Written Answers Nos. 450-469
450. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he has considered extending unpaid leave to carers to take time off to undertake care needs, or to support employers in offering flexibility around such arrangements. [20430/24]
View answerThe current entitlements to carer's leave provide that employees with at least one year's continuous service are entitled to between 13 and up to 104 weeks of carer's leave to enable them to provide full-time care and attention to a person who is in need of such care. An employee on carer’s leave may qualify for a social welfare benefit (Carer’s Benefit, or Carer’s Allowance).
Carer's Benefit is available to people who leave the workforce or reduce their working hours to care for a child or an adult in need of full-time care and attention. It is payable for a period of 2 years (104 weeks) for each care recipient and may be claimed over separate periods up to a total of 2 years (104 weeks). Where a carer cannot satisfy the PRSI conditions attached to the Carer's Benefit payment, application for the non-means tested payment of Carer's Allowance is available.
The Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023 was enacted on 4 April 2023, and introduces important entitlements for workers, including leave for medical care purposes for parents of children under 12, and the right to request flexible working for parents and carers. The Act also included provisions to transpose Article 9 of the EU Work Life Balance Directive and provide for a right to request flexible working for parents and carers.
The right to request flexible working for parents and carers and remote working for all employees was commenced on 6 March 2024 following the preparation of a Code of Practice by the Workplace Relations Commission under Part 4. The Code includes guidance for employers and employees on their obligations regarding compliance.
Family leave provisions are kept under review to ensure that they are effective and respond to the needs of families. Mindful of the recent significant increase in family leave entitlements through the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023, the Government has no plans to amend such leave at this point to enable carers to take unpaid leave.
451. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the timeframe within which a decision will be made in relation to the business case currently with the HSE to fund an increase in respite provision in a facility (details supplied) from 840 nights per year to 1500 nights per year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20434/24]
View answerAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
452. Deputy Frankie Feighan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to provide an update regarding the provision of a permanent respite service for families in the south Leitrim area in Carrick-on-Shannon; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20441/24]
View answerAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
453. Deputy Frankie Feighan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to provide an update regarding the provision of a new respite service in County Roscommon (details supplied); to provide details on the number of beds available, the number of staff allocated, and the cost to bring the building into service. [20442/24]
View answerAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
454. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to provide a breakdown, in tabular form, of the number of private residential properties currently rented by IPAS in each county; the rental cost for each; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20456/24]
View answerThe data requested by the Deputy is not available. The Department does not rent accommodation, but enters into a contract to provide accommodation related services for International Protection Applicants. Payment information is not collated by accommodation type in the manner outlined by the Deputy.
In relation to service providers contracted by IPAS to provide accommodation services to International Protection (IP) applicants, the Department publishes reports on all payments over €20,000.These are published, once per quarter, on gov.ie
(www.gov.ie/en/collection/dfdadb-department-of-children-and-youth-affairs-purchase-orders-for-20000-o/)
455. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth in relation to correspondence received by his office (details supplied), if he agrees that arrangements must be put in place to help these vulnerable people; if he will ensure that measures are put in place to house asylum-seekers from Palestine (West Bank and Gaza) in appropriate accommodation; and if a person can be accommodated in Blackrock House. [20488/24]
View answerThe International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) cannot comment on individual cases.
The State has a legal obligation to assess the claims of those who seek International Protection (IP), and in that time, to provide accommodation and supports in line with the Recast Reception Conditions Directive (transposed under SI 230 of 2018, or the "Reception Conditions Regulations"), to those that require it.
There are currently over 29,000 people accommodated in the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) system as a whole (of whom nearly 7,000 are children) compared with approximately 8,700 people at the end of February 2022. Together with Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection displaced by the war in Ukraine, this means that Ireland is now accommodating over 100,000 people in state-supported accommodation.
Since January 2022, the Department has brought over 200 properties into use to accommodate those who arrive in Ireland seeking International Protection.
