Written Answers Nos. 289-308
290. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth how his Department plans to address the low rate of disability employment in this country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43577/24]
View answerGovernment acknowledges that the employment gap for disabled people in Ireland is stubbornly and unacceptably high. Government policy is to continually increase the number of people with disabilities in employment and while there is more to be done, progress has been made to ensure that disabled people are supported to pursue meaningful careers in their chosen fields.
The Comprehensive Employment Strategy for Persons with Disabilities (2015-2024) is the primary disability employment policy initiative in Ireland, and has provided a whole of government framework to address barriers to employment faced by people with disabilities. Under the CES, a commitment was enshrined in legislation to increase the proportion of disabled persons employed in the public sector from 3% to 6% by 2025, thereby increasing opportunities for disabled people to participate and thrive in public service.
Alongside legislative commitments, efforts to support disabled people to access employment are being actioned in initiatives across government, reflecting the fact that this issue can only be comprehensively addressed with coordinated and ambitious action across departments and public bodies, and in partnership with employers.
The Department of Social Protection's EmployAbility service delivers employment supports for both employers and employees, including grants, advice and information, as well as a professional job-matching service to help ensure successful recruitment. Meanwhile, the Workability programme funds local, regional and national projects that provide progressive pathways into employment (including self-employment). The programme has an overall budget of over €36million and aims to support over 13,000 disabled people progress their training and employment ambitions over its lifetime and will be delivered by 56 local and community organisations nationwide.
Other initiatives include the Work and Access Scheme, launched by my colleague Minister Humphreys in July 2024. Replacing the Reasonable Accommodations Fund, this is a new Employment Programme aimed at removing barriers that disabled people may face in the workplace. It offers a range of supports including workplace needs assessments and adaptations, in-work support, equipment and disability training.
Within my own Department funding is provided for the Employers for Change programme, which seeks to provide employers with all the information and advice needed to hire, employ, manage and retain staff with disabilities. Funding is also provided for the Towards Work programme which seeks to provide pre-activation supports for disabled people.
Finally, my Department is leading across government on the development of a new National Disability Strategy. This will be an ambitious Strategy, seeking to take transformative action across a range of areas to ensure that disabled people are empowered to live full lives of their own choosing and to avail of opportunities to excel. Employment will be a cornerstone of this new Strategy and will include actions aimed at enhancing employment opportunities and supports for disabled people.
291. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if his Department will engage with a person (details supplied) to explore opportunities for grant aid and support in the development of her initiative; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43747/24]
View answerGovernment is committed to supporting the full inclusion, participation and empowerment of adults, young people and children with disabilities in our communities. It is for this reason that a Disability Participation and Awareness Fund (DPAF) was launched in 2021, with the aim of supporting the participation of people with disabilities in local activities, to help remove barriers to community involvement and to support the promotion and implementation of the UNCRPD in communities. Since its launch, the funding DPAF provides has directly supported dozens of projects that help people with disabilities to participate and engage more fully in their local communities. €3.5m was allocated to the Fund this year.
The Fund is operated on behalf of the Department by Rethink Ireland, and the latest call for applications opened on 30th September, with a closing date of 8th November. The Fund is open to applications from not-for profit organisations for projects which meet a number of eligibility criteria. Further information, and support in making an application, can be found on Rethink Ireland's website: www.rethinkireland.ie.
292. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the estimated cost of reducing childcare costs to a maximum of €200 per child per month. [43754/24]
View answerThere are two types of subsidies available under the National Childcare Scheme:
• Universal Subsidies are 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.
This Department does not hold individualised fee data for parents as these are local agreements between parents and providers; instead a reduction in the average cost of ELC to parents is examined. To estimate this cost, data from Pobal on average weekly fees across the country was used. Assuming a 45-hour week for all children, an hourly universal subsidy of €3.36 was derived to achieve the desired outcome.
As this costing is based on an average fee, the impact of this change would vary based on the level of fees within the services, patterns of usage and age of the child. The below estimate has been costed as such that all children in the scheme will have their costs reduced to at least €200 per month, in some cases the reduction will be greater.
The ESRI SWITCH model was then used to estimate the quantum of the change and applied to the Departments baseline cost of the NCS. A full year cost of €193.65m was estimated for this change.
