Vol. 1029 No. 5
65. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the actions that his Department has taken to address disadvantage in early years and childcare settings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56883/22]
My first question is to ask the Minister about the actions his Department has taken to address disadvantage in early years and childcare settings and if he will make a statement on the matter. I will expand further in my later time.
I am committed to tackling disadvantage through high-quality early learning and childcare that is affordable and accessible. The early childhood care and education, ECCE, programme, which enjoys uptake rates in excess of 95%, has removed barriers to accessing preschool education. Data from the Growing Up in Ireland survey show that more than 60% of low income families would not have been able to send their child to preschool without this programme.
In addition, the national childcare scheme, NCS, through a combination of universal and targeted subsidies as well as sponsorship arrangements for vulnerable children, is substantially reducing the out-of-pocket early learning and childcare costs for families. The highest levels of subsidies are available to families on the lowest incomes. Record numbers of children of more than 93,000 are currently benefiting from the NCS. Some 38,000 more children are benefiting now than this time last year. Moreover, the number of providers offering the NCS has increased by more than 10% as a result of the contractual conditions underpinning the new core funding scheme.
Evidence attests to the effectiveness of the NCS. Recent OECD data show that Ireland's performance in supporting families and particularly lone-parent families with the cost of early learning and childcare is markedly improving, with the country having the greatest reduction in early learning and childcare costs to families across the EU over the period 2019 to 2021. In 2021, net childcare costs as a share of the households net income for lone parents on low income fell below the EU average. The data do not take account of significant enhancements I introduced to the NCS under budget 2023 that kicked in from 1 November last, nor do they include the impacts of core funding and the freeze.
In line with a commitment in First 5, officials in my Department are progressing the development of a new strand of funding, tackling disadvantage, whereby services will be provided with a proportionate mix of universal and targeted supports to support children and families accessing their services. Officials will soon engage with stakeholders on this work and pilot the provision of a hot meals programme in early learning and childcare as one potential support.
The final comment about the new strand of funding is very important. I tabled this question because we were contacted last week by people when they heard the announcement of €54.5 million in funding to tackle disadvantage. While the funding is welcome, talk of a garden at the Bloom festival angered some people. I am talking about a very good and committed early learning and early years sector that has been very much engaged and that welcomed the core funding. Some of these people have been at this for years and are among those we spoke about when there was a welcome change in the hours for ECCE and when schools hours were taken into account. Will the Minister expand on the new strand of funding? Is it separate from the €54.5 million? Some very good and positive people with great solutions are engaged in this. It would be really beneficial for the Department to speak to them if there is to be engagement with the sector.
I am not sure about that €54.5 million. I ask that the Deputy clarify what that is because it is not from my Department. I would probably know if there was €54 million coming out.
I do not think it is from the Minister's Department.
The sum is not linked to tackling disadvantage. It is separate from that. We have a work programme. I recognised the issue of wraparound hours very early on and, in fairness, the Deputy raised it with me. We acted on it in our first budget. The two most recent budgets have focused on core funding and the delivery of NCS investment, which, I think we all agree, is welcome. We need to work on two other issues of priority for me, that is, the tackling disadvantage strand and seeing whether we can broaden the access and inclusion model, AIM. They are very important issues. My officials will be engaging with relevant stakeholders including many of the people about whom the Deputy has spoken with regard to how we can properly design the tackling disadvantage strand and how it will operate.
I welcome what the Minister said about AIM, even though it was not part of the question. The service is vital and we often hear asked whether it can be expanded. There is a need in some sectors and it depends on the area. There is considerable disadvantage in some areas where parents of 90% of the children attending may not be in employment and there are various issues. Additional funding is very important. Elements of the core funding are very welcome, but some people think that the older model, the community childcare subvention plus, CCSP, may have been slightly more beneficial for the disadvantaged. Is there a way to combine or look at additional funding for disadvantage? That is the answer. Is there a timeframe for when it will be commenced? The Minister may have spoken about one and I missed it. Is the hot meals programme the Minister spoke about a pilot project? We would welcome such a pilot in Carlow-Kilkenny if the Minister wished to try a pilot out there.
