Wednesday, 9 Oct 2024

Youth Services

Questions (181, 182)

Robert Troy

Question:

181. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if additional funding has been sourced, or put in place for the UBU – Your Place, Your Space scheme. [40473/24]

View answer

Robert Troy

Question:

182. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will allocate funding to projects ranked 2 and 3 on the UBU – Your Place, Your Space scheme (details supplied). [40474/24]

View answer

Written answers

Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth

I propose to take Questions Nos. 181 and 182 together.

I am very pleased to have secured a 9% increase in youth service funding for 2025, bringing my Department’s investment under our main youth budget subhead to a total of €84.9 million. This increased level of funding will enable the expansion of youth service capacity to engage more young people, across both universal and targeted youth services, including the establishment of 10 new targeted youth services under the UBU Your Place Your Space scheme.

The projects referenced are from a previous panel, based on census data from 2016. This panel has now ceased. My officials are examining the options for 2025 allocations, for both existing and new services, in advance of the publication of the Revised Estimates Volume, with a more detailed breakdown to be released. My officials will engage with the Education and Training Boards to progress the establishment of new services later this year.

Question No. 182 answered with Question No. 181.

Guardians Ad Litem

Questions (183)

Jackie Cahill

Question:

183. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the amounts his Department and Tusla have has spent on guardian ad litem services, broken down by provider, in the financial years 2021 to 2023 inclusive (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40500/24]

View answer

Written answers

Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth

The Deputy is seeking information in relation to an operational matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. Consequently, I have referred the matter to Tusla, and requested that a direct response be provided to the Deputy.

International Protection

Questions (184)

John Lahart

Question:

184. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the details of the contract with a hotel (details supplied) for housing IP applicants and Ukrainian refugees in terms of length of time; timeline; terms and conditions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40551/24]

View answer

Written answers

Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth

I can confirm that my Department has a contract for temporary emergency accommodation for Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) with the accommodation provider to which the Deputy refers. I can also confirm that International Protection applicants are not currently being accommodated in this location.

My Department is not in a position to provide details of contractual arrangements with individual providers due to the commercially sensitive nature of such details.

International Protection

Questions (185)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Question:

185. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the amount of the money allocated to Programme E - Local Authority Integration Team Community Integration Forum in Budget 2025 that is for new measures. [40589/24]

View answer

Written answers

Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (Deputy Roderic O'Gorman)

Local Authority Integration Teams / Community Integration Forums

A Local Authority Integration Team (LAIT) has now been established in each Local Authority. The teams work directly with International Protection Applicants, Those with Status, Programme Refugees and Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection with the overarching aim to empower individuals to ultimately live independently in the community.

The role of the teams is to provide ongoing integration supports, information, advice and guidance. The teams link individuals with relevant supports and services and work with service providers to provide complementary support.

The teams are also integral members of the Community Integration Forums (CIF). The Forums are the newly permanent and expanded structure which incorporates both the existing Community Response Forum for Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTP), and the Interagency Working Groups currently in place for the Irish Refugee Protection Programme.

The purpose of the Forums, which are driven and chaired by the Chief Executive of the local authority, is to act as a collaborative network and working group across the mainstream services, community and voluntary organisations, and NGOs working with International Protection Applicants, Programme Refugees and BOTP.

The combined LAITs and CIF allocation for 2025 is €21.552m.

International Protection

Questions (186)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Question:

186. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the amount of the money allocated to Programme E - Child Supports in Budget 2025 that is for new measures. [40590/24]

View answer

Written answers

Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (Deputy Roderic O'Gorman)

In Budget 2025, I have secured €8.4m for the International Protection Child Payment. Once introduced, the Child Payment will be a weekly payment of €32.31 to be paid in respect of each eligible child. The Child Payment is a key component of this budget’s focus on tackling child poverty in line with this Government’s ambition to eradicate child poverty.

The Child Payment will support families in the International Protection system, help reduce the high rates of poverty experienced by this group, promote social inclusion, and facilitate improved integration.

The introduction of an International Protection Child Payment was a key commitment in A White Paper to End Direct Provision and to establish a New International Protection Support Service and remains a commitment in the Comprehensive Accommodation Strategy for International Protection Applicants.

Childcare Services

Questions (187)

Jim O'Callaghan

Question:

187. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his estimate of the number of additional children who will benefit from the continued expansion of the national childcare scheme announced in Budget 2025, by county, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40606/24]

View answer

Written answers

Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth

Budget 2025 estimates for the NCS were calculated using administrative data drawing on hourly usage of children availing of the scheme, their educational stage and subsidy type; patterns of growth in the scheme, and information relating to capacity available in the early learning and care system nationally.

An additional 14 million subsidised hours (or 1.96 hours per child per week) and more than 7,500 additional children using the scheme on average each week are estimated through Budget 2025, as compared to the Budget 2024 allocation.

The model uses national data and is not disaggregated by county.

Hospital Services

Questions (188)

Pádraig O'Sullivan

Question:

188. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the cost of 500 additional regional inpatient rehabilitation beds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40447/24]

View answer

Written answers

Minister for Health (Deputy Stephen Donnelly)

Rehabilitation sits at the interface of a range of necessary services, from acute care to ongoing community care and disability services. With established expertise in multidisciplinary care planning and delivery, rehabilitation services have the potential to play a key role in better coordinating the patient journey across these streams of care and ensuring that each patient receives the right services at the right time.

