Parliamentary questions

Accident and Emergency Departments

Kathleen Funchion

75. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Health the special steps or initiatives taken since November 2016 in response to the deteriorating overcrowding situation; the status of these initiatives or steps that were announced; the preparations which are being made for winter 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20217/17]

Home Care Packages

Kathleen Funchion

102. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the fact that persons under 65 years of age now account for one in every four strokes, yet home care packages are not tailored to the specific needs of persons that could be living with the side effects of strokes for decades; if he will create an entitlement to home care that is appropriate for stroke survivors of all ages; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20218/17]

Schools Building Projects Status

Kathleen Funchion

151. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the construction process for a school (details supplied); the response from the design team to date; and when his Department expects the project to commence and be completed. [20919/17]

Garda Vetting Applications Data

Kathleen Funchion

98. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of persons on a list in 2017 to be cleared of Garda vetting for the purpose of working in early years services. [20639/17]

Maternity Benefit

Kathleen Funchion

606. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Social Protection the cost of increasing the weekly maternity benefit payment by €20 for one year based on maternity leave uptake numbers in 2016. [20497/17]

Garda Vetting Applications Data

Kathleen Funchion

1452. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the amount of extra funding allocated to an organisation (details supplied) to shorten the backlog of Garda vetting; when that extra funding was allocated; and the number of early years practitioners that have been cleared of their Garda vetting to date as a result of that extra funding. [20638/17]

Capitation Grants

Kathleen Funchion

1453. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the estimated cost to increase both lower and higher capitation rates by €9 to all registered service providers engaging in the free pre school year. [20640/17]

Departmental Reviews

Kathleen Funchion

385. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the expected cost of the independent review of the cost of providing quality child care in private and community settings; and if her Department will require additional money in budget 2018 to meet the cost. [19108/17]

Paternity Leave Scheme

Kathleen Funchion

217. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Social Protection the cost of statutory paternity benefit in 2016; and the number of men who availed of the full two weeks. [18667/17]

Maternity Benefit Data

Kathleen Funchion

218. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Social Protection the cost of statutory maternity benefit in 2016; and the number of women who availed of the full 26 weeks. [18668/17]

Maternity Benefit Data

Kathleen Funchion

219. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of extending maternity leave by a further two weeks in one budgetary year. [18669/17]

Preschool Services

Kathleen Funchion

366. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the cost of the inclusion of seven days of non-contact time for all early years services in budget 2017. [18670/17]

Early Years Strategy Implementation

Kathleen Funchion

367. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of early years services, both community and private, that have completed the full Aistear curriculum to date; and the number that have yet to complete the curriculum. [18671/17]

Preschool Services

Kathleen Funchion

368. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of inspectors employed by Tusla to inspect all services in the early years sector. [18672/17]

Preschool Services

Kathleen Funchion

369. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the cost for inspectors employed by Tusla to inspect all services in the early years sector in one budgetary year. [18673/17]

Preschool Services

Kathleen Funchion

370. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if an allocation of additional funding has been made towards community-based crèches which face imminent closure; and if so, the amount and the number of those community services being targeted with the additional funding. [18674/17]

Departmental Expenditure

Kathleen Funchion

797. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the estimated cost of increasing the capitation grant for the free preschool year by €5 per week per child for both existing lower and higher capitation rates. [17575/17]

Preschool Services

Kathleen Funchion

798. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the estimated cost of employing ten new special needs assistants working for early years services at five hours per day five days a week for 52 weeks. [17576/17]

Child Care Services

Kathleen Funchion

799. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs further to Parliamentary Question No. 839 of 7 March 2017, the estimated cost for the number of children anticipated to avail of targeted subsidies in the ACS scheme in year one. [17598/17]

Child Care Services

Kathleen Funchion

800. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs further to Parliamentary Question No. 840 of 7 March 2017, the estimated cost for the number of children anticipated to avail of the universal subsidy in the ACS in year one. [17599/17]

Early Childhood Care and Education Staff

Kathleen Funchion

349. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of early years practitioners currently registered and working across the State in early years services, private and community, with qualification five and qualification six respectively. [16893/17]

Early Childhood Care and Education Staff

Kathleen Funchion

350. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of early years practitioners currently registered and working across the State in early years services with qualification seven and qualification eight respectively. [16894/17]

Early Childhood Care and Education

Kathleen Funchion

351. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the amount of funding allocated to the learner fund for 2016-2017; the number of practitioners who availed of places available; and if all the funding allocated to the fund was availed of. [16895/17]

Citizenship Status

Kathleen Funchion

114. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality in view of the referendum result in June 2016 and the triggering of Article 50 for Brexit the status of foreign nationals residing permanently in Northern Ireland whose children were born on the island of Ireland and are citizens; if it is the case that even though these children qualify for Irish citizenship their parents will be treated differently; and if the same citizenship rights apply to foreign nationals who reside in Northern Ireland as to foreign nationals who reside here. [16069/17]

Child Care Services Funding

Kathleen Funchion

685. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the estimated cost to increase the average subsidy under the new universal scheme for every €50 million per annum increase in investment over a five year period. [16072/17]