The hot meals programme is a pilot, but I do not think we will be able to universally apply the programme in its first year. Hot meals are provided where children are in services for the full day. However, this programme will look at children in sessional services such as three-hour services to make sure that they get a hot meal such as breakfast or lunch. I referenced AIM because it has targeted levels of support, recognising that not every service needs the same level of support. Our tackling disadvantage scheme will be closer to that than the delivering equality of opportunity in schools, DEIS, model. The DEIS model is kind of all or nothing whereas AIM recognises some children in some schools need considerable support and others need some support. We should design our disadvantage scheme in that way. We will work on it over the coming year. There is more work to be done. The scheme is not ready to roll out right now but the work is starting. It will be a valuable addition to our supports for services and especially for children.
66. Deputy Verona Murphy asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the date on which his Department will take control of community specialist disability functions, including children’s disability network teams; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56996/22]
On what date will the Department take control of the community specialist disability functions, including the children's disability network teams?
In announcing the formation of Government, the Taoiseach announced his intention to have the co-ordination of disability-related issues handled by a Minister for the first time. The location of disability equality policy, which had previously been in the Department of Justice, and specialist community-based disability services in a single Department will facilitate strategic policy development, including implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, UNCRPD, which Ireland ratified in 2018, as well as the significant reforms envisioned under the transforming lives programme.
Under the convention, and following the transfer of the equality function, my Department is both the national focal point and the co-ordinating mechanism for implementation of the UNCRPD. Consolidation of the disability function represents a significant opportunity to progress further the realisation of the convention in Ireland.
This is a significant transfer of functions, both from the point of view of improving services for persons with a disability and from the perspective of both Departments. My priority has always been to ensure that the transfer can happen in a seamless and effective way so that services are maintained and enhanced and all appropriate governance and financial arrangements are properly put in place.
At this time, our two Departments, working with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the HSE, are finalising financial governance arrangements, which were the final elements that needed to be addressed. We will look to bring a memo to Government shortly to finalise the date.
As I said, it is a significant transfer of functions. A budget of €2.4 billion is transferring from the Department of Health to my Department, with the responsibility for many crucial services, such as residential services and children's disability network teams. All of those will continue to be operated by the HSE but accountability will be within my Department. It has taken too long. We all recognise that. We are close to the end of that process now and to a situation where it will fully transfer to my Department.
I thank the Minister. I concur with everything he has said about why we are doing this. The reality is that it is hugely disappointing, as it was mooted to happen last July, then September. I found out that it had not happened when the Minister's Department appeared in front of the Committee of Public Accounts and I was informed it was not any closer because there were still things to be ironed out. I met CHO 5 last week. It contains the children's disability network team in my area. It is haemorrhaging staff because of the lack of organisation. I keep hearing that there is no issue with funding. It is extraordinary to hear that there is no issue with funds but that we do not have the staff. The staff that we do have within CHO 5 have come to the conclusion that the CDNT does not work. That is concerning because there are myriad problems. There is a haemorrhaging of staff and patients are on waiting lists of up to three years.
I share the Deputy's frustration. She is on the Committee of Public Accounts. One of the key reasons that this has gone slowly is that after this transfer, for the first time, the HSE will be reporting to two masters. It will be accountable to the Department of Health for €20 billion of its budget and to our Department for €2.4 billion. I want to be able to ensure that, in next year's budget, the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, and I get an extra €50 million to get people out of residential care. I want to be able to ensure that I can see where that money goes within the HSE and where we get an outcome from it. The Deputy wants to see that too in the Committee of Public Accounts. Up to this point, it has not been clear how that line of sight will be put in place. We want to put that in place so that when the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, and I advocate for those improvements, we can see the delivery. It is slower. I share the Deputy's frustration but I believe we are close to achieving that and will see that transfer soon. I may speak about CDNTs in my next reply because I know that is important to the Deputy.
There is a specific issue involving a mother of three children. They are all autistic, one severely so. He is only 11. She is the mother of 15-year-old twins but the 11-year-old is essentially ruling the roost. This mother is a lone parent. She needs co-ordination of all the services but there is nothing. She does not have anybody. She should have a co-ordination officer. She is dealing with three children. She has CDNT, child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS, Tusla and doctors, but she is engaging with none of them because she does not have the energy or mental capacity because her 11-year-old has great need of services and she is not getting them. The CDNT is not able to provide them. There is complete failure in the system. My concerns are not about money because their concerns are not about money, but about staff to provide the services. It does not hold that there is no concern about money because if we were paying enough, we would have the staff. It may not be quite as simple as that but it should be.