A large number of factors have a bearing on the estimated new build capital cost of acute, non-acute, or community in-patient beds. These include considerations as to whether the project is entirely a new construction build or includes some element of refurbishment; the extent of enabling, decant and site preparation works; extent of IPC measures; scope of development and economies of scale; site specific considerations including planning conditions; and the scope of related ancillary upgrade of refurbishment works necessary to the successful operation of the beds provided.

In the context of the above, current external factors such as inflation rates, supply chain issues & availability of resources can influence the capital costs of projects. As rehabilitation beds are catering for people with specific complex needs the cost may vary.

For indicative purposes, a capital cost range of €0.60m to €0.70m per non-acute bed could be estimated. This does not consider on-going current costs including staffing and other operational costs.

It should be noted that this high-level budgetary cost range per bed relates to the in-patient/ward accommodation and does not account for key clinical departments such as radiology, operating departments, neurology etc; which are project specific and sit outside of this cost range.

Health Services Staff

Questions (189)

Pádraig O'Sullivan

Question:

189. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the average cost of hiring 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, and 800 therapists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40468/24]

View answer

Written answers

Minister for Health

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Hospital Appointments Status

Questions (190)

Patricia Ryan

Question:

190. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Health the reason a 90-year-old woman (details supplied) has been left in excruciating pain and virtually housebound from an obliterated hip and has been told they must wait months for a hip replacement operation due to long waiting lists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40362/24]

View answer

Written answers

Minister for Health

Under the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. Section 6 of the HSE Governance Act 2013 bars the Minister for Health from directing the HSE to provide a treatment or a personal service to any individual or to confer eligibility on any individual.

In relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Nursing Homes

View answer

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health (Deputy Mary Butler)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 191 to 193, inclusive, together.

As these are operational matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible

Question No. 192 answered with Question No. 191.

Question No. 193 answered with Question No. 191.

Nursing Homes

Questions (194)

Patricia Ryan

Question:

194. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Health for an update on the progress of the community nursing units for Cork, Kerry, Kilkenny, Louth, Tipperary and Westmeath as announced in December 2022, to include the current spend, probable delivery date and estimated opening date if available. [40369/24]

View answer

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health (Deputy Mary Butler)

As this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Hospice Services

Questions (195)

Neasa Hourigan

Question:

195. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Health when the current national policy on palliative care for children with life-limiting conditions will be updated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40378/24]

View answer

Written answers

Minister for Health

The Department of Health’s 2010 Children’s Palliative Care Policy guides provision of palliative care services for children and their families in Ireland. Services are provided using a multiagency approach - including adult specialist palliative care services.

The new National Adult Palliative Care Policy contains a suite of recommendations that relate to children’s palliative care. These include implementing the 2020 ‘Bee Wee Report’ recommendations for supporting a model of care for children with life-limiting conditions, towards the end of their life, in the community.

Recurring core statutory funding for Laura Lynn Children’s Hospice was secured for the first time in Budget 2021. This funding has been used to provide a sustainable financial base to the organisation, and to increase their ‘Hospice in the Hom’ service across Leinster, Munster and Connacht.

The Department of Health and the HSE are both project sponsors of work currently underway in Trinity College Dublin called ‘Enhancing Children’s Palliative Care in Ireland’. This research will greatly increase our understanding of the needs of children who require palliative care and assist with national service planning. Laura Lynn have also initiated a national needs analysis of children’s hospice beds.

Findings from both these studies will inform evidenced based policy decisions in considering the development of a new national children’s palliative policy.

Care of the Elderly

A contract notice was published on eTenders and sent to the OJEU on 20 September 2019.

261 Parties registered an interest in the Tender. 96 of these parties formally withdrew their expression of Interest. 4 Tender responses were received by the deadline on 1 November 2019.

The tender process was conducted in line with Procurement rules, requirements of the Public Spending Code and all relevant circulars issued by the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform.

Health Services Staff

Questions (201)

Michael Healy-Rae

Question:

201. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health if he will ensure that section 39 workers have pay-parity with directly employed HSE staff, given that they do very similar work and are 97% funded by the HSE, but are paid over 10% less, making it very difficult for them to recruit staff; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40397/24]

View answer

Written answers

Minister for Health

Section 39 organisations are not public bodies, and the terms and conditions of employment for staff in these organisations are ultimately between the employer and the employee.

Although we are not the employers, the Departments are aware that staff employed across the hundreds of HSE funded organisations have been employed using a multiplicity of terms and conditions, including different rates of remuneration and are dependent on Government for funding.

An agreement to increase funding for pay was reached in the WRC in October 2023. The application process is currently being managed by the HSE and KOSI. Further negotiations regarding pay in S39 organisations are currently ongoing and it would be inappropriate to comment any further on the matter at this time.

Primary Care Centres

Questions (202)

Verona Murphy

Question:

202. Deputy Verona Murphy asked the Minister for Health to provide an update on the development of a primary care centre in New Ross, County Wexford; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40399/24]

View answer

Written answers

Minister for Health

As the Health Service Executive (HSE) holds responsibility for the provision, along with the maintenance and operation of Primary Care Centres, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Hospital Staff

Questions (203)

Peadar Tóibín

Question:

203. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the number of cardiologists working in Cavan General Hospital. [40401/24]

View answer

Written answers

Minister for Health

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Hospital Staff

Questions (204)

Peadar Tóibín

Question:

204. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the number of days over the past year on which there has not been a cardiologist working in Cavan General Hospital. [40402/24]

View answer

Written answers

Minister for Health

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.