Written Answers Nos. 572-591
572. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the amount paid by Tusla in each of its 17 service areas to lawyers representing GALs for each of the years 2015 to 2019 and to date in 2023. [30711/23]
View answerThe Deputy is referring to an operational matter for Tusla, as such I have referred this question to Tusla to reply directly to the Deputy.
573. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the amount paid by Tusla on legal fees in each year for the past five years in each of the 17 service areas; and the amount that has been spent on lawyers representing GALs in each of the years 2015 to 2019 and to date in 2023. [30712/23]
View answerThe Deputy is referring to an operational matter for Tusla, as such I have referred this question to Tusla to reply directly to the Deputy.
574. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of asylum seekers in the State who are unaccompanied minors; the number which are in State care or fostering; and the number residing in direct provision centres and the number who are homeless. [30713/23]
View answerStatutory and operational responsibility for the delivery of child protection and welfare services is a matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. The Deputy is seeking information in relation to an operational matter for Tusla. Consequently, I have referred the matter to Tusla, and requested that a direct response be provided to the Deputy.
575. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of persons living in direct provision who were previously in foster care in this State. [30714/23]
View answerAs this relates to Tusla operational matters, the question has been forwarded to Tusla for direct reply to the Deputy.
577. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of children that died while in the care of the State in each of the past ten years, and to date in 2023; and the details of the cause of death or suspected cause of death in each case. [30716/23]
View answerAs this relates to Tusla operational matters, the question has been forwarded to Tusla for direct reply to the Deputy.
578. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of children that have died in State care in each of the years 2015 to 2019 and to date in 2023, by age, geographical location and cause of death. [30717/23]
View answerAs this relates to Tusla operational matters, the question has been forwarded to Tusla for direct reply to the Deputy.
579. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of persons that were engaging with Tusla or that Tusla had identified as at risk, who suffered a violent attack or sexual assault after the point in time when Tusla had begun engaging with them or identified them as at risk in each of the past ten years and to date in 2023. [30718/23]
View answerAs this relates to Tusla operational matters, the question has been forwarded to Tusla for direct reply to the Deputy.
580. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of mothers of children in foster care and separately children in foster care that have died in each year since 2015 in each of Tusla's 17 service areas. [30719/23]
View answerAs this relates to Tusla operational matters, the question has been forwarded to Tusla for direct reply to the Deputy.
581. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of mothers of children in foster care that have died in each of the years 2015 to 2019 and to date in 2023; and the number of mothers that died in each of the 17 service areas of Tusla. [30720/23]
View answerAs this relates to Tusla operational matters, the question has been forwarded to Tusla for direct reply to the Deputy.
582. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of persons that were murdered or died under suspicious circumstances over the past ten years in the State that had previously engaged with Tusla or who Tusla had previously identified as at risk. [30721/23]
View answerAs this relates to Tusla operational matters, the question has been forwarded to Tusla for direct reply to the Deputy.
583. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will outline the purpose of a Tusla practice assurance and service monitoring team report; the number of PASM reports that Tusla has carried out since the agency was established; if he will list the primary pseudonym used in each report; the PASM reports that he has read or been briefed on since he took office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30722/23]
View answerStatutory and operational responsibility for the delivery of child protection and welfare services is a matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. The Deputy is seeking information in relation to an operational matter for Tusla. Consequently, I have referred the matter to Tusla, and requested that a direct response be provided to the Deputy.
584. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if financial supports are made available to businesses, including those providing healthcare (details supplied) where they provide such services to Ukrainian refugees; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30728/23]
View answerIreland has responded to the largest displacement of people on the European continent since the Second World War. Since February 2022, my Department has worked intensively as part of the cross-government humanitarian response to assist over 85,000 arrivals fleeing the war in Ukraine, including 63,000 that have sought accommodation from this Department.
Overseeing provision of accommodation on this scale during this timeframe for all those who require it remains immensely challenging. Due to the urgent need to source accommodation, my Department has contracted in excess of 49,000 beds to accommodate Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) in more than 800 settings including hotels, guesthouses, B&Bs, hostels, commercial self-catering accommodation and certain other repurposed settings.
The priority is to place people fleeing the war in safe and secure accommodation.