The Deputy is correct that staffing is a key issue but I also think engagement with parents and how the relationship between the HSE and parents is managed is an issue. In far too many areas, whether in Wexford or Dublin 15, there is an intensely confrontational environment. Parents have become frustrated because they have been let down. We need to change that. The Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, and I have been working on this progressing disability services roadmap. We recognise that CDNTs are in place and that they work in parts of the country but not in other parts, primarily because of the staffing issues. This has been led by the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, in particular. She has prioritised getting staff in the short term as well as in the long term so that we have a better supply of occupational therapists, speech and language therapists and psychologists coming in. That will involve looking at college places and master's degree courses in the long term and, in the short term, getting these skills added to the critical skills list was an important step taken by the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte. She has changed the system so that some UK, Welsh and Northern Irish qualifications can be recognised foreign qualifications here so that those people can practise here. All of that will be set out in the roadmap.
67. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his views on HIQA inspections of IPAS-contracted properties; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56884/22]
What are the Minister's views on Health Information and Quality Authority, HIQA, inspections of international protection accommodation service, IPAS, contracted properties? Will he make a statement on the matter? The context of this question is the rapid expansion of such properties, given the massive increase in the number of international protection applicants and people arriving in the country under the temporary protection directive.
A commitment was made in the programme for Government to replace the current system of accommodation for international protection applicants with a new model based on a not-for-profit approach. As the Deputy knows, I published a White Paper on Ending Direct Provision in February last year. This White Paper outlines the new model of accommodation, particularly the supports that will be offered to applicants for international protection. It was the result of an extensive engagement process across Government and State agencies and also with former residents of direct provision centres and NGOs active in that sector.
The Government intends for HIQA to monitor international protection accommodation service, IPAS, centres against national standards as part of transitional arrangements for moving to the new model. It is important that compliance with the national standards should be measured through on-site assessment. Independent monitoring is a vital tool for the adequate provision of accommodation supports. This will enable the Government to evaluate the current state of play critically and make informed improvements as needed. HIQA's experience and expertise in the area of inspections is extensive, which is why we chose it.
Ahead of commencing inspections of all permanent centres, HIQA will conduct a series of pilot inspections. It is envisaged that the first of these pilot inspections will take place before the end of this year. That will begin the process of HIQA building up its own expertise regarding how the inspection of international protection accommodation centres will begin. The full roll-out of the programme will start early next year.
We have engaged extensively with HIQA over the last years. It wants an additional budget and additional staff to undertake this additional role. That has been secured. We have also worked with the Office of the Attorney General to ensure that there is a clear legal basis for these inspections to take place. In the meantime, as the Deputy knows, centres continue to be inspected three times each year, twice by officials from my Department and at least once by QTS, an independent inspection company.
I thank the Minister. Our obligation to vulnerable people does not change. I know that some of these centres were temporary rather than permanent but some temporary centres have been in operation for four years. It is clear that many people will be in these centres for a long time. I was glad to hear the other day that people who are living in tents in the Tralee area will be moved. I am not sure whether they have been moved yet. There are different categories. People who are living in tents should be subject to inspection as well as those who are lucky enough to have own-door accommodation. I am glad that the roll-out will commence before the end of the year. It is welcome because, having met with the Irish Refugee Council, it had serious concerns about the most vulnerable international protection applicants, particularly children.
As the Minister knows, many of the properties would fail the most basic of standards. Adherence to the legally binding standards for permanent operators has not been perfect either. It has all been very ad hoc to date. The experience in the United Kingdom gives rise to great concern.
The Deputy indicated that many of the properties would fail standards. Let us see how these inspections proceed because, as I said, HIQA will be supporting the properties it engages with in terms of setting out what the standards. There is going to be a supportive process to ensure that properties we are providing meet the standards HIQA is monitoring.
The Deputy is correct that everyone in tented accommodation will be moved out of it in the next few weeks. That is something everyone will welcome. Some 310 people have been in tented accommodation over the past number of months. As well as the reassurance provided by having HIQA involved in an inspection process of the direct provision centres, I have also discussed bringing in additional inspection support with my Department. Perhaps we will beef up the independent inspectorate company operation we use at the moment in recognition of the fact that a much larger number of centres are being used for accommodation right now in the context of both international protection and Ukraine. We need to ensure that we have the capacity to get out to see what is happening and to proactively and responsibly engage in respect of issues that arise.
