Parliamentary questions

Child and Family Agency Remit

Robert Troy

211. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he will extend statutory remit and responsibilities over service provision of Tusla, the Child and Family Agency; and the discussions he has had with other Departments in this regard. [3469/16]

Child and Family Agency Staff Recruitment

Robert Troy

130. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of new social workers Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, will recruit in 2016 further to its budget 2016 increase; the average cost of employing an entry grade social worker with the agency. [3420/16]

Early Childhood Care and Education

Robert Troy

300. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs further to Parliamentary Question No. 358 of 24 November 2015, the assumptions used to cost the additional expenditure required for an increase in capitation to providers of the early childhood care and education scheme; how many weeks of free preschool it was assumed that each of the 127,000 children would undertake to arrive at the €20 million full-year cost in 2017; if this cost estimate assumes that each child will undertake 61 weeks of preschool, the current 38 week provision plus his estimated average of 23 additional weeks of preschool; and if not, the reason. [2717/16]

Early Childhood Care Education

Robert Troy

113. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the full year cost in 2017 of increasing the capitation grant to the early childhood care and education scheme to €67.50 for the basic rate and to €78.50 for the higher rate. [2601/16]

Child Protection Services

Robert Troy

305. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs under the Child Care Act 1991, the number of staff available to undertake section 20 social work court reports, the number of social workers employed in section 20 departments and the number of section 20 reports by District Court, by area, for each of the years 2013 to 2015, in tabular form. [2163/16]

Child Care Qualifications

Robert Troy

306. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the status of the qualification issue for community employment participants and their use as part of the staffing ratios, further to our discussion at a recent quarterly meeting; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2319/16]

After-School Support Services

Robert Troy

398. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of children who participate in some form of centre-based after-school care and the details of any studies and reviews which his Department, or a body under its aegis, has undertaken to measure potential demand for after-school care places or any estimates of the level of need for a State subsidy for after-school care places. [46125/15]

Appointments to State Boards Advertisements

Robert Troy

400. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of appointments to State boards under the aegis of his Department and the number of appointments that have been advertised on his Department's website since March 2011; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46249/15]

Appointments to State Boards

Robert Troy

401. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of chairpersons appointed to State boards under the aegis of his Department who have appeared before the relevant joint Oireachtas committee since March 2011; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46264/15]

Ministerial Meetings

Robert Troy

335. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of meetings requested by private external lobby groups and the number of meetings held in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43594/15]

Departmental Expenditure

Robert Troy

336. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs his Department's photography costs since he came into office, inclusive of costs incurred from use of the ministerial allowance by year in tabular form; the occasions for which photographers were booked; the photographers used; the costs associated with each occasion; the policy in place regarding the booking of photographers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43626/15]

Departmental Contracts

Robert Troy

337. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs his Department's use of external public relations firms since he came into office by year in tabular form; the uses of these firms and the policy regarding employing them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43642/15]

Departmental Reports

Robert Troy

338. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the reports he commissioned from external consultants since March 2011 by year, title, cost, date published and company in tabular form [43658/15]

Ministerial Advisers Data

Robert Troy

339. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of special advisers on his staff and their yearly salary, from 2011 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43674/15]

Preschool Services

Robert Troy

1. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs why there has been a delay in the publication of inspection and quality regulations for preschools; when these will be published; and if all registrations of preschool providers will be completed within the statutory three-year timeframe. [42947/15]

Preschool Services

Robert Troy

4. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the reviews he has taken of the capacity and sustainability of the preschool and early education sector to provide for the extension of the early childhood care and education scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42684/15]

Child Abuse Reports

Robert Troy

12. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs why a number of recommendations made in the Ryan report have yet to be implemented; if the increased budget for Tusla - Child and Family Agency in 2016 will be adequate to implement the recommendations in full. [42682/15]

Child Care Services Inspections

Robert Troy

31. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the level of progress that Tusla - Child and Family Agency is making in the registration and inspection of early years services under the Child and Family Agency Act 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42686/15]

Children in Care

Robert Troy

34. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the actions he is taking in response to the most recent Health Information and Quality Authority inspection report which highlights the lack of suitable placements to meet the needs of some young persons in care due to the closure of high-support units, which has meant that many young persons with complex needs are currently in mainstream and adult residential care; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42685/15]