This estimate comes with a number of caveats, from September 2024 a number of enhancements were made to the NCS, the estimates factor in these changes:
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 impact of these changes are yet to be determined and carry a risk of altering the above costings due to increased participation of childminders for example. As such extensions to the scheme are based on estimates.
In addition, this costing is made 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.
293. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the estimated cost of reducing childcare costs to a maximum of €400 per family per month. [43755/24]
View answerDue to the complexity of the above scenario and its divergence from current resource modelling, this will require some time to gather data, construct a model and respond.
Officials will revert to the Deputy directly as soon as possible.
294. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the average annual earnings for early years educators, lead educators, deputy managers and managers, in tabular form; and the cost of increasing each by €0.50, €1, and €1.50. [43756/24]
View answerI firmly believe the level of pay for early years educators and school-age childcare practitioners should reflect the value of their work for children, families, society and the economy.
The State is not the employer and therefore does not set the pay or conditions for employees in either early learning and care (ELC) or school-age childcare (SAC) services.
However, there is now, through the Joint Labour Committee (JLC) process, a formal mechanism established by which employer and employee representatives can negotiate minimum pay rates for ELC and SAC services, which are set down in Employment Regulation Orders (EROs). This is an independent process from the Department and neither I, nor my officials, have any role in the proceedings of the JLC and any associated negotiated minimum pay rates, the cost of which is borne by the employer.
Based on 2024 data supplied by Partner Services taking part in the Core Funding scheme and extrapolated to represent all services in the sector, the estimated earnings and cost of increasing current rates of pay by amounts proposed in the question are set out in the table below:
|
Role |
Current Mean Annual Earnings |
Cost to increase all staff rates by 50c |
Cost to increase all staff rates by €1 |
Cost to increase all staff rates by €1.50 |
|
Educator |
€23,750 |
€20,054,580 |
€40,109,160 |
€60,163,750 |
|
Lead Educator |
€25,870 |
€4,800,860 |
€9,601,730 |
€14,402,590 |
|
Graduate Lead Educator |
€31,570 |
€6,615,240 |
€13,230,480 |
€19,845,720 |
|
Manager |
€37,370 |
€2,859,760 |
€5,719,510 |
€8,579,270 |
|
Graduate Manager |
€43,610 |
€3,258,120 |
€6,516,240 |
€9,774,360 |
In relation to the estimates above, the following should be noted:
• The cost estimates are based on staff who had an hourly wage recorded in service providers’ submissions for Core Funding, but the Core Funding data has been extrapolated to provide an estimate for all staff working in the sector.
• Cost estimates are based on the most recent data available to the Department, which was provided by service providers in May 2024, this data was provided prior to the new EROs for Early Years Services came into force on June 24th.
• Calculations are based on wage-data available at a point in time. Some services may have increased wages more recently, which would reduce the cost to services of moving from current wage-rates to the proposed wage rates in the question.
• The cost estimates only relate to staff and managers covered by the current EROs, i.e. the estimates exclude the cost of ancillary staff.
• The figure does not take into account the income currently received by those working in the sector who are self-employed and who derive their income from profits rather than wages.
295. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the total estimated cost of converting early years educators, lead educators, deputy managers and managers to public sector employees. [43757/24]
View answer302. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the total cost based on the average salary in the sector, per category, of those working in ELC and SAC, of converting these employees to public servants. [43764/24]
View answer303. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the total cost based on the average pay, per category, of those delivering the early childhood care and education programme, of converting these employees to public servants. [43765/24]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 295, 302 and 303 together.
As the State does not employ staff in ELC and SAC services, neither I nor the Department can set wage levels or determine working conditions for staff in the sector.
However, there is now, through the independent Joint Labour Committee (JLC) process, a formal mechanism established by which employer and employee representatives can negotiate terms and conditions of employment including minimum pay rates for different roles in ELC and SAC services.
Outputs from the JLC process has seen two increases in minimum rates of pay for roles in the sector and positively impacting over 70% and 50% of the workforce respectively.
Based on 2024 data supplied by Partner Services taking part in the Core Funding scheme and extrapolated to represent all services in the sector, the estimated employer costs for staff working in services (excluding ancillary staff) is approximately €1.023 billion. This cost includes Public Sector costs such as PRSI and Pension and is the estimated cost of assuming the current wage bill for the sector.