Despite intensive efforts to source emergency accommodation, the Department is currently providing contingency material reception conditions in the form of an expense allowance of €113.80 per week to some IP applicants due to the severe shortage of accommodation. This is an increase of €75 per week from the standard expenses allowance of €38.80 for IP applicants in accommodation. As of 1st May, over 2,500 adult males have presented and been given this payment by IPAS.
On 27 March 2024, I announced a new Comprehensive Accommodation Strategy for IP applicants. The strategy seeks to address the current accommodation shortfall, while reforming the system over the longer term to ensure the State will always be able to meet its international commitments. The reforms will see a move away from full reliance on private providers and towards a core of State-owned accommodation, delivering 14,000 State-owned beds by 2028.
456. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he is aware of the lack of services available in the CDNT7 area in 2024 due to the shortage of staff and specialists; to provide a schedule of staff in place and the staff levels required to run the service property; when the full complement of staff will be in place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20499/24]
View answerAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
457. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of asylum seekers that are resident here, per county, on 1 January 2024, in tabular form. [20503/24]
View answerPlease see below the occupancy figures of International Protection (IP) applicants accommodated by the state, correct as of 31/12/2023.
|
County |
Occupancy |
|
Carlow County Council |
180 |
|
Cavan County |
180 |
|
Clare County |
696 |
|
Cork City |
635 |
|
Cork County |
915 |
|
Donegal County |
1686 |
|
Dublin City |
2896 |
|
Dun Laoghaire Rathdown |
691 |
|
Fingal County |
2354 |
|
Galway City Council |
1123 |
|
Galway County Council |
168 |
|
Kerry County |
741 |
|
Kildare County |
783 |
|
Kilkenny County |
151 |
|
Killarney |
67 |
|
Laois County |
623 |
|
Leitrim County |
89 |
|
Limerick City & County |
413 |
|
Longford County |
143 |
|
Louth County |
874 |
|
Mayo County |
1252 |
|
Meath County |
913 |
|
Monaghan County |
571 |
|
Offaly County |
243 |
|
Roscommon County |
195 |
|
Sligo County |
435 |
|
South Dublin County |
3369 |
|
Tipperary County |
576 |
|
Waterford City and County |
670 |
|
Westmeath County |
770 |
|
Wexford County |
583 |
|
Wicklow County |
1294 |
|
Total |
26279 |
The International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) releases weekly statistics in relation to international protection (IP) applicants. This includes a per county breakdown of where IP applicants are residing. These statistics are located on the Gov.ie website:
www.gov.ie/en/publication/07027-ipas-statistics/
458. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of Ukrainian refugees that are resident here, per county, on 1 January 2024, in tabular form. [20504/24]
View answerSince the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine in February 2022, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) continues to work as part of the whole-of-Government response with a focus on providing access to emergency temporary accommodation to those fleeing the conflict who request it, in line with Government policy. To date, over 106,000 beneficiaries of temporary protection (BOTPs) have arrived in Ireland and approximately 84,000 of those have been referred to this Department seeking accommodation from the State.
I do not have the information sought by the Deputy. I can however provide him with information relating to the BOTPs that have sought assistance from the State in accessing accommodation.
Overseeing provision of accommodation on this scale during this timeframe was immensely challenging. Due to the urgent need to source accommodation, a broad range of accommodation types were contracted, including hotels, guest houses and B&Bs, religious properties, accommodation operated by voluntary bodies and emergency accommodation.
All accommodation contracted by this Department is temporary in nature, and BOTPs are advised of this when requesting emergency accommodation.