Domestic Violence

Robert Troy

37. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he will make prioritise the restoration of funding that was cut to domestic abuse and violence services, given the increase in Tusla - Child and Family Agency services for 2016. [42683/15]

Child Care Costs

Robert Troy

367. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs further to Parliamentary Question No. 243 of 22 October 2015, for details of the sources or the review of studies he undertook to make the claim (details supplied) that tax reliefs for child care have led to systematic inflation in child care costs in other jurisdictions, including in the Netherlands and in Australia. [42612/15]

Child Protection

Robert Troy

163. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the exact date the eighth report in respect of 2014 was submitted by Mr. Geoffrey Shannon, the Special Rapporteur on Child Protection. [41974/15]

Homeless Persons Supports

Robert Troy

118. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he is aware that a number of young mothers with previous care experience are being housed in emergency hotels and bed and breakfast accommodation with their children; if any special or emergency measures are being taken to immediately address this issue, given that these young persons are a particularly at-risk and vulnerable group and that such a situation could put the children at risk of being taken into care. [40745/15]

Care Services Provision

Robert Troy

119. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the rationale behind the practice of sending young persons into out-of-State care placements, rather than developing services and expertise here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40746/15]

Aftercare Services Provision

Robert Troy

120. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs why aftercare provision is unequal and inconsistent across different counties and regions; the details of any analysis that he, the Health Service Executive, or Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, has undertaken on the consistency of aftercare service provision; and the reason there is an exclusion clause for young persons who are admitted to the care system at 16 and 17 years of age. [40747/15]

Aftercare Services Provision

Robert Troy

121. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if the joint protocol that was developed outlining that care leavers would be prioritised on the social housing list is being implemented by local authorities; the steps that are being taken to ensure the implementation of this protocol; the number of social housing units in each local authority that have been provided to care leavers since the drafting of the joint protocol; and the percentage of care leavers who have sought social housing and who have been facilitated since the drafting of the protocol. [40748/15]

Aftercare Services Provision

Robert Troy

122. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs why young persons who disengage and who are the most vulnerable are less likely to receive aftercare supports in the care system; and how it will be ensured that young persons who are not engaging in education and training receive essential aftercare supports in the future. [40776/15]

Aftercare Services Provision

Robert Troy

123. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs further to Parliamentary Question No. 145 of 16 October 2014 which highlights that 43% of young persons in detention had an assigned social worker, while 35% of young persons in detention were subject to a recent care order under the Child Care Act 1991, the reason these young persons are not an eligible group for an aftercare plan under the aftercare Bill. [40777/15]

Children in Care

Robert Troy

124. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs further to the recent Health Information and Quality Authority inspection report finding with regard to the lack of suitable placements to meet the needs of some young persons in care, the steps he is taking to ensure these young persons have access to specialist supports and services and access to suitable placements promptly; if there is high level of staff expertise available in specific residential centres to meet the complex needs of some young persons; and the steps he is taking to ensure that young persons do not have to wait to access a special care placement. [40778/15]

Disability Services Provision

Robert Troy

125. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs his views that children with disabilities in the care of the State or in voluntary care should receive equal supports and services as children who are legally on a full care order; if these young persons should have equal rights to access an independent advocate as adults with disabilities. [40779/15]

Legislative Programme

Robert Troy

126. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs his plans to revisit the Child Care Act 1991 to reflect developments in social media and technology; his views that guidelines and procedures to address the issue of social media for children and young persons in care are required; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40780/15]

Children in Care

Robert Troy

127. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he will provide figures and statistics from Tusla - the Child and Family Agency - on the number of care-experienced young persons of 17 to 24 years of age who have children who are now in care; the years that these figures relate to; and the support framework that is in place to ensure that these parents are given the best opportunity of parenting their children. [40781/15]

Child Abuse Reports

Robert Troy

128. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs why a number of recommendations made in the Ryan report have yet to be implemented, for example, Action 65, a longitudinal study on outcomes for young persons leaving care, and Action 69, a once-off life skills programme; if the Ryan monitoring group is still operational; if he will provide details of the body that is monitoring to ensure that these actions are all delivered. [40782/15]

Children in Care

Robert Troy

129. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the status of Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, in achieving comprehensive care planning, effective matching and adequate supports to maintain placements while children and young persons are in care. [40783/15]

