Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

With regard to the allocation for actions under the institutional burials Bill, that legislation is clear in setting up a format of how to identify an area that will be subject to an agency created under the Bill to undertake the recovery and identification of remains. It is accepted by everybody that Tuam will be the first site where such an agency will investigate and the budget exists to start the work on the Tuam site. The Bill is also clear that should other sites meet the requirements of the legislation, an agency could be established for those sites as well. Our Department's primary focus is on advancing the work towards Tuam and the funding to start the work on the agency. It is quite a significant amount of funding of approximately €4 million that is in the budget to start the agency once we get that legislation passed. I hope to publish the new draft of the legislation by the end of this month and introduce it to the Oireachtas shortly afterwards.

On the question of the enhanced model of stakeholder engagement, work is ongoing for a long-term mechanism where the views of the survivor community can be conveyed to the Government. As we know there are a very significant number of groups in the sector, some representing specific issues and others specific areas of the areas of the country. Some may represent survivors of particular institutions. In order for a clear line of communication to be established with a clear understanding of the diverse range of needs that survivors have, we are looking at a range of measures.

The previous Minister had established a collaborative forum that brought together approximately 18 former survivors or family members of former residents of these institutions. We have put forward some proposals to that group on the idea of a survivor advocate or perhaps even considering an advocate model, which would engage with the Government in ascertaining the views of survivors. We hope later this year to bring a final proposal to the Government on this enhanced model of stakeholder engagement.

There are a number of initiatives in this area. There is a commemoration initiative grant whereby groups around the country may apply for a grant for a commemoration initiative they want to undertake with respect to a mother and baby or county institution in an area. My Department does an annual call for those and it can support a range of initiatives. We try very much to be guided by what survivors are looking for and what they think is appropriate with regard to the institution under which they have grouped. There is also a cross-department group between my Department and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage looking at some of the considerations around commemoration, particularly the protection of sites of former institutions.

Work is ongoing between my Department and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

On early learning and care and school-age childcare, the Deputy raised the issue of child poverty. The national childcare scheme, NCS, is a really good scheme. It is a massively enhanced ability of the State to provide financial support. However, as it is operated, and it is only really operating since 2019, issues have arisen. I have engaged with the Chair on this in the Chamber. Most importantly, I have met with many community childcare providers from various parts of the country and listened to the difficulties they are having with certain elements of the NCS. In this year's budget we have removed that provision whereby hours spent in school or in the ECCE programme were deducted from a child's free allocation. The 20-hour allocation for children whose parents were not in education or employment meant they had their school time or ECCE time deducted from their 20 hours a week. Particularly in term time for children attending school-age child care, that was seeing the removal of their entire free allocation. From this spring, that practice will cease, which will be of great advantage. We estimate about 5,000 will be able to benefit from their full 20-hour allocation of free early learning and care or school-age childcare. That is a really important immediate step in terms of addressing issues to do with poverty.

There is a wider measure we can take. I referred to it when I was talking to Deputy Dillon in terms of this idea of a DEIS approach to early learning and care and school-age childcare. It is recommended within the expert group. We are starting work on the design of it now. I would hope in this year's budget to be able to take some initial steps towards provision there. On the provision of hot school meals, the Deputy is right that they are absolutely essential. It does not fall directly within my Department. The Minister of State, Deputy Joe O'Brien, has increased the number of schools where that is provided. I am aware of the work the Minister, Deputy Foley, is doing in terms of the very significant increase in the number of DEIS schools for which she has got the investment this year. That is going to help.

In terms of quality, the workforce development plan sets out how we make childcare an attractive career option for individuals. That was launched in December at the same time as the expert group. We will be working to implement that. The key thing is that if we are not paying childcare professionals enough they are not going to join or they are going to leave the sector. That is why we have done core funding and why it is so important.

On the White Paper, the implementation of the vulnerability assessment was really important and something Ireland had been failing to do for years. Some 650 have been undertaken this year and another 900 are in place at the moment. On the establishment of the programme board and the expert advisory group, I met last week with Catherine Day, Lorcan Sirr and David Donoghue. The group will be overseeing my Department, holding our feet to the fire to make sure we are implementing the White Paper. In March of this year I hope to provide a detailed one-year update on the successes we have had in the implementation of the White Paper. We will be able to give some detail on accommodation that we have provided. In 2022 we plan that the first people will start to move out of direct provision centres and into accommodation in the community. It will not be a huge number. It will probably be just in the early 100s this year, but it is that first really important step. To have people living independently in the community is absolutely central to the White Paper model.