Child Care Services Funding

Kathleen Funchion

686. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the estimated total cost under the proposed universal subsidy of increasing the €80 per month subsidy in €20 intervals up to the amount of €300 for all eligible parents. [16073/17]

Child Care Services Staff

Kathleen Funchion

19. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the measures she is implementing as part of the new affordable child care scheme to tackle the issue of poor working conditions of the early years sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15277/17]

Special Educational Needs Service Provision

Kathleen Funchion

26. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the status of the implementation of the access and inclusion model; her views on whether it will be sufficiently accessible to all children who are in need of extra assistance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15218/17]

Child Care Services Provision

Kathleen Funchion

55. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her plans to tackle the threat of imminent closures of community-based crèches due to high operational costs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15217/17]

Vaccination Programme

Kathleen Funchion

404. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Health his plans to examine the pre-medical condition of girls claiming to be affected by the HPV vaccination in each of the years 2010 to 2016; his views on whether an injustice is being done to such a vulnerable group; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15388/17]

Vaccination Programme

Kathleen Funchion

405. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Health his views on the HPV controversy; his plans to meet the girls affected to discuss a resolution to this situation; his views on the case of these girls and their families and the major cost implications in receiving medical attention within and outside the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15389/17]

Vaccination Programme

Kathleen Funchion

406. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Health his views on the fact that by continuing with the HPV vaccination programme there will be a further percentage of girls displaying serious medical difficulties if action is not taken now and in view of the fact that it is highlighted to all parties involved and may yet lead to a public inquiry at some date in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15390/17]

Vaccination Programme

Kathleen Funchion

407. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Health his views on the HPV controversy and the cost implication for the families in addressing their considerable medical needs; the structures he plans to put in place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15391/17]

Children in Care

Kathleen Funchion

599. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of children currently in foster care in 2017; and the number of those children under 12 years of age, between 12 and 16 years of age and between 16 and 18 years of age, in tabular form. [14823/17]

Children in Care

Kathleen Funchion

600. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of children currently in foster care who have been diagnosed with special needs, physical or mental. [14824/17]

Children in Care

Kathleen Funchion

601. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of children currently on waiting lists to access the services of designated social workers. [14825/17]

Child and Family Agency Data

Kathleen Funchion

602. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of social workers who are currently employed with Tusla. [14826/17]

Unaccompanied Minors and Separated Children

Kathleen Funchion

603. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the estimated cost of supporting arriving refugee unaccompanied minors here in 2017; the number of minors to be expected; the cost per child; and the amount that has been allocated by her Department for the care of arriving refugee children and minors. [14828/17]

Legislative Programme

Kathleen Funchion

207. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Health his plans to bring forward legislation regarding commercial surrogacy in the near future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14350/17]

Early Start Programme

Kathleen Funchion

818. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if there is a taskforce for the development of the early years strategy; and if so, the detail of the members of the taskforce, their title and their organisation. [11185/17]

Child Care Services Provision

Kathleen Funchion

838. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of children that availed of centre based child care, both community and private, in 2016. [12150/17]

Child Care Services

Kathleen Funchion

839. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of children anticipated to avail of targeted subsidies in the affordable child care scheme, ACS, scheme in year one; and the estimated cost for that number. [12151/17]

Child Care Services

Kathleen Funchion

840. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of children anticipated to avail of the universal subsidy in the affordable child care scheme, ACS, in year one; and the estimated total cost for that number. [12152/17]

Child Care Services Funding

Kathleen Funchion

841. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the estimated cost of reinstating the childminding advisory service. [12153/17]

Child Care Services Funding

Kathleen Funchion

842. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the estimated cost over a five-year period of increasing her Department's agreed threshold of €47,500 of a household's combined income year on year for those five budgetary years by €500 per year, that is, year one increasing the threshold to €48,000, in tabular form; and the total cost over a five-year period for all households eligible for affordable child care scheme, ACS, subsidies. [12180/17]

Child Care Services

Kathleen Funchion

822. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the way applications by persons and registrations and payments to Tusla registered child care providers will work with respect to the targeted subsidy (details supplied). [10220/17]

Information and Communications Technology

Kathleen Funchion

823. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs when the IT system for both the universal and targeted subsidy will be fully automated (details supplied); and if her Department is factoring in a reasonable amount of time to be allowed to services and county child care committees to become familiar with the system themselves prior to it being automated. [10221/17]

Child Care Services

Kathleen Funchion

75. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her views on whether the child care settings will be equipped to cope with the roll out of the single affordable child care scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7090/17]

Further Education and Training Programmes

Kathleen Funchion

180. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Education and Skills to set out the number of tourism and hospitality skills training positions that were allocated to the Carlow-Kilkenny constituency in 2015 and 2016. [6817/17]

Further Education and Training Programmes

Kathleen Funchion

181. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Education and Skills to set out the amount of funding that was allocated to the Carlow-Kilkenny constituency for tourism and hospitality skills training in 2015 and 2016 by his Department. [6819/17]