Written Answers Nos. 646-662
646. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to review correspondence (details supplied); if he can provide further clarity on this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43113/24]
View answerAs this relates to information held by Tusla, the question has been forwarded to Tusla for the attention of the relevant area, and for direct reply to the Deputy. The consent of the official in the Department of Social Protection to engage direct with Tusla on this matter has also been noted, and the official's contact details have been shared accordingly with Tusla.
The issue raised pertaining to foster care pensions and data sharing is noted by this Department.
647. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if decisions has been made in relation to Donegal projects under the children’s disability service grant fund; when the decisions were made; the amount allocated to each successful applicant; if successful applicants have been notified by letter; if not, why this has not happened, and when it will; the reason it has taken so long given that this was supposed to be emergency funding in light of the major gap in services in Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43116/24]
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.
648. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if a company (details supplied) is still being used by Tusla at present, and if so, when this service resumed. [43121/24]
View answerAs previously indicated to the Deputy, Tusla ceased using the services of this company in February, 2024
The Department was informed by Tusla on 10 September 2024, that one Tusla local area inadvertently re engaged this service for supervised access where another funded agency was not in a position to provide the service required. Tusla has advised that this arrangement ceased on 8th October last.
My Department is currently engaged with Tusla on this matter.
649. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the current percentage vacancy rate among staff in each CDNT based in County Kildare. [43125/24]
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.
650. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the current percentage vacancy rate among staff in each CDNT based in County Wicklow. [43126/24]
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.
651. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of vacant properties owned by his Department; and the number of which are houses or residential properties. [43138/24]
View answerIn March 2024 Government approved a new Comprehensive Accommodation Strategy (CAS) for International Protection 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.
Accommodation in the new strategy will be delivered through the following multi-strand approach:
1. Use of State land for prefabricated and modular units
2. Conversion of commercial buildings
3. Targeted purchase of medium and larger turnkey properties
4. Design and build of new Reception and Integration Centres
5. Upgrading of IPAS Centres
In terms of new accommodation numbers the table below details the proposed various accommodation types, capacity and ownership.
|
Accommodation Type |
Bed Capacity |
Ownership |
|
Reception and Integration Centres and Accommodation Centres, at or above national standards |
Up to 13,000 |
State Owned |
|
In-Community Accommodation for vulnerable persons, at or above national standards |
Up to 1,000 |
State Owned, operated in partnership with NGOs. |
|
Contingency Accommodation, at national standards |
Up to 11,000 |
Commercial Providers |
|
Emergency Accommodation |
Up to 10,000 |
Commercial Providers |
In order to deliver on the In-Community Accommodation for Vulnerable persons the department has purchased 37 properties to date. Two larger properties (10 beds or more) and 33 residential properties (2,3,4 bed houses and apartments). Approved Housing bodies have been commissioned to operationalise the properties with plans for them to come on stream over the coming weeks and months.
652. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the capital funding available from his Department for the delivery of new child and family centres that receive core funding from Tusla; and if, in the absence of any such funding, he is aware of any other capital funding sources from within Government, State agencies or other bodies that could be accessed to fund a new-build child and family centre. [43189/24]
View answerI am responding in the context of the Family Resource Centre Programme, whose core funding falls under the remit of my Department and is administered by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. In relation to capital funding, I wish to inform the Deputy that neither my Department nor Tusla have capital funding to develop the capital infrastructure of Family Resource Centres, including delivering new centres. Tusla does not have a dedicated budget for capital or building works for third party organisations.
The Family Resource Centre Programme is a community development programme that is financially supported by many State agencies in a partnership approach. FRCs may draw on various sources of funding provided by other Government Departments, agencies and private sources. I would suggest, in relation to any proposed new-builds, that the local County or City Council be considered as a starting point in the context of capital funding.
653. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the status of work to develop a new migrant integration strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43220/24]
View answerWork is currently underway to develop a successor to the Migrant Integration Strategy, which concluded in 2021. This new national strategy will build on the momentum of its predecessor and address ongoing and emerging needs in supporting and promoting migrant integration in Ireland. The strategy will serve as the Government’s primary policy framework for supporting the integration of all migrants and their Irish-born children. It is intended to publish the new strategy in Q2 2025.