Its is not possible to provide the staff cost associated with a particular programme, such as ECCE, as many of the staff working in the sector work across programmes and age groups.
In relation to the estimates above, the following should be noted:
• The cost estimates are based on staff who had an hourly wage recorded in service providers’ submissions for Core Funding, but the Core Funding data has been extrapolated to provide an estimate for all staff working in the sector.
• Cost estimates are based on the most recent data available to the Department, which was provided by service providers in May 2024, this data was provided prior to the new EROs for Early Years Services came into force on June 24th.
• Calculations are based on wage-data available at a point in time. Some services may have increased wages more recently, which would reduce the cost to services of moving from current wage-rates to the proposed wage rates in the question.
• The cost estimates only relate to staff and managers covered by the current EROs, i.e. the estimates exclude the cost of ancillary staff.
• The figure does not take into account the income currently received by those working in the sector who are self-employed and who derive their income from profits rather than wages, nor does it include the cost of Public sector terns and conditions in relation to holiday pay or sick leave due to the complexities of mapping such conditions.
296. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the full-year cost of funding 1,000 new public early childhood education and care places per year, and 6,500 places per year. [43758/24]
View answerMy officials have prepared an estimated cost of funding for public early childhood education and care services under the following assumptions:
• Assuming each service will deliver 60 places, 17 services will provide 1,020 places and 108 services will provide 6,480 places.
• These services will be staffed as per regulatory ratios, with provision for salaries at hourly rates stipulated by the most recent Employment Regulation Orders.
• Each service has the following capacity profile:
• 0-1 year old: 6 places (1 room, 2 staff required – 1 Early Years Educator @ €13.65, 1 Lead Educator @ €14.70)
• 1-2 years old: 10 places (1 room, 2 staff required – 2 Early Years Educators @ €13.65, 1 Graduate Lead Educator @ €16.28)
• 2-3 years old: 12 places (2 staff required, Early Years Educator @ €13.65, 1 Lead Educator @ €14.70)
• 3-6 years old: 32 places across 2 rooms (all of which are full time places, no ECCE-only children) – (4 staff required, 2 Early Years Educators @ €13.65, 1 Graduate Lead Educator @ €16.28, 1 (non-graduate) Manager @ €17.33)
• One Deputy Manager working for 35 hours per week @ €16.49 to provide cover as necessary, allow for administration etc.
• Assuming each service operates from 8:30am-5:30pm (45 hours/week) and all rooms are fully staffed for that duration.
• Assuming non-staff running costs, including premises costs are 32% of total costs and where 100% costs are determined by staffing costs.
Given these assumptions, the following table outlines the basis of the cost of operating such a service.
|
Staff |
Rate of pay(€) |
Hours |
Staff pay (€) |
Plus employer costs @23%[1] (€) |
|
EY Educator |
13.65 |
45 |
614.25 |
755.53 |
|
EY Educator |
13.65 |
45 |
614.25 |
755.53 |
|
EY Educator |
13.65 |
45 |
614.25 |
755.53 |
|
EY Educator |
13.65 |
45 |
614.25 |
755.53 |
|
EY Educator |
13.65 |
45 |
614.25 |
755.53 |
|
Lead Educator |
14.70 |
45 |
661.5 |
813.65 |
|
Lead Educator |
14.70 |
45 |
661.5 |
813.65 |
|
Grad Lead Educator |
16.28 |
45 |
732.6 |
901.10 |
|
Grad Lead Educator |
16.28 |
45 |
732.6 |
901.10 |
|
Deputy Manager |
16.49 |
35 |
577.15 |
709.89 |
|
Manager |
17.33 |
45 |
779.85 |
959.22 |
|
Total weekly staff costs: |
€8,876.23 |
|||
|
Total weekly operating costs |
€13,053.27[2] |
|||
|
Total annual operating costs: |
€678,770.87[3] |
[1] 23% takes account of 8% leave, 11% PRSI, 1.5% pension and 1.3% sick pay costs, 1.2% other
[2] determined on the basis of staff costs equalling 68% of total costs
[3] determined on the basis of service operating 52 weeks
€678,770.87 is the annual cost is for one service offering 60 places.
• For 17 services providing 1,020 places the total annual running costs would be €11.5 million.
• For 108 services providing 6,480 places the total annual running costs would be €73.3 million.
