Parliamentary questions

Child Care Services Data

Kathleen Funchion

1457. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of whole-time equivalent staff working in the child care sector, by qualification level, or working grade. [36093/17]

Child Care Services Expenditure

Kathleen Funchion

404. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the details of the €132 million to be spent on measures for child care in the zero to six months, six months to three years of age, and after school care categories respectively, in tabular form; and when these payments will commence. [33236/17]

Child Care Costs

Kathleen Funchion

405. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of children estimated to receive a subsidy for each of the amounts (details supplied) per hour, per week under the 2017 extended childcare scheme measures; and the cost associated with each of these separate categories of children once implemented. [33237/17]

Child Care Costs

Kathleen Funchion

703. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs further to Parliamentary Question No. 656 of 23 May 2017, the estimated number of children for the targeted scheme between six months and three years of age for 2017 (details supplied). [32130/17]

Departmental Expenditure

Kathleen Funchion

712. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the unallocated spend within her Department for 2017; the expenditure allocated to programmes in 2017 which are due to cease in 2017; the funds that will become available within her Department's expenditure profile in 2018 due to changes in demand for services and goods or changes to costs within her Department and so on; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32311/17]

Child Care Services Data

Kathleen Funchion

253. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the estimated average hourly subsidy on the targeted child care scheme for those between six months and three years of age. [31854/17]

Domestic Violence Refuges Provision

Kathleen Funchion

36. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the immediate actions being taken by her Department to protect the many children affected by the serious capacity issues nationally at domestic violence centres and refuges that provide supports to victims of domestic violence, including women with their children; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31225/17]

Departmental Reviews

Kathleen Funchion

52. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if her Department has commissioned an independent early childhood service cost and sustainability review encompassing the identification and assessment of stress factors impacting on the early childhood services; if so, the expected date for this to be completed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31224/17]

Public Sector Staff Remuneration

Kathleen Funchion

174. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the date on which the rates of pay for secretarial assistants employed by Members of the Houses of the Oireachtas were last increased; his plans to review these rates in view of the large volume of constituency work secretarial assistants deal with; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29709/17]

Hospital Services

Kathleen Funchion

366. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Health the reason 20 week anomaly scans are not offered as standard to women in the public maternity system in St. Luke's Hospital in County Kilkenny which services the counties of Carlow and Kilkenny. [29703/17]

Hospital Beds Data

Kathleen Funchion

367. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Health the measures which are being taken to address the increasing trolley crisis in St. Luke's Hospital, County Kilkenny. [29704/17]

Early Childhood Care and Education Data

Kathleen Funchion

1919. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the cost of extending the ECCE scheme to 48 weeks. [27210/17]

Early Childhood Care and Education Funding

Kathleen Funchion

1921. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her Department's estimated hourly running cost for the early childhood care and education scheme and the hourly running cost of early years care for those under three years of age in services for both cohorts of children. [27385/17]

Early Childhood Care and Education Funding

Kathleen Funchion

1922. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the estimated cost of the early childhood care and education scheme over a 48-week period at a higher amount of €12 for both higher and lower capitation rates. [27386/17]

Early Childhood Care and Education Funding

Kathleen Funchion

1923. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the estimated cost of introducing a capitation rate of €12 to early years services for all babies under three years of age over a 48 week period. [27387/17]

Early Childhood Care and Education Data

Kathleen Funchion

1924. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of children availing of the targeted subsidy within the affordable child care scheme, ACS, aged between six months and three years of age by amount (details supplied). [27438/17]

Community Childcare Subvention Programme

Kathleen Funchion

1925. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the full year cost of the targeted portion of the affordable child care in each of the years 2015, 2016 and 2017. [27439/17]

Maternity Benefit Data

Kathleen Funchion

2017. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Social Protection the full combined cost of increasing maternity benefit by €20, €30, €40 and €50 per week and extending maternity benefit by 26 weeks, in tabular form. [27209/17]

Bereavement Grant

Kathleen Funchion

2020. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Social Protection her plans for the reinstating of the bereavement grant particularly to those persons that have lost loved ones to suicide; and if it will be restored during the Government's term. [27369/17]

Child Care Services Funding

Kathleen Funchion

259. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the detail of the higher subsidy rate for persons under three years of age when introduced as part of the affordable childcare scheme; and the difference in amount compared with the ECCE higher and lower capitation rates. [26347/17]

Early Years Sector

Kathleen Funchion

260. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs when the under three years of age subgroup of the early years forum will produce their recommendations to support and sustain provision for children under three in ECCE; and when this information will be readily available for consideration. [26348/17]

