale during this timeframe for all those who require it remains immensely challenging. The Government is resolute in its solidarity and support for Ukraine, and huge efforts are being made to source facilities that will provide those arriving in Ireland with safety and shelter.
I can advise the Deputy that my Department is currently considering a proposal in respect of the matter raised and hopes to revert shortly. I am conscious of the importance of ensuring that residents get necessary supports.
501. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth when a service provider (details supplied) will receive payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59102/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am advised by my officials that payments to this provider have issued from this Department as of 23 November 2022 and are expected to have arrived in the payee’s account by Friday 25 November 2022.
502. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of agency staff that have been converted to WTE Tusla employees in 2021 and to date in 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59138/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI wish to inform the Deputy that my officials have asked Tusla to respond directly to you on this matter.
503. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his views on the transition year programme administered by Tusla for the purposes of encouraging young persons to consider a career in the organisation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59139/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra504. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his views on Tusla’s social care and social work graduate campaigns. [59140/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 503 and 504 together.
I welcome all Tulsa’s HR initiatives designed to attract staff to work with the Agency. The need to increase the numbers employed in specific grades employed by Tusla is an ongoing concern for the Agency and my Department.
While my Department does not have a national remit with regard to education, policies, regulations or workforce planning governing social workers’ and social care workers' employment in Ireland, it has actively engaged with Tusla and other stakeholders with regard to addressing issues relating to their supply, recruitment and retention.
In this context, Tusla commenced its annual high-profile Social Work graduate and targeted Social Care Worker graduate campaigns earlier this year. I understand Tusla committed to offering a position to every successful social work student who graduated this year and provided significant supports to graduates during their CORU registration process. I am also informed that planning and engagement with the higher education institutions for 2023 is at an advanced stage.
Additionally, I am aware that Tusla is piloting a Transition Year programme for the 22/23 academic year with a small number of schools across the country. One of the primary aims of this programme is to encourage students to consider a career with Tusla. This is an opportune time to promote Tusla as an Employer of Choice with transition year students as they prepare to make crucial decisions regarding their future careers. I understand that the Tusla Transition Year programme includes information about some of the core front-line professions within the Agency - such as social care and social work- and information about how to pursue careers in these areas is provided.
I welcome and support Tusla’s proactive approach with these initiatives that form part of Tusla's ongoing efforts to address current difficulties in recruitment and retention. These initiatives also complement Tusla’s recently launched People Strategy 2022-2024 with its focus on improving the working experience and retention of all staff and creating a place that future staff will want to join to build their careers while supporting the mission of Tusla to develop and deliver great child focussed services.
505. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will provide a breakdown by county of the number of persons currently in the International Protection Accommodation Service; the number who have applied in the past three months; the number who applied between three and six months ago; the number who applied six to twelve months ago; the number who applied more than twelve months ago; their country of origin; the number who have been granted leave to remain; and the number who are still awaiting a decision in tabular form. [59141/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe breakdown by county of the number of persons currently resident in International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) accommodation, as at 20 November, is set out below.
Any queries relating to application timeframes are a matter for the International Protection Office (IPO) which falls under the aegis of the Department of Justice and should be directed accordingly.
In relation to country of origin, international protection applicants have a statutory right to anonymity and, accordingly, IPAS does not provide such information about the residents of IPAS accommodation.
The number of people who have been granted leave to remain at the end of October is 4,625.
IPAS accommodation numbers by county
|
County |
Number of people |
|
Cavan |
116 |
|
Clare |
518 |
|
Cork |
1170 |
|
Donegal |
616 |
|
Dublin |
6854 |
|
Galway |
610 |
|
Kerry |
850 |
|
Kildare |
489 |
|
Laois |
455 |
|
Leitrim |
97 |
|
Limerick |
257 |
|
Longford |
70 |
|
Louth |
445 |
|
Mayo |
512 |
|
Meath |
867 |
|
Monaghan |
421 |
|
Offaly |
162 |
|
Sligo |
220 |
|
Tipperary |
417 |
|
Waterford |
423 |
|
Westmeath |
872 |
|
Wexford |
204 |
|
Wicklow |
873 |
|
Total |
17,518 |
506. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth when payment will issue to a company (details supplied) that has been providing accommodation for Ukrainian refugees since August 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59167/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am advised by my officials that they have engaged with this provider in recent days ensure that a payment will issue as soon as possible in respect of their contracted service.
