Written Answers Nos. 1241-1260
1241. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of people awaiting a fist appointment in the CDNTs across County Galway; the number who have been waiting less than 3, 3-6, 6-12 and more than 12 months, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1401/25]
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.
1242. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the locations of each assistive technology and specialised seating department within the State; if they are directly run by the HSE or are run on behalf of the HSE by another organisation; and the number and role of staff employed in each of these services. [1416/25]
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.
1243. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if his attention has been drawn to the fact that 40% of survivors have been excluded from full mother and baby institutional redress; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1423/25]
View answer1244. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will amend the eligibility criteria for the mother and baby homes redress scheme. [1424/25]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1243 and 1244 together.
The Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme recognises time spent in a Mother and Baby Institution and, in this way, the associated harsh conditions endured over a period of time. Among the eligibility criteria for the Scheme is the requirement for children to have spent at least 180 days in a relevant institution and this is probably the 40% exclusion to which the Deputy refers. This is not intended to disregard or diminish any person’s experience and Government recognises that there are people who will be disappointed by this.
The Government proposals for the Payment Scheme were developed following deliberations on the very complex issues in question. They were informed by a consultation process undertaken with survivors, as well as a report and proposals from an Interdepartmental Group (IDG). Government ultimately decided on proposals which were, in overall terms, broader than those proposed by the IDG and the recommendations from the Commission of Investigation.
For children who spent less than six months in an institution and who were adopted in infancy or left the institution with their birth family, the priority need expressed by survivors was access to records.
As of 13 January 2025, under the Birth Information and Tracing Act, the Adoption Authority of Ireland and Tusla have completed 14,886 applications for information. All applications are now being processed in accordance with statutory timeframes.
It is important to emphasise that the Payment Scheme is just one element of the Government’s response to the country’s complex legacy of Mother and Baby Institutions. Of the seven major commitments set out in the Government Action Plan for Survivors, published in November 2021, six are now delivered and in place, with the seventh well underway. One of these commitments is counselling support for all survivors and former residents regardless of time spent in an institution. This support is in place, is free of charge, and survivors and former residents can self refer or be referred by a medical professional.
1245. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if his Department retains the number of former Magdalen laundry residents who are still resident in convents in Ireland; and, if so, the number of former Magdalen laundry residents who are still resident in convents here. [1441/25]
View answerI would advise the Deputy that my Department is responsible for the administration of the Magdalen Restorative Justice Ex-Gratia Scheme and that it collects and retains information in the context of processing individual cases submitted under the terms of the scheme. However, my Department does not collect information on the number of former Magdalen laundry residents who are still resident in convents in Ireland, and therefore, I am not in a position to provide the information sought by the Deputy.
1246. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the total number of people currently waiting for speech and language therapy in Mayo; the number of whom have been waiting 3, 6 months, 1 year and 2 years, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1444/25]
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.
1247. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the total number of vacancies in the speech and language therapy in Mayo; and the steps his Department is taking to recruit more SLT professionals in the Mayo region. [1445/25]
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.
1248. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of speech and language therapy professionals who have been recruited in Mayo in each of the past five years.; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1446/25]
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.
1249. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of speech and language therapist professional who have left their jobs in Mayo in each of the past five years. [1447/25]
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.
1250. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth whether a full assessment of needs for a child (details supplied) will be scheduled. [1456/25]
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.
1251. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his views on whether the Tusla Child and Family Agency has not being compliant with EU public procurement law and Irish public procurement guidelines with regard to money being spent by it on the purchase of services for children and for adults in need who are under their care; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1464/25]
View answer1252. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will give a narrative statement showing whether all public service contracts providing care for children and separately adults with needs in Tusla’s care have been compliant with public procurement laws since 1 January 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1465/25]
View answer1253. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the date, and number of, contracts awarded to provide care for children and adults with needs, respectively, for Tusla; the value of each contract; the identity of the persons the contracts were awarded to as if complying with EU law; if he will he take measures to insist that Tusla and its officials comply with the duties to publish public contract notices and public contract award notices in e-Tender and the Official Journal of the European Union; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1466/25]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1251, 1252 and 1253 together.
