Written Answers Nos. 435-453
435. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine what measures his Department has put in place to prevent the arrival of the bark beetle to the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45298/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn November 2019, my Department launched a major plant health initiative in its ‘Plant Health and Biosecurity Strategy 2020-2025’ which outlines the importance of plant health biosecurity for Ireland and helps ensure that all stakeholders are aware of the risks to plant health in Ireland, and their role and responsibilities to reduce those risks.
My Department has invested heavily in EU ‘Border Control Posts’ facilities in recent years to allow import control inspections of plants and plant products from non-EU countries.
My Department has substantially increased staff resources in plant health and has established a dedicated Pest Risk Analysis Unit.
Coniferous roundwood is both imported into and exported out of Ireland. Importers in Ireland do not import roundwood from areas known to be affected by bark beetles. The only area where imports into Ireland of coniferous roundwood originate from is a Pest Free Area (PFA) in the West of Scotland.
The Pest Free Area of Scotland has been in place since 2005 and is maintained by a series of bark beetle surveys, within and outside the PFA and by other inspection protocols carried out by Scottish Authorities, confirming the absence of certain bark beetles within the boundary of the PFA.
Imports of roundwood logs from the PFA are subject to an inspection regime. All imports from the PFA must be accompanied by a Phytosanitary Certificate.
All forest sector stakeholders have a responsibility for forest health and should ensure they engage in best practice to help prevent the introduction of pests and diseases on plants and plant products.
436. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide an update on the indicative allocation of funding for Ireland's 2023-2027 CSP, by interventions, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45299/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe indicative allocation for the CAP Strategic Plan (CSP) is set out below. The Plan provides €9.838 billion to support farmers and rural communities. This includes EU CAP funding for Ireland of €7.53 billion over the five-year period from 2023 to 2027. This EU funding is split between Pillar I (Direct Payments and Sectoral Interventions - €5.97 billion) and Pillar II (Rural Development - €1.56 billion). The allocation from the national exchequer to co-fund the Rural Development element of the CSP amounts to €2.30 billion bringing the total to €3.86 billion in respect of the Rural Development component of the Plan. The increased national co-funding of €2.30 billion is a substantial increase on the existing rural development programme, and reflects an increase in co-financing percentage from 43% to 60% over the previous programme.
Many CSP schemes have commenced and others will be rolled out over the course of the programme. I am committed to meeting the liabilities expected to arise from the implementation of the programme over the period. In this regard, I secured funding in Budget 2024 to met the programme liabilities expected to fall due in 2024.
Table 1: Indicative breakdown of Ireland’s 2023-2027 CSP by Interventions
|
Pillar 1 interventions |
€(m) |
|
Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) |
3,642.5 |
|
Complementary income support for young farmers (CIS-YF) |
177.9 |
|
Complementary redistributive income support for sustainability (CRISS) |
593.1 |
|
Eco-Scheme |
1,482.9 |
|
Protein Aid |
35.0 |
|
Sectoral Intervention in the Fruit and Vegetable Sector |
44.7 |
|
Sectoral Intervention for the Apiculture sector |
0.6 |
|
Total Pillar 1 |
5,976.7 |
|
Pillar II Interventions |
€m |
|
Areas of Natural Constraint (ANC) |
1,250.0 |
|
Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) |
1500.0 |
|
ACRES Training |
21.5 |
|
Straw Incorporation Measure |
50.0 |
|
Organic Farming Scheme |
256.0 |
|
On farm investments* |
100.0 |
|
Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme incl training |
260.0 |
|
Early Stage support for Producer Organisations |
1.5 |
|
Continuous Professional Development for Advisors |
1.9 |
|
European Innovation Partnerships (EIPs) |
36.1 |
|
Knowledge Transfer Groups |
71.1 |
|
Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme |
25.0 |
|
Sheep Improvement Scheme |
100.0 |
|
Collaborative Farming Grant |
2.0 |
|
Technical Assistance |
6.5 |
|
LEADER |
180.0 |
|
Total Pillar 2 |
3,861.6 |
|
Total CSP |
9,838.3 |
437. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 482 of 3 October 2023, if he will provide detail on the nature of the data breaches suffered by his Department; the severity of the breaches; if all individuals whose information was compromised were notified of the breach; if the Data Protection Commission was notified of all data breaches; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45329/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraFor operational and security reasons it is not considered appropriate to disclose specific details on the nature of data breaches experienced by my Department.
I can confirm that the majority of the data breaches were classified as low risk breaches. The Department did contact relevant individuals with respect to data breaches where it was deemed appropriate to do so, in line with GDPR requirements and the Data Protection Commission (DPC) advice in this area.
Similarly, the DPC was advised of data breaches in situations where it was deemed appropriate to do so.
I wish to assure the Deputy that my Department takes data protection very seriously, is committed to protecting the rights of all individuals and has many policies and procedures put in place to ensure compliance with Data Protection legislation.
438. Deputy Steven Matthews asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if his attention has been drawn to concerns raised by (details supplied) regarding the staggered increase in foster care allowance; if the final increase proposed for Q4 2024 can be brought forward to January 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45038/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraIt was my priority to secure a meaningful increase to the foster care allowance in this year’s Budget in order to support the vital role being carried out by foster carers.