The cost to the Exchequer would depend on the fees paid by parents. If a parental fee was charged it would reduce the cost to the Exchequer of funding a service. The impact would depend on the level of fee and the level of occupancy of the service.
These costings are for determining the operating costs of services based on current data and operations in the sector. They do not make provision for any changes to operations or the cost base from what is currently in place and outlined above.
The concept of public early childhood education and care is interpreted differently by different stakeholders. Key considerations include issues relating to staff employment, pay and conditions; ownership and management of buildings; operating models; governance arrangements; service offering; 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 for staff and children, are being examined by officials in my Department.
297. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the full-year cost of extending the early childhood care and education programme by 30 minutes, and one hour per day. [43759/24]
View answerThe Deputy has requested the full year cost of extending the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme by 30 minutes per day and 1 hour per day.
The ECCE Programme is currently provided for 3 hours per day across 38 weeks per year. In calculating the cost of these changes the total budget allocation for the ECCE programme for 2025 (€269.25 million) was used. The proportional increase in hours was applied to this allocation to determine the additional cost of the changes.
The results are given in the below table:
|
ECCE hours per day |
Full year cost of change |
|
|
Baseline |
3 |
0 |
|
30 minute increase |
3.5 |
€44.88m |
|
1 hour increase |
4 |
€89.75m |
It is important to note that these estimates are based on a static system and do not account for any potential changes in behaviour that would result from these changes. These estimates also assume that all services providing ECCE would have the capacity for the proposed increase.
298. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the full-year cost of increasing the NCS universal subsidy so that the average family (regardless of the number of children) pays no more than €400 for the maximum hours, for children up to five years, ten years, and 15 years. [43760/24]
View answerDue to the complexity of the above scenario and its divergence from current resource modelling, this will require some time to gather data, construct a model and respond.
Officials will revert to the Deputy directly as soon as possible.
299. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the full-year cost of increasing the NCS universal subsidy so that a family pays no more than €200 per child for the maximum hours, for children up to five years, ten years, and 15 years. [43761/24]
View answerThe Deputy has requested the cost of increasing the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) Universal Subsidy so that a family pays no more than €200 per child for the maximum hours which is 45 hours per week. It is assumed that Deputy is referring to a monthly cost of no more than €200 per child.
Due to the design of the NCS and its consideration for education stage rather than age, it is not feasible for the Department to split the costs between children up to five years old, ten years old and fifteen years old. Instead, the below response splits the costs into end of preschool, primary school and post primary. This better aligns with the nature of early learning and childcare provision and regulation.
The NCS Universal Subsidy 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.
This Department does not hold individualised fee data for parents as these are local agreements between parents and providers; instead a reduction in the average cost of ELC to parents is examined. To estimate these costs, data from Pobal on average weekly fees across the country was used. Assuming a 45-hour week for all children, an hourly universal subsidy of €3.36 was derived to achieve the desired outcome.
As these costings is based on an average fee, the impact of this change would vary based on the level of fees within the services, patterns of usage and age of the child. The below estimates has been costed as such that all children in the relevant age ranges will have their costs reduced to at least €200 per month, in some cases the reduction will be greater.
The ESRI SWITCH model was then used to estimate the quantum of these changes and applied to the Departments baseline cost of the NCS. To split the costs between different education stages, data on cost of children availing of NCS in preschool, primary school and post primary was used to generate a proportionate cost for these groups compared to overall NCS costs. The results are given in the below table:
|
Education stage |
Proportion of total NCS costs |
Full year cost of change |
|
Up to end of preschool |
67.21% |
€130.15m |
|
Up to end of primary school |
99.84% |
€193.35m |
|
Up to post primary |
100% |
€193.65m |
This estimate comes with a number of caveats, from September 2024 a number of enhancements were made to the NCS, the estimates factor in these changes:
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 impact of these changes are yet to be determined and carry a risk of altering the above costings due to increased participation of childminders for example. As such extensions to the scheme are based on estimates.
It should be noted also that increasing funding for certain groups (i.e. up to end of preschool) has the potential to create funding issues for families, those transitioning to primary school would experience significant funding cliffs.
In addition, this costing is made 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.
300. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the full-year cost of providing every newborn child/parent with a baby box from 2026-2030, based on the most recent annual number of births. [43762/24]
View answerIn 2023, my Department delivered the 'Little Baby Bundle' pilot to 500 expectant families. These bundles provided approximately €500 worth of key items for parents and newborn children, for a per unit cost of only €220.