The matter of financial supports for business who provide services to Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTP) does not fall under the remit of my Department. My Department remit is the provision of suitable temporary accommodation for BOTP’s
585. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will continue to fund a bus service for young people to attend disability day services and training in Bantry, County Cork, until an alternative suitable public route is in place. [30766/23]
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.
586. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No. 992 of 21 March 2023, if an update is available on the scoping exercise undertaken by his Department to inform the development of a policy to address the needs of children and families in kinship care arrangements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30788/23]
View answerMy Department is currently in the final stages of completing the scoping exercise. This will identify the key issues and information required to inform the development of a policy specifically to address the needs of children and families in private care arrangements/informal kinship care in Ireland.
587. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if the recently announced education and training bursary scheme 2023-2024 is extended to individuals who are care experienced through kinship care arrangements; and if not, the reason this is the case. [30789/23]
View answerStatutory and operational responsibility for the delivery of child protection and welfare services is a matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. The Deputy is seeking information in relation to an operational matter for Tusla. Consequently, I have referred the matter to Tusla, and requested that a direct response be provided to the Deputy.
588. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his plans to tackle the lack of childcare spaces in the Dublin Bay north area; his plans to make childcare more affordable from September 2023; the number of childcare facilities in the Dublin Bay north area; the projected need for childcare spaces from 2023-2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30833/23]
View answerThe availability of high-quality early learning and childcare is a key Government priority. The Department monitors early learning and childcare capacity on an ongoing basis, with a particular focus on responding to the unmet early learning and childcare needs of families.
The annual data captured by Pobal on behalf of my Department - through the Early Years Sector Profile Survey - is one important data source that allows us to monitor supply and demand. In addition to this survey data, the Department also relies on data from the register of services held by Tusla, data provided by services as part of their application for Core Funding and has also conducted several surveys with parents. Since 2020, five parent surveys have been undertaken by Ipsos MRBI on behalf of the Department.
Data captured from the 2021/22 iteration of the Early Years Sector Profile, indicated that the vacancy rates among services in Dublin Bay North was 13% - lower than the average vacancy rates nationally. This data does not take account of increases in capacity since the introduction of Core Funding. Data collection for the 2022/23 Early Years Sector Profile will commence shortly and will give an updated position.
A series of steps are being taken to address issues of undersupply.
The network of 30 City/County Childcare Committees across the country are in a position to match children and families to services operating with vacant places and engage proactively with services to explore possibilities for expansion among services, particularly where there is unmet need.
Under the National Action Plan for Childminding, there is a commitment to open up access to the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) to parents who use childminders following the extension of regulation to childminders.
Some €70m has been allocated to my Department through the revised National Development Plan (NDP) – with the majority of this funding earmarked for new places.
My Department, in partnership with the Department of Housing Planning and Local Government, is in the process of updating the 2001 Planning Guidelines for Local Authorities on Early Learning and Childcare Settings. As part of this work, my Department has been included in the updated list of prescribed bodies that need to be notified on certain planning matters, including the formulation of County Development Plans and Local Area Plans.
In addition, Core Funding - introduced in September 2022 - has already proven to be effective in expanding capacity, particularly in areas of undersupply and additional funding secured in Budget 2023 for year two of Core Funding provides further opportunity to invest in 3% capacity growth.
Parents experiencing difficulty in relation to their early learning and childcare needs should contact their local City/County Childcare Committee (CCC) for assistance. Contact details for CCCs may be found on www.myccc.ie
589. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will address a matter in relation to the provision of a service for a child (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30835/23]
View answerAs the query relates to service matters, I am referring it to the HSE for direct response to the Deputy.
590. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of children aged zero to 18 years of age in each CHO, by individual area, awaiting first-time intervention in all areas of early intervention; the number on the public list; the number on the CDNT list in each CHO; and the length of time they are awaiting intervention, by age, in tabular form. [30841/23]
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.
591. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of times he has either met with or corresponded with managers of direct provision centres since he took office; and the dates on which these meeting or instances of correspondence occurred. [30891/23]
View answerMy officials will require more time to collate information regarding correspondence or meetings with managers of International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) accommodation centres and the dates these took place. My officials will contact the Deputy with the details as soon as it is possible.
