Written Answers Nos. 1222-1236
1225. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth when an occupational therapist will be recruited to deal with a waitlist of children awaiting therapy (details supplied). [16663/23]
View answerAs this refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1226. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if full time residential care can be provided for a person in County Donegal (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16718/23]
View answerAs this is an operational matter, the question has been referred to Tusla for direct reply.
1227. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if a property (details supplied) in County Clare is being acquired by the International Protection Accommodation Service accommodate refugees; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16808/23]
View answerA proposal to utilise the property in question has been received by my officials and is being evaluated. A full assessment of the property is taking place, including an onsite inspection, and a decision on whether to contract the property will be made if the Department is satisfied that all appropriate standards are met.
The Department will engage with local representatives as soon as possible if it decides to proceed with procuring this property.
1228. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he is aware that the two senior psychologists working in CHO5 children’s disability network team, Clonmel, have both issued notice of their intent to resign and will be vacating their posts in the coming weeks; the efforts his Department will take to guarantee that these senior psychologist positions are filled immediately in order that the senior psychologist vacancies do not impact on the CHO5 CDNT waiting lists/times; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16869/23]
View answerAs this refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1229. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the basis for calculating the daily expense allowance under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme for international protection applicants who are homeless; and his views on the adequacy of the payment given that it is a supplementary payment intended to give financial support when other basic needs are met; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16882/23]
View answerAs of 17 April 2023, 517 people remain unaccommodated by IPAS. 373 people who were initially not accommodated have subsequently been accommodated as of 17 April. Offers of accommodation are made as soon as such accommodation is available, most recently last Wednesday.
The Government is aware of its obligations to provide material reception conditions to international protection applicants under the EU Recast Reception Conditions Directive (SI 230 of 2018). Material reception conditions include accommodation, 3 meals per day, utilities, a full medical card and the Daily Expenses Allowance (DEA) which is €38.80 per adult and €29.80 per child.
The DEA is paid to persons who are accommodated in designated International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) accommodation and those in Citywest transit hub.
My Department has recently liaised with the Department of Social Protection (DSP) to ensure payment of a payment equivalent to the DEA to IPAs who are currently without IPAS accommodation. DSP have confirmed payments will be backdated from the individual's arrival date.
If a person is not in IPAS accommodation but indicates they have a need for financial support when attending a local Intreo Centre, they can apply for an Additional Needs Payment (ANP) under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme. An ANP is reviewed by a Community Welfare Officer (CWO) who makes a decision based on the individual's circumstances. Applications are dealt with on a case by case basis.
Those who are not accommodated are also offered food vouchers to the value of €50 and given contact details for the Capuchin Day Centre.
My Department is currently working with a number of partners to expand the services provided to applicants who are not accommodated on arrival.
My Department is also continuing to make every effort to source accommodation for applicants. However, the sourcing of accommodation for single males in particular is extremely challenging at present.
1230. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he has heard reports of international protection applicants being denied the social welfare payments to which they are entitled. [16884/23]
View answerI have not heard of reports of international protection applicants being denied the social welfare payments to which they are entitled.
I have asked Minister Humphreys for the Department of Social Protection to make arrangements for a payment similar to the Daily Expenses Allowance to be made to applicants who are currently not in receipt of IPAS accommodation. That Department has facilitated this request.
Since 23 January 2023, staff from the Department of Social Protection are also present in the IPO for the purposes of accepting applications for PPSNs. These arrangements apply to all applications from individuals applying for international protection, regardless of whether they have an address or not.
If a person is not in IPAS accommodation but indicates they have a need for financial support when they attend at an Intreo Centre to collect their PPSN, they can apply for an additional needs payment under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme.
Staff in Intreo Centres are aware of this and are available to assist with applications. While additional needs payments are issued in response to an existing need, this does not preclude any subsequent application where a person continues to require assistance.
1231. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No. 536 of 28 March 2023, his plans to communicate to international protection applicants who are not in IPAS accommodation their entitlement to an additional needs payment under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme. [16885/23]
View answerThe Daily Expenses Allowance (DEA) is paid to international protection applicants who are accommodated in International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) accommodation.