The information requested has been extracted from our systems and is outlined in tabular form below. Please note that the below table refers to BOTPs in DCEDIY-provided accommodation only.
|
County |
Number of BOTPs as at 2nd January 2024 |
|
Carlow |
872 |
|
Cavan |
1253 |
|
Clare |
3766 |
|
Cork |
5850 |
|
Donegal |
5308 |
|
Dublin |
7055 |
|
Galway |
3782 |
|
Kerry |
7278 |
|
Kildare |
616 |
|
Kilkenny |
899 |
|
Laois |
468 |
|
Leitrim |
1085 |
|
Limerick |
2090 |
|
Longford |
352 |
|
Louth |
864 |
|
Mayo |
2950 |
|
Meath |
1960 |
|
Monaghan |
422 |
|
Offaly |
1173 |
|
Roscommon |
697 |
|
Sligo |
1795 |
|
Tipperary |
1613 |
|
Waterford |
1217 |
|
Westmeath |
1780 |
|
Wexford |
1850 |
|
Wicklow |
1553 |
|
Grand Total |
58,548 |
This information is also published by my Department regularly (gov.ie - Accommodation of Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) (www.gov.ie)).
Further information with respect to BOTPs is published by the CSO on an anonymised basis as part of its Arrivals from the Ukraine series (www.cso.ie/en/statistics/population/arrivalsfromukraineinireland/ ).
I trust this information will be of assistance to you.
459. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth when a contract to accommodate international protection applicants (details supplied) was signed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20511/24]
View answerThere are currently over 29,000 people accommodated in the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) system as a whole (of whom nearly 7,000 are children) compared with approximately 8,700 people at the end of February 2022. Together with Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection displaced by the war in Ukraine, this means that Ireland is now accommodating over 100,000 people in state-supported accommodation
This is a nationwide urgent situation and centres have been opened in all parts of the country. Since January 2022, the Department has brought over 200 properties into use to accommodate those who arrive in Ireland seeking international protection. All of the limited accommodation capacity within the IPAS system is currently being used. While demand continues to outstrip supply, the Department on behalf of the Government, is doing all it can to ensure that families and children have been accommodated.
Abbey Manor Hotel, Dromahair, Co Leitrim has a capacity of 155 and will provide accommodation for families with children and adult males.
On 29 April, the High Court rejected a challenge by Leitrim County Council to prevent the hotel from being used as IPAS accommodation. The Department is now proceeding to use the property to accommodate IP applicants.
The Department has agreed terms with the provider and the contract is being finalised.
460. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will direct that the CEO of Tusla accedes to a request for a meeting from a not-for-profit children's health advocacy group (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20516/24]
View answerThank you Deputy for flagging this request.
As you may be aware, section 8 of the Child and Family Agency Act, 2013 provides that Tusla 'shall be independent in the performance of its functions'. As such, meetings for the Tusla CEO would be a matter for the CEO herself to consider. However, we have taken the opportunity to inform Tusla of your parliamentary question.
I understand, however, that the issue highlighted would more likely fall under the remit of the Department of Health and the Health Service Executive as it seems to be a matter of public health and health promotion.
461. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the average number of Ukrainian refugees provided with accommodation in each of the years from 2020 to 2023 and to date in 2024; the total cost of this accommodation in each year; the average rate been paid per person per night for full board accommodation and for self-catering accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20517/24]
View answerSince the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine in February 2022, my Department continues to work as part of the whole-of-Government response with a focus on providing access to emergency temporary accommodation to those fleeing the conflict who request it, in line with Government policy. To date, over 106,000 beneficiaries of temporary protection (BOTPs) have arrived in Ireland and over 84,000 of those have been referred to my Department seeking accommodation from the State.
The information requested by the Deputy has been extracted from our systems and is outlined in tabular form below. Figure are provided from 2022 to 2024 YTD, as my Department began to provide accommodation to BOTPs after the activation of the Temporary Protection Directive as a response to the War in Ukraine.
I should point out to the Deputy that 2024 (YTD) figures provide an overview at a point in time and are contingent on a number of factors that are subject to change including accommodation availability, providers in contract at any given time, configurations, transfers resulting from contracts ceasing.