As outlined in Budget 2024, from 1st January 2024 the rates of the foster care allowance will increase by €25 per week, up to €350 per week for children aged under 12 and €377 per week for those over 12. The foster care allowance will be further increased in November 2024, up to €400 per week for children aged under 12 and €425 per week for those over 12.
These increases mean that foster carers will receive over €1,700 additional funding per child over the course of 2024, amounting to an extra €300 per month by the end of 2024 for each child placed with them, when compared with the current allowance.
In addition to the above, a double week of the foster care allowance will also be paid at the existing rates to foster carers before the end of 2023. Foster carers will also benefit from a double child benefit payment in respect of each qualifying foster child, which is due to be paid before the end of this year.
I understand the disappointment amongst foster carers that the full increase to the foster care allowance will not come into effect until November 2024. However, given the very many competing demands on the limited funds of the State, including from across the Tusla budget and from other responsibilities within the remit of my Department, necessary compromises had to be made. In this context, it was decided that it was necessary to introduce the increases to the foster care allowance on a phased basis over 2024.
My priority was to secure a significant increase to the allowance, albeit at the cost of a phased implementation. The changes in Budget 2024 will bring the annual rate of the foster care allowance to an amount of €20,800 for a child under 12 and €22,100 for a child over 12.
I hope that the supports contained within Budget 2024 will over time ease financial burdens on foster carers. In continuing to seek to improve the suite of supports for foster carers and to prioritise their needs, I shall continue to work closely with my Government colleagues and with relevant stakeholders.
439. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the value of core funding for each individual early learning and care and school age children service for 2022/2023, in tabular form. [45144/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn September 2022, I launched Together for Better, the new funding model for early learning and childcare. This new funding model supports the delivery of early learning and childcare for the public good, for quality and affordability for children, parents and families as well as stability and sustainability for providers. Together for Better brings together three major programmes, the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme, including the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM), the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) and the new Core Funding scheme.
Core Funding, which began in September 2022, is the new funding stream to start this partnership for the public good between the State and providers. Its primary purpose is to improve pay and conditions in the sector as a whole and improve affordability for parents as well as ensuring a stable income to providers.
Core Funding is designed specifically as a supply-side funding stream, paid directly to providers, related to the costs of delivery. Core Funding is based on operating hours, number of places offered by services, and the age group of children for whom the places are offered, given the staffing requirements determined by the regulatory ratios for different care categories, as well as allocations for graduate leaders in services.
Structuring Core Funding primarily based on capacity means that Partner Services have an allocation each year that does not fluctuate in line with children’s attendance. Core Funding contributes to services’ sustainability and significantly increases income for the overwhelming majority of services and provides greater funding stability. 95% of services signed up to Core Funding in the first programme year.
The move towards high levels of transparency and openness is an integral part of the new funding model. The publication of this list is in line with Expert Group report Partnership for the Public Good which called for greater transparency and accountability for public funds.
The Core Funding programme year is from September to August. My Department will publish a list of all Partner Services who participated in Core Funding during the first year of the scheme and their Core Funding allocation. Core Funding during its first programme year, (from September 2022 till August 2023) had a budget of €259 million.
This list will be published by the end of October when the final window to make changes has passed and all Core Funding allocations are finalised. This will be an annual list which will be published at the end of each programme year. A detailed explanation of what the list contains will be published alongside the list.
I and my Department are committed to working with Partner Services delivering early learning and childcare for the public good.
440. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the criteria on the number of support workers required to the number of service users of HSE transport attending day services; if he will review a case (details supplied); urgently as a safeguarding issue if he can add a female support worker on this route; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45211/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible. As the Deputy may be aware, the industrial action that commenced on Friday 6th October, by management and administrative grades in Fórsa Trade Union in the HSE, will impact on the response times to Parliamentary Questions and Representations.
441. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his plans to increase the funding per child in the early learning years sector. [44656/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThis Budget continues to improve investment for early learning and childcare with funding increasing by 8% or €83 million in 2024, to €1.108 billion.
Through this funding, there will be improved affordability for parents, improved availability of early learning and childcare places and additional supports for children with a disability and for children experiencing disadvantage. There will also be significant enhancements to the Core Funding Scheme.
The overall strategy to support and develop the Early Learning and Childcare Sector is expressed through “Together for Better”. The Together for Better funding model is about getting the most out of the three Early Learning and Childcare programmes: ECCE including AIM, NCS and Core Funding. These funding streams work together to support stability and sustainability in the sector.
Given the multi-pronged nature of the funding, it cannot be meaningfully distilled to an overall increase per individual child. The measures described hereunder seek to express closest equivalents where applicable.
Core Funding operates in addition to the ECCE Programme and the NCS. Between ECCE capitation and Core Funding, there is currently a minimum of €79.20 per child per week, before additional graduate premium of €4.44 per hour and the flat rate of €4,075 per year for sessional services are added, as applicable. The developments in 2024 will see this minimum income increase further.