My Department has recently liaised with the Department of Social Protection (DSP) to ensure arrangements for the payment of a payment equivalent to the DEA to IPAs who are not accommodated by IPAS currently. This information is being provided to applicants when they make their application for international protection at the International Protection Office. Work is underway to identify further ways to communicate this information to applicants.
DSP have confirmed that payments will be backdated for the period from when individuals arrived in Ireland.
If a person is not in IPAS accommodation but indicates they have a need for financial support when they attend at an Intreo Centre to collect their PPSN, they can apply for an Additional Needs Payment under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme. Staff in Intreo Centres are aware of this and are available to assist with applications.
Should an IPA require additional support, they can apply for an Additional Needs Payment. These are paid under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance which is administered by the Community Welfare Service (CWS) of the Department of Social Protection. An Additional Needs Payment application is reviewed by a Community Welfare Officer (CMO) who makes a decision based on the individual's circumstances. Each application is dealt with on a case by case basis.
1232. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he has engaged with stakeholders in the childcare sector regarding unintended consequences of the new NCS funding model; his views on the perceived lack of flexibility with this scheme in terms of part-time childcare; and his plans to review the administration of this scheme. [17017/23]
View answerThe National Childcare Scheme (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 NCS was designed following extensive consultations with all key stakeholders (including but not limited to early learning and childcare providers).
It has also been independently reviewed following its first year of operation. That review again included extensive written and face-to-face consultations with key stakeholders as well as surveys.
My Department also engages on an ongoing basis with stakeholders through formal and informal means, including proactively engagement at key points as appropriate. Of particular note is a recent provider stakeholder group which met regularly in the run-up to the increased subsidy rate and which generated a list of actions designed to improve providers experience in administering the NCS, many of which are currently being implemented for the next scheme cycle (currently September 2023 to August 2024).
This gives providers an opportunity to feed back their concerns on the administration of the scheme and systems supporting that administration. That feedback is used to support current and future enhancements as resources become available.
The success of the NCS in meeting families needs is evidenced through the level of participation in the scheme. The NCS replaced the Community Childcare Subvention Plus Scheme and the Training and Employment Childcare programmes at end 2019. In their last full year operation prior to NCS, those schemes supported approximately 85,000 children with investment of approximately €132m. The NCS is expected to support 150,000 children with an investment of €365m in 2023.
On the issue of lack of flexibility, the hours based design of the NCS is designed to fit around the needs of families. 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.
I am aware of incorrect information circulating that if hours are missed, for example if a child is picked up early one day, that the payment will be reduced. I would like to be clear that this is not the case. My Department received extensive feedback on this matter in the design phase and the NCS has been consciously designed to be more flexible than its antecedent schemes.
To use a common example, a parent registers for 40 hours and picks up their child early on Friday thereby using only 37 hours, the provider would still receive a payment for 40 hours. The parent would need to consistently use 37 hours for 8 continuous weeks before a notification would issue that they are not using the claimed amount and request they adjust this within 4 weeks. This creates a balance between a very flexible system for families whilst ensuring an efficient use of public resources by ensuring public monies are not used to subsidise unfilled places.
Another common example would be a family taking 2 weeks holidays. The subsidy will continue to flow for those 2 weeks.
My Department is currently running additional communications initiatives to highlight the advantages of the scheme and address this misinformation.
In relation to the point on unintended consequences, I assume that the Deputy is referring to claims that the services are requiring parents to pay for a full time place, even though a part time place is all that is required. My Department has received anecdotal reports of this practice. As the Deputy will understand, we cannot subsidise unfilled places because of a lack of flexibility in services own fees model. They are private businesses and they are free to run their model as they see fit within the parameters of the scheme. Decisions to charge parents on this basis are matters independent of the scheme and actions of the Department.
I would note however that the NCS subsidies now form part of a wider suite of funding supports and those supports should facilitate greater flexibility among providers. A key principle of funding of early learning and childcare is that it is family orientated and that in so far as possible, it should be cognisant of the reasonable needs and choices of parents.