Adoption Legislation

Robert Troy

348. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs when he expects the Adoption Amendment Act to be enacted with regard to children in long-term foster care being eligible for adoption; the length of time of care placement for these children; the safeguards for children who will be encompassed, as regards the contact with birth family, and also further supports throughout their lives. [40244/15]

Aftercare Services Provision

Robert Troy

355. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs why young persons at 17 years of age will not be included under the eligibility criteria for an aftercare plan under the aftercare Bill given that approximately 14% of young persons are admitted to care at 16 and 17 years of age (details supplied) and given that this group comprises the most vulnerable young persons who are currently ending up accessing homeless services; and if he will amend the aftercare Bill to give Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, a statutory duty to providing aftercare plans for these young persons. [40652/15]

Child and Family Agency

Robert Troy

356. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the current funding situation for Westmeath Support Service Against Domestic Abuse (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40731/15]

Departmental Funding

Robert Troy

146. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the person who sanctioned the withdrawal of funding from Arc Adoption services; the basis on which this decision was made; the contingency plan that has been put in place to deal with the consequences of the withdrawal of this funding on families; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39795/15]

Children in Care

Robert Troy

350. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of young persons who were accommodated under section 5 of the Child Care Act 1991 in 2013 and 2014; the number of these young persons who had a combined total of 12 months in the care of the State, including time accommodated under section 5, before attaining 18 years of age; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39562/15]

Early Childhood Care and Education

Robert Troy

134. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he acknowledges that the announcement of the availability of the refund of preschool fees on 21 October 2015, with a deadline of 23 October 2015, was unfair and unpractical (details supplied); if he will allow for an extension of the period allowed to apply for the refund. [38568/15]

Preschool Services

Robert Troy

613. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the source of the figure he cited on a programme (details supplied) on RTE that there are 10,000 vacant and unoccupied places in preschools; if it comes from the latest annual Pobal survey in 2014, his views that this survey's statistics are not a reliable indicator of free capacity in the preschool sector, given that they come from a single survey that will be two to three years old when the early childhood care and education scheme expansion takes place in September 2016; and his plans for undertaking a more comprehensive, contemporaneous and reliable survey of capacity in the preschool sector prior to implementing the expansion of the scheme. [37238/15]

Foster Care Supports

Robert Troy

621. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he will re-instate the foster carer's allowance to the full monthly rate for persons (details supplied) in County Wicklow [37410/15]

Child and Family Agency

Robert Troy

241. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs further to Parliamentary Question No. 181 of 24 June 2015, when a response will issue; if he will provide the timeframe for which parliamentary question responses from Tusla Child and Family Agency should be expected, in general, for example as is given in parliamentary question replies by the Department of Health for the Health Service Executive. [36871/15]

Youth Services

Robert Troy

242. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the funding his Department provided to an organisation (details supplied) in 2014; and in 2015; the portion of its budget this makes up; and if his Department will be providing ongoing funding support to the organisation in 2016. [36888/15]

Child Care Costs

Robert Troy

243. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the reasons for not introducing demand-side measures for making child care more affordable, such as child care tax credits or direct child care subsidies; for a list of the research studies that his Department has considered, as evidence that such child care tax credits or cash subsidies to parents and guardians for child care have led to systematic cost inflation in child care in other jurisdictions. [37078/15]

Early Childhood Care and Education

Robert Troy

1. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs for details of the changes to the early childhood care and education scheme announced as part of budget 2016; a breakdown of the number of children his Department estimates will benefit from a full second free preschool year of an additional 38 weeks; and the level of consultation he has had with preschool providers regarding extending the contract of the scheme. [36663/15]

Family Resource Centres

Robert Troy

4. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he will commit to providing adequate resources to put family resource centres, FRCs, on a sustainable financial footing to protect their essential services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36664/15]

Inter-Country Adoptions

Robert Troy

8. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs his views on the announcement that his Department is no longer pursuing an adoption agreement with Russia; the reason for this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35534/15]

Autism Support Services

Robert Troy

11. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the early education supports available to children diagnosed with autism; and the reason these children cannot avail of early education through the early childhood care and education scheme, in conjunction with one-to-one home schooling by a home tutor. [35531/15]

Detention Centres Provision

Robert Troy

19. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs how he is dealing with the deteriorating safety situation at Oberstown Youth Detention Centre, where staff and children in care have been put at risk, with numerous physical assaults in recent months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35530/15]