Written Answers Nos. 347-357
347. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the steps a person should take who wants to divulge a historic child abuse case, that took place in a Dublin boys home in the 1970s; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5283/23]
View answerAny person who has been impacted by child abuse, whether neglect, physical, sexual or emotional abuse, including retrospective cases of abuse should contact their local Tusla social work office. Child abuse is a crime, and should also be reported to An Garda Síochána. Contact details for all Tusla social work offices are listed on Tusla's website, tusla.ie.
Statutory and operational responsibility for the delivery of child protection and welfare services is a matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency.
I wish to advise that the Children First Act 2015 provides for a number of key child protection measures, including raising awareness of child abuse and neglect, providing for mandated reporting of child protection concerns and improving child protection arrangements in organisations providing services to children.
348. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if his attention has been drawn to the case of a preschool (details supplied) whose staff have been advised that they will have no access to their current accommodation from September 2023; and if there is any support or assistance available from her Department to ensure that the school can remain open. [5304/23]
View answerMy Department funds a national network of County Childcare Committees (CCC) who can provide support to services, both private and community, where they are at risk of losing their premises and can provide assistance to identify alternative premises. In the event that no alternative premises are found, then the CCC can work with the provider and parents to secure alternative placements for families. The CCC should be the first point of contact for any service seeking support. Decisions about the day-to-day running of early learning and childcare services, including choice of location, any contracts or leases for premises and any decision to close is ultimately a matter for the provider. I note in this instance that the South Dublin County Childcare Committee have been and continue to work closely with the service concerned.
In September, I was pleased to announce the Building Blocks – Improvement Grant, a €9m Capital Grant for the Early Learning and Childcare Sector.
Grants will range from €35,000 to €75,000 across two separate strands: Green Energy and Retrofit. The Green Energy Strand will support the Climate Action Agenda and the Programme for Government, which aim to transition to a carbon neutral economy by the end of 2050 and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 51% by 2030.
Services that sign up for the Core Funding Scheme are eligible for funding under for the Building Blocks - Capital Programme. The closing date for this scheme was 16th December last and applicants will be advised of the outcome in March of this year.
The Building Blocks - Improvement Grant is part of a wider Building Blocks Capital Programme for Early Learning and Childcare under the National Development Plan. It is designed to meet current and long-term Early Learning and Childcare infrastructure needs – with details of a €45m Building Blocks - Capacity Grant and a €15m Building Blocks - Innovation Grant to be announced in the coming months. Consideration may be given to the provision of capital funding for the establishment of new services under the Capacity Grant.
The Department of Education in consultation with representatives of schools has drafted Guidelines on the use of School Buildings Outside of School Hours to guide schools in the use of school facilities for other services, including early learning and childcare services. The guidelines are clear that the issue is a matter for the property owners taking into consideration the needs of the school, staff and students. The guidelines also require that any licence should include a term that the use of facility/portion of site covered by the licence must cease should it be required for school provision.
The guidelines are available here:
www.education.ie/en/Publications/Policy-Reports/guidelines-on-the-use-of-school-buildings-outside-of-school-hours.pdf .
These guidelines are not intended to be exhaustive or prescriptive but are provided to assist schools in considering applications for the use of their facilities.
In line with First 5, the Department of Education is to conduct a survey of a representative sample of schools on the use of school facilities for early learning and care and school-age childcare services. Work on this survey will commence in the coming weeks. The results of this survey will be used to inform a review of the Guidelines on the use of School Buildings outside of School Hours.
349. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the status of outstanding payments for commercial accommodation for Ukrainian refugees (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5341/23]
View answerMy Department has engaged over 700 properties to provide accommodation for Ukrainian Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection. In line with my Department’s commitment to substantially clear the backlog at the end of 2022, the Department temporarily re-assigned staff from other parts of the Department to the payments team in December, doubling the size of the payments unit. The enlarged team approved more than 100 million euros worth of payments.
My Department is prioritising maintaining a practice of more timely payments, including providing more resources to address any issues. Any delays in making payments are deeply regretted and my Department is according this issue very high priority.
I am advised by my officials that payment has issued for November regarding the party referred to. Payments in respect of December, January and February have been processed with payment to issue shortly.
350. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if there are any circumstances where Tusla can apply for citizenship for children in foster care; if it is included in upcoming legislation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5344/23]
View answerThe granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation or other routes is governed by the provisions of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended, which operates under the aegis of the Department of Justice. I am informed that applications for citizenship are made and processed in line with the criteria as set out under that Act. Consequently, any queries in relation to the process for making such an application, including who may make such an application, are primarily a matter for that Department.
Any proposals to amend the legislation relating to naturalisation or citizenship would also be a matter for the Department of Justice. However, my Department’s review of the Child Care Act 1991, which is currently underway, could provide an opportunity for that Department to progress any such amendments to their legislation.
Detailed information on Irish citizenship and the naturalisation process, along with the relevant application forms and guidance notes, is available on the Department of Justice’s Irish Immigration website at: www.irishimmigration.ie/how-to-become-a-citizen/
351. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if the attention of Tusla has been drawn to the school safety plan in place for children (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5406/23]
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.
352. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No. 272 of 26 January 2023, if he will review a matter (details supplied) and ensure that the transport needed is provided to a student. [5408/23]
View answerDeputy, my officials will require more time to receive information from the referred service provider in order to answer this school bus transport related query. My officials will contact the Deputy with the details as soon as it is possible.
Deputy, I trust this information clarifies the matter.
353. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will provide details of the areas in Limerick city and county where the proposed modular homes are to be built, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5418/23]
View answerOn the 28 June 2022, the Government approved the construction of 500 rapid build accommodation units with the potential to house up to 2,000 individuals in four person family units to address the need to develop capacity for accommodating Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTP) displaced by the war in Ukraine. A further government decision on the 28 October 2022 expanded the programme and a further 200 units will be delivered, housing up to 2,800 people in localities across the country.
The Office of Public Works (OPW) is leading on the design, development and delivery of any accommodation to be produced through rapid build construction, including associated site enabling works on available and suitable State land. My Department is the Approving Authority for the Programme and has responsibility for the ownership of these rapid build homes and their future use.
The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage sought information from public authorities on potential sites in their ownership which might be suitable for the installation of rapid build units. On foot of the responses received, that Department provided a shorter list of potentially suitable sites to DCEDIY and OPW.
The department is currently rolling out the first phase of the programme of rapid build homes with sites identified in Cork, Cavan, Tipperary, Sligo and Claremorris. The timeframe for the installation of the rapid build homes has recently been recalibrated in the light of experience to date with evaluation and assessment of the suitability of sites, engagement with representatives of communities located adjacent to sites and the timescale for the manufacture of the homes required.
Accordingly, it is now expected these homes will start to be installed on a phased basis during February 2023 as site enabling works across a range of locations are completed. Further engagement will take place in the coming weeks regarding the next Phase of sites and communities will be notified when their location is under consideration in the next Phase.
For further information on the project please see attached link to a gov.ie webpage www.gov.ie/en/publication/ef882-rapid-build-housing/
354. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the steps being taken to trace the three unaccompanied minors who remain unaccounted for, having disappeared from the care of Tusla in 2022; if he will outline the location and when these children disappeared; the type of accommodation involved; the steps he is taking to prohibit the use of hotels, bed and breakfast accommodation, or rented accommodation for such asylum seekers, given the hundreds of unaccompanied minors who disappeared without trace in the previous two decades prior to the cessation of the policy of accommodating these children in hostel accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5453/23]
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.
355. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No. 289 of 19 January 2023, when he will establish a network of family contact centres to enable supervised meetings or handovers of children between parents who are no longer together or where domestic abuse has occurred; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5483/23]
View answerMy Department conducted a scoping exercise in 2019 following the publication of the Barnardos/ One Family Pilot Child Contact Centre Report.
As the Deputy is aware the Covid-19 pandemic significantly affected the manner and type of services provided by many public bodies. Due to this disruption information in the scoping review is now significantly out of date.
My Department continues to liaise with the Department of Justice and to consider the needs of children impacted by parental separation as a result of domestic abuse as part of the national 'Zero Tolerance' strategy.
Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, accepts child protection referrals regarding children who have witnessed or been affected by domestic abuse and conducts assessments where these referrals reach the appropriate threshold.
356. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will clarify the options available to a child (details supplied). [5522/23]
View answerThis is a matter for my cabinet colleague, the Minister for Education.
357. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the amount of funding allocated to the climate ready programme: talent for Ireland’s green economy, in 2021, 2022, and to date in 2023, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5363/23]
View answerOfficials in my Department are currently compiling information on this request and will forward it directly to the Deputy as soon as the information becomes available.
