Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Minister and his officials who are joining us today to discuss the Revised Estimates. I will start with the cost of childcare. I think everyone recognises that parents pay far too much for the service they get. I commend the Minister and his officials on their efforts to reduce costs substantially in a way that will be impactful for all parents. When he was before this committee previously, the Minister mentioned that an expert group was reviewing the funding model and specifically looking at targeted areas in which additional funding could be put to use for those who are at a disadvantage compared with others who can afford the cost of childcare. I ask the Minister to provide an update on the options the expert group is working on and proposing to address the issue and alleviate some of the burden on parents.

I welcome the provision of an additional €40.5 million for Tusla. Will a proportion of that be allocated to the family resource programme or any capital projects? I note that in 2021 there was an underspend of €3.5 million in the Department's capital allocation. I would like to understand how that happened. Was it due to delays to some projects?

The third issue I raise relates to the international protection accommodation services support. I welcome the establishment of the service and the capital support in the region of €12.5 million that was announced. For what specifically will this fund be used? What types of accommodation is the Department looking at in terms of build or modular examples? I would like to get an understanding of that on the basis that we are in a housing crisis and there are constraints, including skills shortages.

I know the mental health youth task force, the Pathfinder project, is a cross-departmental project led by the Department of Health and the Minister of State, Deputy Butler. There has been a lack of action on the project since its establishment in 2016. As a member of the Cabinet, I ask the Minister to ensure some focus is placed on this issue in 2022 and that the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth forms part of the overall cross-departmental approach in order to implement long-lasting change around youth mental health. I know the Minister is passionate about this issue and we all want to make an important contribution in this area. I ask for support for it, including through the Minister's Department.