Average number of Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) accommodated 2022, 2023, and 2024 YTD
|
BOTPs accommodated 2022 daily average |
BOTPs accommodated 2023 daily average |
BOTPs accommodated 2024 daily average (YTD) |
|
|
BOTPs in DCEDIY supported accommodation |
142 |
81 |
24 |
Through the Accommodation Recognition Payment (ARP), the State supports BOTPs in accommodation arranged by the Irish Red Cross through its pledge programme, by Local Authorities through the Offer a Home Scheme and by privately organised hosting arrangements. Local authorities have also assisted my Department in procuring local emergency and rest centre accommodation to cope with the accommodation demands of such large numbers of arrivals, particularly in the 2022 and 2023.
Total expenditure
|
Year |
Expenditure |
|
2022 |
€515,781,870.02 |
|
2023 |
€1,489,656,569.38 |
|
2024 as of 01/05/2024 |
€418,352,387.85 |
|
Total Expenditure to Date: |
€2,423,790,827.25 |
* The above figures are the total expenditure on Ukraine BOTP’s accommodation and other cost, with the majority of these costs relating to accommodation.
The Average cost per person 2022,2023 and 2024 (YTD)
The average cost of accommodation for BOTPs varies over time due to a variety of factors.
At end 2022, the average cost per person per night was estimated at approximately €60, with the average cost of self-catering accommodation being approximately €42 and the average cost of full board accommodation being €64.
At end 2023, the cost was estimated to be approximately €48 per person per night, with the average cost of self-catering accommodation being approximately €42 and the average cost of full board accommodation being approximately €51. The reduction in cost reflected my Department’s focus on obtaining greater value for money, and by moving more providers to providing self-catering accommodation rather than full board.
As at May 1st 2024, the average cost per person per night was estimated at approximately €45, the average cost of self-catering accommodation is approximately €42 and the average cost of full board accommodation is approximately €51.
462. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will expedite a residential service for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20592/24]
View answerAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
463. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the reason why a freedom of information request (details supplied) has not yet received a decision; if he will detail when a decision will be made on the request; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20600/24]
View answerMy Department is identifying the relevant records and preparing its response to this FOI request. I understand that this is now at the “Internal Review” stage in the FOI process and the response will issue within the timeframe specified in the FOI Act. My Department will inform the Deputy when it has sent the decision letter to the requestor.
464. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the estimated full-year cost to increase the intake of graduate social workers to 400 throughout the graduate programme, in tabular form. [20652/24]
View answerI wish to inform the Deputy that my officials have asked Tusla to respond directly to you on this matter.
465. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of persons admitted to Oberstown detention centre in each month of 2023 and to date in 2024, in tabular form. [20653/24]
View answerNumber of admissions per month for 2023 are as follows:
|
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
June |
July |
Aug |
Sept |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
|
13 |
10 |
17 |
13 |
11 |
7 |
12 |
18 |
13 |
16 |
9 |
8 |
Number of admissions from Jan to April 2024 are as follows
|
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
|
11 |
10 |
14 |
11 |
466. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth for a list of closures of all childcare services including the name of the service, location and number of childcare places for the years 2022 and 2023, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20678/24]
View answerAs the subject matter of the Deputy's question relates to an operational matter for Tusla, I have referred the matter to them for a direct reply.
467. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth for a list of all new childcare services including the name of the service, location and number of childcare places for the years 2022 and 2023, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20679/24]
View answerAs the subject matter of the Deputy's question relates to an operational matter for Tusla, I have referred the matter to them for a direct reply.
468. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth for a breakdown, in tabular form, of the amount paid by IPAS to private security firms for the years 2020 to date in 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20681/24]
View answerThe International Protection Procurement Service (IPPS) contracts for the provision of services to accommodate International Protection (IP) applicants.
Part of that service provision includes the requirement for the accommodation to be adequately staffed to maintain the privacy and security of residents. The security requirement is determined on a case by case basis by the provider.
The Department does not contract separately for security in accommodation centres.
469. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will make available the total budgeted amount allocated to each CDNT area in County Donegal (details supplied) from 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20685/24]
View answerAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