On 15 September 2022, I launched Together for Better, the new funding model for early learning and childcare. This new funding model supports the delivery of early learning and childcare for the public good, for quality and affordability for children, parents and families as well as stability and sustainability for providers. Together for Better brings together three major programmes, the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme, including the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM), the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) and the new Core Funding scheme.
A key principle of the funding model is that it is family orientated and that, in so far as possible, it should be cognisant of the reasonable needs and choices of parents.
Core Funding, which began in September, is the new funding stream worth €259 million in full year costs to start the partnership for the public good between the State and providers. Its primary purpose is to improve pay and conditions in the sector as a whole and improve affordability for parents as well as ensuring a stable income to providers. Unlike the NCS, it is not a subsidy mechanism for fees rather the payment is made on the capacity of the services (whether places are filled or not).
Core Funding allows for substantial increases in the total cost base for the sector, related both to pay and non-pay costs, without additional costs being passed on to parents. Core Funding introduces fee management, which in year one is a fee freeze, where providers cannot increase the fees charged from last September 2021.
My Department is actively monitoring the issues reported by parents and will adjust policy as required and where the evidence compels such interventions to support accessible and high quality early learning and childcare provision.
1233. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his views on the fact that under the new national childcare scheme, the capitation rate paid to services with level 8 graduates is far reduced from previous years; and if he has plans to review this situation in order to encourage the highest level of training possible within childcare settings. [17019/23]
View answerIn September, I launched Together for Better, an ambitious new funding model to support delivery of early learning and childcare for the public good, for quality and affordability for children, parents and families as well as stability and sustainability for providers. Together for Better brings together three major programmes, the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme, including the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM), the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) and the new Core Funding scheme which I believe the Deputy is referring to.
Core Funding has a budget of €259 million in full year costs for year 1 of the programme (September 2022-August 2023) to start the partnership for the public good between the State and providers. The scheme is designed to support a range of objectives, including supporting the new minimum rates of pay for different roles in the sector, as well as supporting career pathways and graduate employment. Core Funding includes Graduate Premiums to incentivise the employment of graduates as Lead Educators across ELC and as Managers in ELC or combined ELC and SAC services.
For the programme year 2022/2023, services that deliver the ECCE programme will receive standard capitation in respect of registered children and will have the option to also avail of Core Funding.
ECCE provides funding on the basis of registered children at the rate of €69 per child per week. Services can have up to 11 children per one staff member in line with the statutory regulations for this type of provision.
Core Funding provides funding based on a service's capacity (opening hours, number of places and age group of children), and graduate premiums for lead educators and managers. Base rate allocations for capacity at the sessional pre-school rate offers €0.65 per child place per hour and the graduate lead educator premium allocation is €4.44 per hour. Core Funding is paid based on child places, whether or not those places are filled.
Core Funding operates in addition to and alongside ECCE, AIM, CCSP and NCS. It replaces the approach to paying for graduate lead educators through ECCE that operated under the previous funding model (higher capitation) and incorporates funding previously allocated to the discretionary Programme Support Payments (PSP) from September 2022. These developments allocate funding more fairly in respect of graduates and administration.
The change in approach to funding ELC Graduates is underpinned by the recommendations of an Expert Group, outlined in their report Partnership for the Public Good, and approved by Government in December 2021. The Expert Group noted that the higher capitation payment has diverted graduates away from non-ECCE provision, despite the importance of high-quality provision for under-3s. The Expert Group also reference a Focused Policy Assessment of higher capitation, which noted a difficulty in ensuring that the additional payment was passed on to educators.
Funding for ELC Graduates is now one element of a larger funding model, and is underpinned by Employment Regulation Orders setting minimum rates of pay in the sector, including differential pay rates for graduates in leadership roles. This will ensure that educators and managers with degrees will feel the benefits of the graduate premium payment being made to services.
I would like to clarify that, while the Higher Capitation and PSP have been subsumed into Core Funding, no service loses out under Core Funding. Indeed, the overwhelming majority of providers substantially benefit financially from Core Funding.