Thank you Deputy for your question relating to procurement processes by Tusla.
I have made contact with Tusla, the Child and Family Agency and Tusla has informed me that they have procedures in place to ensure compliance with current procurement rules and guidelines. The services provided by Tusla to meet increasingly complex demands relating to at risk children and families, result in more complex procurement and contracting for these services than for less complex service areas.
Tusla has made improvements to their procurement processes over the past number of years.
Each year Tusla presents as part of its Annual Report and Financial Statements, audited by the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General, on the extent of non-compliant contracts that were entered into without a competition in line with Dept. of Finance 40/02 Circular. For 2023 Tusla reported €4.8m of non-compliant contracts down from €5.4m for 2022. For context, Tusla spent over €1 billion in 2022 and 2023.
I have asked Tusla to send a list of those contracts to the Deputy under separate cover.
1254. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of WTE clinical psychologist based in the children's disability network team based in north Kildare in 2023 and 2024, in tabular form. [1470/25]
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.
1255. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth when payment will issue to a person (details supplied) who made an application under the mother and baby institutions payment scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1511/25]
View answerWhile I try to be helpful at all times in the parliamentary process, the Deputy will be aware that I cannot be involved in individual cases and cannot comment on same.
The legislation underpinning the Payment Scheme - the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Act 2023 - specifically provides for the explicit independence of the Chief Deciding Officer in administering the application process and making decisions on applications. Therefore, it would be inappropriate for me to engage in the process in relation to the status of individual applications.
In addition to a range of applicant supports such as a help-line, public representatives can contact the Payment Scheme Office via a dedicated email address paymentschemereps@equality.gov.ie if they are assisting constituents in relation to the Scheme.
It is ultimately the aim of the Payment Scheme Office to ensure the correct benefits are made available to the correct applicants in as timely a manner as possible.
I suggest that the applicant in question contacts the helpline directly - 01 522 9992 and I am sure she will be assisted appropriately.
1256. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the regulations that are in place for after school clubs for child to childcare worker ratio; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1523/25]
View answerSchool age childcare (SAC) services are required to operate within regulatory minimum adult-to-child ratios as set out in the Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years Services) (Registration of School Age Services) Regulations 2018. The ratio sets the minimum number of adults required to supervise, care for and work directly with the children in the service.
The introduction of SAC Regulations in 2018 was an important step in ensuring oversight and quality assurance of SAC services which is in the best interests of the children and families who use these services.
In setting regulatory requirements, the primary consideration must be children’s health, safety and well-being, and these were the primary factors considered when setting a minimum 1:12 adult-to-child ratio in the 2018 Regulations. The 1:12 ratio was agreed following consultation with an expert group on SAC standards, which included a range of sector representatives among its members.
In line with the commitment in the First 5: Implementation Plan 2023-2025 (action D.2.A.5), my Department has recently commenced the process of drafting comprehensive regulations for SAC services, building on the initial 2018 registration regulations. As part of this process, the Department is also reviewing the legislation underpinning the regulation of SAC.
1257. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the lessons that have been learnt by his Department and Tusla from protected disclosure in relation to an organisation (details supplied) and the subsequent decision not to use the organisation anymore; and the measures that will be taken to avoid a similar situation arising in future. [1544/25]
View answerAs this investigative process is currently on going, I am not in a position to comment at this stage.
Tusla has provided assurances to my Department that this company is not being used currently, and Tusla will not consider re engaging with this company until the investigative process has been concluded.
Following the recent inadvertent engagement of the company for services in September 2024, Tusla has taken additional steps to implement robust measures and controls to ensure that the company is not commissioned by Tusla local areas. All Regional Tusla Managers areas are aware this direction.
My Department continues to liaise with Tusla on this matter.
1258. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will review the national childcare scheme (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1551/25]
View answerThe NCS is designed to substantially reduce costs to families using eligible early learning and childcare. It is designed to be flexible, recognising that early learning and childcare needs are different for each family.