I thank the Minister for the reply. We welcome the not-for-profit approach recommended in the White Paper and will give the Minister every support in trying to move to that model. There has obviously been much outsourcing of this accommodation. It is not ideal that some accommodation providers are listing categories of people they will take and categories of people they do not want to take. The Department should perhaps be stronger. In light of the amount of remuneration the providers are obtaining, their preconditions should be limited as much as possible. If there is going to be this level of outsourcing, albeit mostly temporarily, the State must ensure accountability and proper standards. Humane treatment makes this possible and it is to be hoped the inspections will ensure compliance as opposed to perhaps uncovering some uncomfortable truths that may be out there.
That is why it is important that the Department has the capacity to proactively undertake inspections in respect of international protection accommodation and accommodation for people from Ukraine and to be able to react where a complaint is raised in order that we can go out and respond to it. That is why, as well as bringing in HIQA, I am also looking to further extend our inspection capacity. That can provide a degree of reassurance to everybody.
As the Deputy says, we have very significant reliance on the private sector now. That is a consequence of the war in Ukraine and the subsequent impact it has had on the numbers of international protection applicants arriving in Ireland. The Deputy is right that it is not ideal and not the situation we want to be in. One of the things I will be looking towards, especially on the international protection side of things, is increasing State capacity to accommodate people and increasing State accommodation where we have absolute control over the type of accommodation and the standards being delivered. We are particularly looking at the type of phase 1 reception and integration centres outlined in the White Paper.
68. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he or officials from his Department have engaged with Fáilte Ireland, an organisation (details supplied) or the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media to discuss concerns relating to the volume of hotels being used to accommodate international protection applicants or persons arriving from Ukraine; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57037/22]
My position on the issue of housing those seeking international protection and those fleeing Ukraine has been absolutely consistent, namely, that in responding to an international crisis, we must not create a domestic one. Unfortunately, this is clearly what is happening with the accommodation of applicants in a vast number of hotels and bed and breakfast establishments throughout this State. I seek the Minister's views on this matter. I also wish to know the level of engagement he has had with the representative bodies from the tourism sector.
I am cognisant of the potential impact on the tourism industry arising from the number of contracts my Department has entered into to meet our responsibility to provide accommodation to beneficiaries of the temporary protection directive and international protection. Regular meetings take place between my officials and the relevant Department and Fáilte Ireland to share learnings and discuss ideas as we continue to respond to the challenge of procuring enough accommodation to meet demand. My Department is grateful for the support of those in this sector in responding to date to this unprecedented challenge. The tourism sector has been magnificent in the support it has offered. Communities across the country have welcomed those from Ukraine in their time of need.
My Department is very aware of the concerns shared by some communities regarding the absence of tourists in some areas, now and into the future, and the consequent impact on local spending. To respond to these and other issues, we continue to work alongside Fáilte Ireland and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media as part of the whole-of-government response to the crisis in order to ensure that key stakeholders have a place in terms of the senior officials group and are able to engage with us on accommodation solutions.
As the Deputy knows, the Government is committed to delivering accommodation solutions beyond serviced accommodation, including delivering the refurbished buildings strand, the forthcoming new vacant homes call and modular accommodation. We must recognise - and the Deputy referenced it - that all of this is happening in the context of a war in Europe. This is the biggest humanitarian challenge Europe has faced since the Second World War and the biggest humanitarian challenge our country has ever faced. Even though it might not get top billing on the news every night, 6,500 civilians, tens of thousands of soldiers and 400 children have been killed in Ukraine. That is why we are experiencing these difficulties. We should always bear that in mind in our discussion of these issues.