Services whose ECCE sessions did not have a graduate lead educator in 2021/22 will see capitation increase by at least 9.5% through the Core Funding base rate. This is before any potential Graduate Manager Premium is awarded to the service, which is worth an additional €2,530.80 for one ECCE session. In addition, any provision offered outside of the 15 ECCE hours per week will further increase Core Funding income to the service.
ECCE services with a graduate lead educator will almost all see increases in income, although it may be smaller proportionally given the significant level of funding available under the old funding model.
A very small percentage of services will see no increase. These are larger ECCE-only services – with 20+ children in a session. In 2021/2022, ECCE sessional services with 22 children received income of €1,829.30 per week under ECCE higher capitation and PSP. This is being matched in Core Funding. I have issued a Funding Guarantee in order to ensure that no service will see a decrease in funding. Very few services require this Funding Guarantee.
A full comparison of income under the previous funding model (ECCE standard/higher capitation plus PSP) and the new funding model (ECCE standard capitation plus Core Funding) is published online at www.first5fundingmodel.gov.ie/core-funding/.
In Budget 2023, an additional €28 million was secured to increase the Core Funding allocation to €287 million for Year 2 of the Scheme. I have committed €4 million of that additional allocation in Year 2 to remove the 3-year experience rule for graduate premiums (subject to an amendment to the EROs) with the remaining €24 million to introduce other developments to the Scheme. Further interrogation of the new Core Funding application data is required in order to most effectively design developments in Year 2 of the scheme.
Budget 2023 allocates €1,025m to early learning and childcare – a clear demonstration from Government of the value of the sector. I am committed to working with Partner Services delivering early learning and childcare for the public good.
1234. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of dietitian posts allocated to the 2 CDNTs in South Tipperary; the numbers of those posts vacant; if there are any plans to fill those vacancies with agency staff until the posts have been filled; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17028/23]
View answerAs this refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1235. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of dietitian posts allocated to the 12 CDNTs covering the southeast; how many of those are vacant as of 31 March 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17029/23]
View answerAs this refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1236. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he plans to increase the rate of the after-school childcare scheme given the ongoing cost-of-living crisis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17070/23]
View answerThe After-School Childcare Scheme was closed to new entrants in February 2020. It was replaced by the National Childcare Scheme and I will speak to the issues in this context.
On 15 September, I launched Together for Better, the new funding model for early learning and childcare and school aged childcare. This new funding model supports the delivery of early learning and childcare for the public good, for quality and affordability for children, parents and families as well as stability and sustainability for providers. Together for Better brings together three major programmes, the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme, including the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM), the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) and the new Core Funding scheme.
Core Funding, which began in September 2022, is the new funding stream worth €259 million in full year costs to start the partnership for the public good between the State and providers. Its primary purpose is to improve pay and conditions in the sector as a whole and improve affordability for parents as well as ensuring a stable income to providers.
Core Funding allows for substantial increases in the total cost base for the sector, related both to pay and non-pay costs, without additional costs being passed on to parents. Core Funding introduces fee management, which in year one is a fee freeze, where providers cannot increase the fees charged from last September 2021. This ensures that parents’ costs do not increase and that the increased National Childcare Scheme subsidies are fully felt by parents. 94% of services have now signed up to Core Funding.
The NCS provides financial support to help parents meet the cost of childcare. It is available to families with children aged between 24 weeks and 15 years who are attending any participating Tusla registered childcare service, including any Tusla registered school-age childcare services, and any Tusla registered childminder.
The scheme has been substantially expanded in recent months. Arising from Budget 22, eligibility for the universal subsidy has been extended from under 3 (or pre-ECCE) to all children under 15 years old from September 2022. The income assessed subsidy was already available for that cohort.
Under Budget 23, and with effect from January 2023, the universal subsidy was increased from 50c to €1.40. Income assessed applicants also saw increases depending on their current income level.
Budget 2023 allocates €1.025 billion to early learning and childcare – a clear demonstration from Government of the value of the sector. Together for Better aims to transform the sector and I committed to working with Partner Services delivering early learning and childcare for the public good.