From September 2024, all families accessing registered early learning and childcare will receive a minimum hourly universal NCS subsidy of €2.14 off their out of pocket costs, rising by 74c from a current hourly rate of €1.40.
For families on the minimum or universal subsidy, this will mean up to €5,007 off their annual bill per child. This represents up to an additional €1,731 off the annual cost of early learning and childcare per child.
Anyone not already on the maximum subsidy will also receive an increase, but the amount of increase will depend on their current circumstances. Families on the maximum subsidies under the NCS, based on an income assessment and the age of the child, can already receive up to €11,934 off their annual fee.
The totality of funding in 2024 will provide for:
• The continuation of the ECCE programme that will benefit more than 103,000 children in 2024.
• The continuation of the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) to ensure children with a disability can access and meaningfully participate in the ECCE Programme. Funding will provide for an increasing cohort of children with a disability availing of targeted AIM supports – approximately 7,000 - as well as the expansion of these supports beyond time spent in the ECCE programme, in term and out of term.
• The continuation of the NCS, and the introduction of enhancements to the Scheme with more than 150,000 unique children to benefit from changes to the minimum subsidy rate and the sponsorship rate.
• The continuation of Core Funding, with enhancements to the Scheme in year 3.
• The introduction of the Equal Participation Model (EPM), whereby 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.
• The delivery of a range of regulatory and quality supports for the implementation of the National Action Plan for Childminding; Nurturing Skills, the Workforce Plan, and the ongoing development of the registration and inspection system as well as policy development commitments set out in First 5 and the Programme for Government.
442. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of CAMHS intellectual disability teams based in CHO9. [44688/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
443. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of WTE vacancies by job title at CDNT based in Clondalkin and Palmerstown; and when these vacancies will be filled, in tabular form. [44689/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
444. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of children on waiting lists for therapeutic care in each CDNTs based in CHO2 according to each speciality; and the average waiting times for an appointment. [44690/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
445. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of WTE child and adolescent psychiatrists and clinical psychologist working in CAMHS, mental health intellectual disability teams in CHO1 in 2021, 2022 and to date in 2023, in tabular form. [44692/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
446. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of WTE behaviour therapists working in CDNT based in Galway in the years 2022 and to date in 2023, in tabular form. [44693/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
447. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of WTE medical social workers in the west Kerry CDNT team in the years 2021, 2022 and to date in 2023, in tabular form. [44694/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
448. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of HSE funded therapists who have been allocated to special schools in County Cavan, in tabular form. [44696/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
449. Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will arrange to have invoices paid (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44703/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am advised by my officials that they have engaged with this provider in relation to the invoices to which the Deputy refers. Regarding five of these, once valid invoices are received, these five invoices will be reviewed and paid as soon as possible. I am further advised that there is a technical issue with another of the Invoices and the provider has been asked to amend it. The remaining invoice is currently being processed.
Whilst there have been some delays in payment due to the very large volume of invoices received, over the past few months my Department has greatly improved processing times. The Department is also working towards additional automation in the system which is expected to further streamline the process.
450. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the current CDNT WTE posts vacancies across CHO5, broken down, in tabular form, according to each of the 12 teams; the number of those vacancies that are administrative posts; and the actions that are being taken to address those vacancies. [44705/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
451. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to confirm that assessment of needs hubs in all CHO areas are now fully operational and providing assessment of needs; the number of assessment of needs carried out by such hubs to date; to confirm where hubs are not yet fully operational if she will repurpose that money to ensure that families can privately access assessments themselves as committed to in Dáil Éireann on 23 May (details supplied); if she has included such measures as part of Budget 24; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44777/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraFollowing my commitment in May of this year, Regional Assessment Hubs have now been established in each CHO. The Hubs are designed to provide a dedicated assessment function and seek to preserve the Children’s Disability Network Team (CDNT) so that each team can continue to deliver therapy services. I am keen to establish the effectiveness of the Hubs and I am continuously engaged with senior leadership in the HSE on these and other issues.
The Department recognises the financial challenges for many families in the context of the delays in accessing assessments and therapies for their children. It is for this reason that the HSE has been allocated over €11.5m in funding in Budget 2023 for the outsourcing of assessments. The ability of the HSE to outsource assessments can greatly assist the enhancement of CDNTs by way of ensuring they have time and capacity to conduct therapy interventions rather than solely concentrating on assessments.
I am keeping an open mind on any option that may assist in benefiting families of children with complex needs and I am actively working on measures to reduce waiting lists, ensuring that children and families are at the forefront of consideration of the HSE.
452. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth what funding has been allocated to Clan Mór, Navan for each of the years 2018 to 2023; the staffing levels and staffing expertise categories for the past six years; the reason for the 30% plus disparity between per capita funding to the private services versus the not-for-profit services at Clan Mór; the reason funding allocation is short-term only which negatively impacts on the ability of Clan Mór to forward plan with increased waiting lists; if he will seek reform of service provision to clients whose care plan has to undergo a complex multi-layered process to achieve outcomes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44781/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the query refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
453. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to indicate eligibility for respite care for a person (details supplied) who is in receipt of disability allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44792/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the query refers to an individuals case, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