A universal roll-out based on the pilot to every newborn child would have an initial full year running cost of €12.8m, based on 58,000 expectant births. The scheme's expected running costs for 5 years from 2026-2030 are estimated at €70.2m. This is inclusive of all overhead costs and assumes a 5% increase in running costs on average year on year.
301. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the total number and category of staff currently employed in the early learning and care and school age childcare sector. [43763/24]
View answerThe State is not the employer and therefore does not have an official register of staff working in the Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare sector.
However, Pobal carry out the Annual Early Years Sector Profile Survey on behalf of my Department. This comprehensive survey of all Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School-Age Childcare (SAC) settings in the country is the primary data source on this sector including staffing data. The latest figures from the survey provided below are taken from the Annual Sector Profile Survey for 2022/2023.
It should be noted that the data below is extrapolated based on the response rate by services to the survey to estimate the total number of staff, by category, in the sector.
|
Role |
Number of staff by role |
|
Educator |
17,410 |
|
Lead Educator |
9,357 |
|
Centre Manager |
4,573 |
|
Deputy Manager |
1,063 |
|
Student Placement/Volunteers |
141 |
304. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the average size (children and staff) and the associated cost of providing an early learning and care and school age childcare setting. [43766/24]
View answerEarly Learning and Care (ELC) and School-Age Childcare (SAC) services differ considerably in terms of size, service offering, age of children cared for, opening hours, and so on. These factors influence the cost of delivery, and mean it is not possible to define an average service.
For the purposes of this answer my officials have drawn on data provided by services as part of their application for Core Funding in the 2024/25 programme year. As part of the application process, services are required to state the maximum ELC capacity at any one time each day, and the maximum SAC capacity at any one time in the day.
For services offering ELC (whether term time sessional preschool or year round part time or full day care, either on their own or in combination, including in combination with school age childcare), the average maximum daily capacity is 39 places, with average opening hours of 37 hours per week, 44 weeks per year.
For services offering SAC (either stand-alone or in combination with ELC), the average maximum daily capacity is 34 places, with average opening hours of 41 hours per week, 46 weeks per year.
Based on these capacity and opening hours data, my officials have prepared an estimated cost of funding for a combined ELC and SAC service under the profile outlined below. Please note that this is a notional description of a service only and has been constructed to align with the average places, opening hours and weeks per year as specified by the question.
In practice, in the sector, there are a very wide variety of service types in respect of the opening hours and weeks the service operates and the age group of children for whom places are available. The averages presented here reflect a very broad range of values and in order to more accurately estimate real world costings, more detailed case studies and analysis would be required.
• ELC operating 37 hours/week, 44 weeks/year.
• SAC operating 41 hours/week, 46 weeks/year.
• 3 places for 0-1 year olds with 1 EY Lead Educator.
• 5 places for 1-2 year olds with 1 EY Lead Educator.
• 12 places for 2-6 year olds with 1 EY Graduate Lead Educator and 1 EY Educator.
• 16 places for 3-6 year olds with 1 Graduate Manager and 1 EY Educator.
• 3 places for 2.5-6 year olds in ECCE.
• 34 places for SAC with 1 SAC Coordinator and 2 SAC Practitioners.
• Assuming non-staff running costs, including premises costs are 32% of total costs and where 100% costs are determined by staffing costs.
Given these assumptions, the following table outlines the basis of the cost of operating such a service.
|
Staff |
Rate of pay(€) |
Hours |
Staff pay (€) |
Plus employer costs @23%[1] (€) |
|
EY Lead Educator |
14.70 |
37 |
543.90 |
668.9 |
|
EY Lead Educator |
14.70 |
37 |
543.90 |
668.9 |
|
EY Graduate Lead Educator |
16.28 |
37 |
602.36 |
740.9 |
|
EY Educator |
13.65 |
37 |
505.05 |
621.2 |
|
Graduate Manager |
18.11 |
37 |
670.07 |
824.2 |
|
EY Educator |
13.65 |
37 |
505.05 |
621.2 |
|
SAC Coordinator |
14.70 |
41 |
602.7 |
741.3 |
|
SAC Practitioner |
13.65 |
41 |
559.65 |
688.4 |
|
SAC Practitioner |
13.65 |
41 |
559.65 |
688.4 |
|
Total weekly staff costs: |
€6,263.40 |
|||
|
Total weekly operating costs |
€8,267.69[2] |
|||
|
Total annual operating costs: |
€317,088.10 |
[1] 23% takes account of 8% leave, 11% PRSI, 1.5% pension and 1.3% sick pay costs, 1.2% other
[2] determined on the basis of staff costs equalling 68% of total costs
The cost would depend on the fees paid by parents. If a parental fee was charged it would reduce the cost of funding a service. The impact would depend on the level of fee and the level of occupancy of the service.