Rather than potential issues happening, these are real issues that are already becoming a crisis. Some 76% of hotels are being used. Yesterday, there was an article in The Irish Times on a report by the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation, ITIC, which states that the tourism industry is warning of a potential €1 billion cost if refugee numbers in hotels and bed and breakfasts continue to rise. It was also reported industry will call on Government to reduce the proportion of tourism accommodation being used to house refugees from Ukraine and elsewhere to between 12% and 15%. Has that call been made? If so, has it been communicated to the Department? The Minister stated that there has been engagement, so I would like to know if that call has been made. This is an absolute crisis. Real issues are there already - not potential ones. One of the most, if not the most, important economic sectors is being radically undermined by the wholesale takeover of hotels. As indicted in The Irish Times, the report notes:
... the Republic is 'an outlier' in Europe in the depth of its reliance on tourism beds for refugees, and warns the reduced capacity for tourists is damaging the industry [...] Currently, it says, almost 22 per cent of tourism accommodation is used by the State for refugees from Ukraine and elsewhere. Itic wants this cut to 12-15 per cent ...
Would the Minister be in favour of that? That would be a proportionate and fair response. There are limitations to everything, unfortunately.
The Deputy referred to 76% of hotel beds being used, but only 22% or 23% of hotel beds are being used for Ukrainians at the moment.
What report is that from?
Those are the figures we get from Tourism Ireland. It is 22% or 23%, not 76%.
For all tourism facilities, including hotels, bed and breakfast establishments and guesthouses, the figure I have is 76%.
That is not accurate.
The Deputy should allow the Minister to answer.
That is fine. I am sorry. I just wanted to tease that out.
The Deputy is right that it is good for us to be clear on these things. I accept that there is a challenge for the tourism industry here. I absolutely understand it. We are looking to diversify where we are accommodating displaced persons from Ukraine. That is why we are bringing modular accommodation, vacant homes and the refurbishment of homes into play. That will operate to support diversification and a move away from the reliance on hotel accommodation. Work in this regard is ongoing. It is important to remember that the reason this pressure is being put on the tourism sector and other sectors is because women and children are dying in Ukraine each day. All over Europe, there is pressure happening as a result of this war.
On the figure I gave of 76% of all Ukrainian refugees being accommodated in tourism facilities, that figure was supplied by the by the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation, ITIC. On the overall point, does the Minister believe it is right when March comes around and when the hotel beds and accommodation will be needed that we will have a situation where we could have more people and more than likely will have more people homeless? The Minister is talking about helping people but he is not helping them if they are going to end up with nowhere come March. That is not helping people. It is all well and good and the Minister can give the political rhetoric and the message - I am all for helping by the way - but we are being overrun. The figure is expected to rise to 70,000 refugees by winter time. Where are they all going to go? We are all compassionate people here but we need to get real and there needs to be a sense of proportion and a reasonable response that does not create a crisis and there is a crisis in the making here.
I thank the Deputy. It is indicative of the real fears which Ukrainians have that they will make this journey here irrespective of the uncertainty of the accommodation situation they will have when they arrive here. It is indicative of their fears for themselves and for their families that they do so because they are in a wartime situation. There are missiles falling on civilian targets all over Ukraine and that is why people come here, even if they end up in tented accommodation in Gormanston or sometimes sleeping on camp beds, and see that as a preferable choice. We have to bear that in mind.
On the figure mentioned by the Deputy, I had thought that she had said 75% of all hotel beds were being used. My apologies for that as I misinterpreted what she said. The figure on the total number of hotel beds is 22% to 23%.
Undoubtedly there is pressure here, as there is in other parts of society but there is pressure on every European country right now. President Vladimir Putin is using refugees as one of the weapons in his war to try to unsettle us and undermine support for Ukraine and we cannot allow him to win in that context.
69. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the levels of co-operation that his Department has had from other Government Departments and local authorities to assist with providing accommodation for Ukrainian refugees; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57250/22]
This question is to ascertain what actual support is being given on the ground from other Departments to the Minister’s Department to provide for the urgent housing needs of Ukrainian refugees and for refugees seeking international protection, who I also should have mentioned in this question, because that is vitally important.
I thank the Deputy for this question. The operational challenges in responding to conflict are very significant and all Departments and agencies contribute to meeting the welfare needs and integration of Ukrainian displaced persons into communities. As a country, we have responded well in assisting those and we will continue to work across Government to do that. As the Deputy will know, the Department of the Taoiseach chairs a senior officials group, SOG, who meet weekly to consider all issues to do with the accommodation and the wider supports for Ukrainian displaced persons.