A public consultation to inform the strategy closed on November 30, 2023. The consultation aimed to collect insights into the migrant experience in Ireland, and to understand the needs, challenges and opportunities for integration in the future. The Department is currently concluding a second phase of consultation, comprising targeted consultations with migrant communities under-represented in the public consultation.
654. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he is aware that children who have transitioned from children's disability services to adult services and are now travelling to St. Joseph’s training centre in Galway city and are living with their families in rural locations in Galway county do not have the bus transport in place, a service they are entitled to; if he will investigate same and rectify the issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43226/24]
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.
655. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his views with regard to improving early years and school age care (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43256/24]
View answerReform of the early learning and childcare sector has been a major focus of this Government.
The Programme for Government committed to reforming the system to create one that brings together the best of community and private provision and the development of a new funding model for affordable, accessible, sustainable and high quality early learning and childcare.
The framework for reform of the sector is set out in Partnership for the Public Good, the 2021 report of an Expert Group which was established to develop a new funding model for the sector. The key theme of the recommendations in the report was to strengthen State involvement and enhanced public management in the sector, in conjunction with increased State funding. This is intended to be underpinned by a cultural shift to a partnership relationship between providers and the State that reflects the public good dimension of early learning and childcare, with new responsibilities on both sides.
The Expert Group was asked to seek to achieve policy objectives of quality, affordability, accessibility and contributing to addressing disadvantage within the context of the existing system through increased public funding and public management.
The introduction of the new Core Funding scheme and its associated conditionality including in relation to staff pay and fee management; developments to the National Childcare Scheme and the Access and Inclusion Model; and the establishment of Equal Start this year represent the implementation of several of the specific recommendations in the report.
Core Funding in particular has very significantly reconfigured the funding model and way of working between my Department and early learning and care providers. Its introduction in 2022 brought a significant increase in investment for the sector, with €259 million of funding paid directly to services in year 1 of the scheme, of which €210.8 million was entirely new funding. Core Funding, now in its third year of operation, is worth €331 million per year.
This scheme brings a range of benefits to providers, by offering income stability; to educators and practitioners, by supporting improvements in pay and working conditions; to parents by making early learning and childcare much more accessible and affordable; and to children, by promoting better outcomes through higher-quality early learning experiences.
The Expert Group also included in one of its 25 recommendations that: In the medium term, the Minister should mandate the Department to examine whether some element of public provision should be introduced alongside private provision.
In January 2024, I established a new unit, the Supply Management Unit in the Early Learning and Childcare Division. This unit is responsible for developing a new forward planning model and administering capital funding as well as beginning an exploration of public provision as called for in Recommendation 25.
There are a variety of perspectives across different stakeholders in the system of what are the priorities for future policy development for the sector. This includes in relation to what public provision could or should look like. Issues relating to staff employment, pay and conditions; ownership and management of buildings; operating models; governance arrangements; service offering; appropriate level of supply of services; fees for parents; and the overall funding model will need to be examined. These issues, along with the wider potential implications of introducing an element of public delivery, are beginning to be examined by my officials.
In relation to staff pay, a Joint Labour Committee process is underway and its work has led to two Employment Regulation Orders for the sector, supported by additional funding through the sector provided by my Department. This represents major progress in establishing new minimum rates of pay for different roles within the sector and I would like to see this built upon further. I have secured further funding to support additional increases in pay in Budget 2025 equivalent to €45m for a full year, contingent on the agreement of a third ERO.
In addition to securing additional funding for pay, my Department is leading the implementation of a workforce plan for Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare, Nurturing Skills.
In relation to capacity planning, the development of a forward planning model is currently underway utilising the expertise of statisticians on secondment from the Central Statistics Office and specialists in early learning and childcare as well as a GIS mapper. The model will seek to identify the nature and volume of different types of early learning and childcare places across the country, whether or not those places are occupied and how that aligns with the numbers of children in the corresponding age cohorts at local area level.
It is important to note that demand for early learning and childcare beyond sessional preschool provision is highly elastic and shaped very substantially by families' individual composition, circumstances and preferences; employment patterns and income; and the price and availability of services.
A range of data sources show that the level of capacity in the sector has risen substantially year-on-year between 2022 and 2023. However, there is also evidence that demand for places is increasing and, for certain cohorts and in certain areas, outstripping supply. This is partly driven by the significant improvements in affordability that have been achieved in recent years.