Teacher Training Provision

Kathleen Funchion

150. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of training CPD days both primary and secondary school teachers receive each year; the cost for those days; and his Department's total budget for teacher CPD training and the number of teachers. [26161/17]

School Staff

Kathleen Funchion

205. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a school (details supplied) was not allocated with an EAL teacher in 2017 in view of the fact that the school requested and was previously allocated one EAL teacher for the previous three consecutive school years; and the reason this decision changed in 2017 in view of the fact that there has been no change to the school's percentages. [24119/17]

Medical Goods Regulation

Kathleen Funchion

434. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Health the reason Macushield and Artelac medications are not being made available for medical card holders. [24041/17]

Child Care Services Staff

Kathleen Funchion

655. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if recommendations in her Department's sustainability audits of community services recommend that services cut pay to child care staff; and if so, the capacity in which, the amount involved and the circumstances in which this was decided. [24120/17]

Child Care Costs

Kathleen Funchion

656. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the estimated cost under the proposed universal subsidy of increasing the €80 per month subsidy in €20 intervals up to the amount of €600 for all eligible parents. [24165/17]

Early Childhood Care and Education Programmes

Kathleen Funchion

657. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the funding for every level provided within the AIM programme in tabular form. [24166/17]

Early Childhood Care and Education Funding

Kathleen Funchion

658. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the breakdown of level 7 funding between the 10 and 15 hours options allowed within the AIM programme; the amount provided for the total 10-hour allocation and total 15-hour allocation nationally; and the number of children each of those total amounts provide for. [24167/17]

Early Years Sector

Kathleen Funchion

659. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her plans for a review of the early years child care sector; and the Government body that will conduct the review. [24168/17]

Child Care Services Data

Kathleen Funchion

660. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the cost per year of the ACS in the event that the wage rate for educators is revised from the current proposed wage rate for level 5 educators to €11.50 an hour, €13.00 an hour for level 6 educators and €14.75 an hour for level 7 educators. [24169/17]

Preschool Services

Kathleen Funchion

674. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs further to Parliamentary Question No. 368 of 12 April 2017, the costs of the Tusla early years inspections, the Department of Education and Skills early years inspections and the Pobal compliance visits per year, in tabular form. [24564/17]

Child Care Services Data

Kathleen Funchion

678. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of children under three years of age her Department estimates will take up both private and community crèche-based child care in September 2017; and the number of children under three years of age that attended both private and community crèche-based services from September 2016 to date in 2017. [24762/17]

Early Childhood Care and Education Standards

Kathleen Funchion

17. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if her Department has given consideration to a streamlining of the inspections system for the early years sector in order to decrease the amount of administrative work carried out by services. [22310/17]

Early Years Sector

Kathleen Funchion

30. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her plans to tackle the lack of availability of early years service provision to those under three years of age; and the work being undertaken by her Department to ensure that there is not a monopoly of early childhood care and education provision in the services for babies under three years of age. [22311/17]

Birth Data

Kathleen Funchion

194. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Health the number of babies that were delivered prematurely in 2016; and the number of babies that have been delivered prematurely to date in 2017. [22231/17]

Child and Family Agency Data

Kathleen Funchion

661. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of admissions of women to a centre (details supplied) in the past ten years. [22006/17]

Child and Family Agency Data

Kathleen Funchion

662. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of children or babies of women attending a centre (details supplied) in the past ten year period who have been taken into care by social services as a result of being deemed at high risk. [22007/17]

Maternity Benefit Data

Kathleen Funchion

128. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Social Protection the full combined cost of increasing maternity benefit by €20, €30, €40 and €50 per week while extending maternity benefit by two, three, four, five and six weeks, in tabular form. [21167/17]

Special Educational Needs Staff

Kathleen Funchion

161. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Health the hourly cost for ten HSE therapists employed as part of level 6 of the access and inclusion model, AIM, for children with additional needs taking part in the free preschool year. [21163/17]

Special Educational Needs Staff

Kathleen Funchion

162. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Health the duties of a HSE therapist working as part of level 6 in AIM; the number of hours a therapist spends with a child per day; and the number of days a week. [21164/17]

Special Educational Needs Staff

Kathleen Funchion

163. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Health if a HSE therapist working with a child as part of AIM works consistently with the same child over a period of time or if the therapist changes every visit. [21165/17]

Early Years Sector

Kathleen Funchion

263. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of persons (details supplied) with additional needs registered with early years services. [21166/17]

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]