At the Citywest hub, the Departments of Justice and Social Protection both have officials in place and have that initial engagement in the provision of PPS numbers and a letter. The Department of Social Protection has a dedicated webpage for those arriving under the temporary protection directive. The information is comprehensive and addresses public services, income supports and getting a payment, and is available in both Russian and Ukrainian.
There are HSE personnel on site in Citywest and they assist with medical matters for both Ukrainians and international protection applicants on site. There is also a whole-of-government website dedicated to information for Ukrainians arriving here.
Local authorities are playing a major role, are standing up emergency rest centres around the country and have organised the Ukraine community fora around the country in bringing together statutory services on a countywide basis so that they can support Ukrainians living there. They have also been very involved in the pledged process in moving Ukrainians living in that particular area into pledged accommodation.
We also had engagement with the Department of Defence in securing sites for additional accommodation.
On international protection, we work closely with the Department of Justice. The International Protection Office makes a determination on international protection applicants and Tusla, which is an agency within my Department, will work closely with, in particular, unaccompanied minors, be they from Ukraine or from another country who are seeking the help of the international protection system.
That is a nice high-level overview of the situation but does not relate significantly to the reality on the ground. There are big problems. For example, in Ballybofey, the asylum seekers being housed there have no GP services available to them because they have no PPS numbers. There were moved up to Donegal without these numbers having been applied for, which means that they are using hospital and ambulance services because are no doctors available. That is a shocking situation for them to be in. This is also happening with Ukrainian refugees in Buncrana and Carndonagh where they are using ambulance services because they have no doctors available. Very quickly, word goes out to the community that the refugees and asylum seekers are getting better access to these services, but that is because they have no access and have to use the services this way.
We then have a situation also where schoolchildren will be receiving school transport and these services are not meeting the needs. We also had a case in Killybegs recently where somebody had to support and pay for the school transport to enable the Ukrainian children to attend school.
There may be high-level agreements which are working well at that level but it does not seem to be translating down to the ground and that needs to be addressed.
I will follow up on the specific issue of the PPS numbers. I have always recognised that the scale of the challenge and increase in international protection, IP, numbers is putting pressure on the system. One cannot have that number of people arrive in a country in a crisis situation without pressures. There will be times when the system will not work as quickly as it should. I understand that and it causes frustration both for those Ukrainian and international protection applicants who are not receiving services as quickly as they should. It creates frustrations for everybody else as well.
If we look at the situation in Berlin, thousands of people are being housed in tents there, for example, because that is a pressure that is being put on there. I spoke to the Scottish Minister and they are also under very significant pressure there. Scotland is a country which wants to support people, unlike, perhaps, other parts of the United Kingdom. There are and will continue to be pressures and we will continue to work across Government on how best to identify and rectify them as we go on. Where Deputies raise these issues with me, I will do my best to smooth them out.
I understand that there will be pressures because of the unprecedented situation but there are also pressures for people trying to live in the areas and it is very difficult for international protection residents and Ukrainians who are coming here. A basic thing like a PPS number allows them to get a medical card and GP services in an area. This is very basic and nobody should end up in an area who does not have a PPS number. Surely, with computerisation and everything else, PPS numbers can be issued to people reasonably quickly. I received a response back from the HSE saying that it expects that it could take months before a PPS number will be registered and given to these people, which means that it could take months before they can apply for a medical card. When they apply for a medical card it may then, equally, take months before that medical card will be granted. That is untidy and should not be happening. I know that there are difficulties but I do not believe that those things should be presenting difficulties. I thank the Minister.
There is nothing that the Deputy has said there that I can disagree with. I am happy to look into that and to see what we can do to expedite the process in that particular situation. Following up on this issue, and I do not need to tell the Deputy this, but the reason we are under pressure is because of the scale of the war and of its ongoing nature. Many of us in this House thought that our response would be a short-term one over a number of weeks. That is not the case and even when we see Ukrainian forces in the ascent in many parts of the country, we continue to see Russia’s ability to target the civilian population. I am not a dad but we can think about any mum and dad making the calculation as to whether they will go back, want to go home and re-establish their family. If there is a risk of a missile or drone landing, however, one can see why many will make the calculation to stay here, difficult as it is.
I am not questioning the policy here.
I understand that the Deputy is not. I will follow up on the specific point of the PPS numbers raised by the Deputy.