Capital funding has been allocated to the early learning and childcare sector under the revised National Development Plan (NDP). This will enable significant investment in early learning and childcare. The Building Blocks Extension Grant Scheme will operate in 2025 with €25 million available in 2025 to deliver additional capacity for full time places for 1-3 year olds. Under the scheme, community and private providers may apply for funding to physically extend their premises. In addition, community providers may apply for funding to purchase or to construct new premises.
Appraisal of applications for this scheme considers the supply and demand in the area around the proposed projects and seeks to prioritise funding for areas with the biggest supply/demand mismatch.
In relation to establishing an investment target, this is something that I have recently done in the context of the publication of the second implementation plan of the First 5 strategy, published in 2023. The plan articulates the investment target of bringing Ireland in line with the EU average for public investment in early learning and care by 2028.
The budget allocation I secured for 2024 and more recently for 2025 make substantial progress on achieving this target. Budget 2025 allocates €1.37 billion continues to ELC,. This represents an additional investment of €266m, or 24% when compared with 2024, which will provide improved affordability for parents, facilitate capacity growth within the sector, and ensure additional supports for children and families who are experiencing disadvantage.
The funding I secured in Budget 2025 follows a historic €1.109 billion made available in Budget 2024 for Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Aged Childcare (SAC), having reached €1 billion per annum investment in 2023, 5 years ahead of its 2028 target.
Finally to note that the issue of the level of payment attached to family leave entitlements as referenced in the material accompanying the question is a matter for the Department of Social Protection.
656. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will publish the ECCE Review Report, given that the Dáil was informed in April that the review was complete; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43257/24]
View answerFirst 5 - A Whole-of-Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families 2019-2028 commits to "undertaking a review of the ECCE programme and, subject to findings, consider the need to make changes. Over the lifetime of the strategy, introduce a universal legal entitlement to preschool."
The Review of the ECCE Programme has been finalised and I am pleased to note that the final report will be published today, Tuesday the 22nd of October.
The findings from the review are under consideration by myself and Officials in my Department. These findings will inform the work to introduce a statutory entitlement to ECCE, as well as possible enhancements to the Programme in the future.
657. Deputy Marc MacSharry asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will set out precisely the number of international protection applicants and the number of people fleeing war-torn Ukraine that are being accommodated in County Sligo, County Leitrim and County Donegal, identifying the properties at which they are being accommodated, in tabular form. [43275/24]
View answerThe Government is committed to supporting all those seeking international protection in Ireland, and to continuing to provide shelter and support to people fleeing the war in Ukraine.
Ireland currently provides accommodation to 32,600 people applying for international protection and has welcomed over 109,000 people from Ukraine since 2022.
International protection
There are over 32,600 people accommodated in the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) system as a whole, compared with approximately 7,000 people at the end of August 2021. 1 in every 4 people in international protection accommodation is a child with their family.
People are accommodated at over 300 locations, in every county in Ireland.
Emergency centres have been opened in all parts of the country, and intensive efforts are ongoing to source suitable accommodation, in line with the Government's Comprehensive Accommodation Strategy (CAS).
Despite this, significant shortages of accommodation are being seen, and since last December 2023, over 2,800 people who have applied for international protection since December 2023 have not been offered accommodation.
IPAS provides accommodation as part of Irish and EU law and also under our humanitarian duty to provide shelter to people fleeing war and persecution in their home country.
Please see below the number of International Protection applicants residing in counties Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal as of 13th October 2024:
|
County |
Total |
|
Sligo |
573 |
|
Leitrim |
232 |
|
Donegal |
1,978 |
In relation to the specific locations of IPAS accommodation, this information is not published in the manner requested, due to the need to protect the privacy and security of people applying for international protection.
Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection
My Department does not publicly detail information in the manner requested by the Deputy in the interest of the privacy and security of residents and providers.
However, numbers of Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) in counties Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal, as of 16th October 2024, are listed below in tabular form. Please note that the below table refers to BOTPs in DCEDIY-provided accommodation only. I should also point out to the Deputy that these 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.
|
County |
BOTP |
|
County |
BOTP |
|
Donegal |
2,149 |
|
Leitrim |
311 |
|
Sligo |
1,065 |
Further break downs of the information gathered, including a per county breakdown is available on the below links: gov.ie - IPAS Statistics (www.gov.ie).
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/.