These costings are for determining the operating costs of services based on current data and operations in the sector. They do not make provision for any changes to operations or the cost base from what is currently in place and outlined above.
305. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the progress to date in providing new and much needed accommodation (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43822/24]
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.
306. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the extent to which health services for children with special needs are being improved; his plans for the future in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43870/24]
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.
307. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the extent to which he continues to promote integration in all circumstances throughout Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43871/24]
View answerThe Programme for Government committed to developing a successor to the Migrant Integration Strategy, which concluded in 2021. My Department is currently developing a new national strategy which will build on the momentum of its predecessor and address ongoing and emerging needs in supporting and promoting migrant integration in Ireland. 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. My Department is currently concluding a second phase of consultation, comprising targeted consultations with migrant communities under-represented in the public consultation.
Together with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (DHLGH), the County and City Management Association (CCMA), and the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA), a new Local Integration Model has been created. The model focuses on a new nationwide network of Local Authority Integration Teams (LAITs), each of which will be situated in a Local Authority and supported by my Department. In order to better assist IP applicants, Program Refugees, and Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) in utilizing current resources and eventually living independently in the community, these teams will offer ongoing assistance.
Funding Programmes
Several funding programmes have been made available in order to support integration in Ireland.
The National Integration Fund (NIF), which is available to regional and national organisations, aims to assist communities throughout Ireland in taking on a larger role in fostering migrant integration. Over the course of the project, awards may total up to €200,000, with a minimum yearly grant value of €25,000 being eligible for application.
The Communities Integration Fund (CIF) has been in place since 2017 and arises from Action 51 of the Migrant Integration Strategy. Annually, grant funding of €1,000 to €5,000 is made available for local integration initiatives. Since its inception, the CIF has supported over 930 projects, with grant funding totalling €4.32 million.
The International Protection Integration Fund (IPIF) is intended to support communities across Ireland so that they can play a greater role in promoting the integration of IP applicants. There are two funding schemes available to applicants, grants ranging from €30,000 to €100,000 are made available under Scheme A to support large scale integration projects and grants ranging for €2,000 to €10,000 are made available under Scheme B to support smaller integration initiatives.
The Ireland Against Racism Fund 2024 (IARF) was launched on October 17th . The fund of €1.1 million will be made available to 28 NGOs and community organisations. IARF has the overall objective of providing funding for national and regional projects, as well as local initiatives, that aim to combat racism and foster racial equality and community cohesion.
The Children and Young People's Services Committees Fund was introduced in 2023 and continued in 2024 to support Children and Young People's Services Committees (CYPSC) in further developing, enhancing and expanding the provision of their support services to children, young people and their families in IPAS settings.
Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) : Funds Administration Unit of DCEDIY is the Managing Authority of the AMIF Programme in Ireland, for the 2021-2027 National Programme and 2014-2020 National Programme. Under Ireland’s national programmes, it is intended to provide a range of supports for IP applicants, Programme Refugees, BOTPs and other third country nationals arriving in Ireland. The 2023 AMIF granted €10 million to 17 successful initiatives that will support third-country nationals with reception and integration over a four-year period.
The Integration and Employment of Migrants stream of the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) EIST 2021-2027 Program is likewise overseen by the Funds Administration Unit. This activity is intended for legally resident migrants who face obstacles to employment and engagement due to social exclusion, lack of skills, or language challenges. The goal of the activity is to improve each participant's employability. The following are the particular groups of people that this activity is aimed at:
• EEA Nationals who are resident in Ireland
• Third-Country Nationals (TCN) with permission to enter employment in Ireland, including Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection.
308. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the extent to which he continues to prioritise funding the childcare sector with a view to continued improvements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43872/24]
View answerInvestment in Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Aged Childcare (SAC) is at unprecedented high levels. This investment provides for improved affordability for parents, capacity growth within the sector and provides additional supports for children and families who are experiencing disadvantage. Budget 2025 continues to augment this investment with funding amounting to €1.37 billion provided. This is a further investment of €266m, or 24% on 2024. This builds on the achievement of a €1 billion budget allocation in 2023, 5 years ahead of the 2028 target outlined in First 5: A Whole-of-Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families 2019-2028.
Budget 2025 will provide:
• A total of 201,246 children have benefitted from a National Childcare Scheme (NCS) subsidy so far in 2024. The number of children benefitting from subsidies has increased by over 95,000 when compared to the same period in 2022. Budget 2025 will provide an additional €160.69 million or 43% increase on the 2024 allocation, which will continue to reduce the out-of-pocket costs for families availing of the Scheme. All families accessing registered ELC will benefit from the full year impacts of the increased minimum hourly universal NCS subsidy of €2.14, which was introduced in September 2024.
• €269.3 million for the continuation of the ECCE programme which will benefit more than 107,000 children in 2025 – a €13.1 million increase on the 2024 allocation.
• An additional €23.4 million for the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) to provide for an increasing cohort of c.7,800 children with a disability availing of AIM supports as well as the full year cost of the expansion of targeted supports beyond time spent in the ECCE programme, in term and out of term, which was introduced in Budget 2024.
• €8.7 million in additional funding to support the continued roll-out of Equal Start and an extra €4 million to fund Equal Start new development measures for 2025. These include an Additional Nutrition Programme to provide additional meals in targeted settings beyond minimum regulatory requirements.
• Over €350m of the 2025 budget allocation has been provided for Core Funding, an increase of almost €50m on the 2024 investment in the scheme, to:
• support continued implementation of the scheme for the third programme year and also support further increases into the fourth programme year from September 2025.
• provide a further €15m from September (or €45m in a full programme year) specifically to support employers to meet the costs of further increases to the minimum rates of pay in the sector.
• Combined, and contingent on the third successive Employment Regulations Orders, the Core Funding allocation will exceed €390m in year 4, approximately 20% higher than in year 3.
In September 2022, I introduced Core Funding to support the sector as a whole. This is in addition to the ECCE programme and the NCS, to create a more stable and sustainable financial environment.
Core Funding delivers:
• Affordability for parents/guardians: Core Funding introduced Fee Management to the sector and ensures that the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) and Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme are offered to all eligible children.
• Quality in Services: Core Funding supports better terms and conditions for staff, as well as supporting graduate leadership in services – both of which are proven to support delivery of quality provision for children.
• Sustainability for providers: Core Funding has substantially increased funding to the ELC sector and is paid on the basis of capacity and not child attendance providing stability of income. Since its introduction in September 2022, Core Funding has made €546 million in funding available to early learning and childcare services.
This additional funding will support an increase in more Partner Services; and also more staff working in the sector, more rooms and places, and more graduate lead educators and managers.
By providing additional funding for capacity in this way, year 3 of Core Funding will help Partner Services expand their businesses, which will lead to greater accessibility for parents and greater sustainability for services. Tusla data shows that ELC closures fell to a 5 year low following the introduction of Core Funding, while the overall number of ELC and stand-alone SAC services is now increasing.
In year 2 the programme call resulted in 4275 Partner Services enrolled in Core Funding, and in year 3 this increased by 2.7% to 4390 Partner Services.
Some €89 million has been allocated over the period 2023-2026 to the early learning and childcare sector under the revised National Development Plan (NDP).
€30m has been allocated to my Department in 2025, an increase of €10m or 50% on the allocation in 2024 of €20m.
Some €25m will be set aside for the Building Blocks Extension Grant Scheme. The Extension scheme will fund existing ELC services to undertake large scale extensions to their premises to provide additional capacity for full day places for 1-3 year olds. The scheme will also fund community services to build or purchase new premises. It is anticipated that the Extension scheme will deliver thousands of additional places in the coming years.
Separate to the €25m for Building Blocks, under Equal Start, capital funding will support small equipment purchases through capital measures to support the roll-out of the additional nutrition programme. Capital funding will also be made available for essential/emergency capital works in ELC and SAC settings that are Core Funding Partner Services.