The underpinning rationale of the Scheme, including the hours-based aspect, was set out in the 2016 "Policy Paper on the Development of a new Single Affordable Childcare Scheme" and given statutory expression through the Oireachtas in the Childcare Support Act 2018.
The hours-based nature of the NCS is designed to fit around the needs of families and ensure that the reach and effectiveness of funding is maximised through application to actual usage of early and learning and childcare.
The family agrees the number of hours to be used with their provider and (within overall scheme limits) these hours are registered with the scheme administrator. This design allows the parents to receive a subsidy for the hours that they actually require. The number of hours can also be altered week to week, for example during a school midterm the parents subsidy can be increased.
It should also be noted that services are private entities and it is open to them to decide what level of service is offered to parents including session types (part-time, full-time etc).
Finally, I would note that my Department will soon commence an independent evaluation of the NCS which will examine how the Scheme is operating and identify potential changes or improvements to the Scheme. As part of this evaluation, the hours based model of the NCS will be reviewed. Any changes to NCS policy will be informed by consultation with stakeholders who are affected by the scheme.
1259. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will review the current rules regarding registered childminders, who use their own home, having the facility to use someone on their approved emergency contact list in case of a medical appointment, and so on; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1560/25]
View answerOn 30 September 2024 I commenced relevant sections of the Child Care (Amendment) Act 2024, including the removal of the exemption from registration for childminders, and the Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years Services) (Childminding Regulations) 2024. This allowed for the registration of childminders with Tusla.
This was a milestone in the implementation of the National Action Plan for Childminding 2021-2028 (NAPC). Phase 1 of the NAPC, which is now complete, included extensive consultation. I am satisfied that the childminding-specific Regulations are proportionate and appropriate to the home and family setting in which childminders work. In finalising the Regulations, substantial changes were made in response to feedback in the public consultation last year.
The Act provides for a transition period of three years before registration becomes mandatory. During this three-year period, childminders can register with Tusla but are not required to do so. This phased approach aims to facilitate the largest possible number of childminders to enter the regulated sector, the sphere of quality assurance, and access to Government subsidies, while recognising the time and supports required for childminders to learn about and prepare for registration.
Under the amendments made in the 2024 Act, the definition of a childminding service:
"(a) entails an individual taking care, by himself or herself, of children under the age of 15 years, in the home of the individual, and
(b) is provided to children (other than that individual’s own children) for a total period of not less than 2 hours per day."
In line with this definition, a primary feature of a childminder is that they undertake the work themselves and there are no staff employed in the service.
In developing the Regulations, I acknowledged the need for support in exceptional circumstances and this resulted in the inclusion of Regulation 15 which provides for emergency cover in limited circumstances:
"To assist the childminder in the event of an emergency, a childminder shall ensure that one or more persons, aged 18 years or over, familiar with the operation of the childminding service are, at all times, within close distance of the childminding service and available to attend the childminding service."
This would allow for cover in emergency situations such as where the childminder or a child falls ill and must be taken to hospital. It is not intended to cover medical appointments.
The NAPC commits to a review of the initial implementation of the childminding-specific Regulations before 2028. I have previously stated that the Department will undertake this review, which will include consultation with childminders and other stakeholders, during the transition period.
1260. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if his Department and agencies under the aegis of his Department have policies on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) within the Department and those agencies; whether training has been provided to staff on the use of AI; if his Department has used AI, including large language models, in the preparation of legislation or statutory instruments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1575/25]
View answerThe Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) is guided by the Interim Guidelines for Use of AI in the Public Service published by the Public Service Transformation Delivery Unit in the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform, the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer and by the National Cyber Security Centre on ICT policy and security matters.
Beyond this, DCEDIY does not have a specific policy on the use of artificial intelligence. DCEDIY has recently upgraded its suite of standard office productivity tools to the latest version of these applications, based on the Microsoft 365 platform.
This platform includes additional business intelligence, process automation, app development, and app connectivity products we avail of to develop line of business solutions for the Department. The underlying technology for this platform includes services that are labelled as AI. DCEDIY does not use AI, including large language models, in the preparation of legislation or statutory instruments; and does not use AI for decision making. DCEDIY does not have any specific costs associated with AI.