658. Deputy Marc MacSharry asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth regarding his recent statement confirming that 415 international protection applicants are to be accommodated at Benbulben Court, Sligo, where he says there are 524 bed spaces, if he will confirm that the State is paying the property owners for 524 beds and choosing to use just 415, which seems to be the implication of the brief he circulated. [43276/24]
View answer415 beds will be provided for people seeking refuge in Ireland who are international protection applicants in Benbulben Court in Sligo. The contract with this centre has been signed for a period of two years. The accommodation will be for families of international protection applicants.
Emergency centres providing international protection accommodation have been opened in all parts of the country. There have been over 230 such accommodation locations used since January 2022 across 26 counties. Due to the pressure on accommodation for people applying for international protection, my Department will be providing accommodation for people applying for international protection at this location.
This property in Sligo town was submitted to the Department via a Request for Tender (RFT) competition in October 2022. It was evaluated and deemed to meet or exceed all of the qualifying criteria.
The Government has stipulated a 12-month period after which buildings have ceased provision of student accommodation during which they will not be contracted for the purpose of providing accommodation to people applying for international protection. This property has been vacant of students for over 12 months, since May 2023.
The Department has agreed a contract for accommodation at this location, and we have commenced the contract with use of spaces for up to 415 people.
Further details of the International Protection Procurement Service’s contractual arrangements are kept routinely confidential, as they are commercially sensitive and IPAS accommodation’s specific occupancy levels are also unpublished to preserve the privacy and security of our residents.
The Department’s International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) works closely with the Local Authority, their Integration Teams, the HSE, local education services and other integration supports when new international protection applicants arrive into an area. Local services have been made aware of this new accommodation centre and are being mobilised to help make arrangements needed for any support services.
IPAS carry out resident clinics at all new and existing accommodation locations. IPAS also work with a number of NGOs who provide support to residents in the form of clinics, and in addition there is a DCEDIY funded confidential NGO run helpline to assist with any queries a resident may have while settling into a new locality, or at any time during their time in IPAS accommodation.
659. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to provide a breakdown of the full-year cost of increasing the NCS to €2.50 per hour; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43277/24]
View answer660. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to provide a breakdown of the full-year cost of increasing the NCS to €3 per hour; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43278/24]
View answer661. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to provide a breakdown of the full-year cost of increasing the NCS to €3.20 per hour; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43279/24]
View answer662. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to provide a breakdown of the full-year cost of increasing the NCS to €3.50/hour; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43280/24]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 659 to 662, inclusive, together.
The Deputy has separately requested a breakdown of the full-year cost of increasing the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) subsidy to €2.50/hour, €3.00/hour, €3.20/hour and €3.50/hour. Due to the similarity of these PQs it is proposed that they be taken together.
There are two types of subsidies available under the NCS.
• A universal subsidy which is available to all families with children under 15 years old. This subsidy is not means tested and provides €2.14 per hour towards the cost of a registered childcare place for a maximum of 45 hours per week.
• Income Assessed Subsidies are available to families with children aged between 24 weeks and 15 years. This subsidy is means tested and will be calculated based on individual circumstances. The rate will vary depending on the level of family income, child age and educational stage, and the number of children in a family.
It is assumed that the Deputy is requesting increases to the NCS universal subsidy as they income assessed subsidy is not a fixed hourly amount.
Officials in my Department used the ESRI SWITCH model to estimate the quantum of each change and then applied them to the Departments baseline cost of the NCS. The results are given in the below table:
|
Full year cost of change |
|
|
Baseline (€2.14) |
0 |
|
€2.50 |
€58.52m |
|
€3.00 |
€137.17m |
|
€3.20 |
€168.40m |
|
€3.50 |
€215.11m |
The figures above are calculated using estimates, and as such a number of caveats apply. These costing are on the basis of a static system; that is, the model assumes that the level of usage of eligible ELC does not increase or decrease but remains static. Any changes to subsidies may create a change in behaviour of families, for example, return to/increased labour force participation and use of formal ELC for the first time.
In addition, a number of enhancements were made to the NCS in September 2024:
1. Increase in universal subsidy from €1.40 to €2.14.
2. Extension of NCS to families availing of childminders
3. Increase in NCS sponsor subsidy to €5.30 per hour for all children over the age of 1.
The estimates above factor in these changes, however, the impact of these changes are yet to be determined and carry a risk of altering the above costings.
