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

I am sharing time with Deputy McAuliffe.

I am very pleased to outline the key elements of budget 2021 for my Department, which has responsibility for children, disability, equality, integration and youth. It has received an additional €121 million, bringing the total investment for 2021 to €1.95 billion. In the budget unveiled yesterday, one can see the impact of the Green Party in government. It included a carbon tax that protects the most disadvantaged, €100 million additional funding for disability services, support for the arts, €1 billion extra for public transport, €218 million for emergency accommodation and a 24% increase in the housing budget. It is during tough times that social solidarity and equality matter most. As such, what my Department set out to achieve in the budget was to invest in services that support the most vulnerable in society and particularly services that have been at the forefront of responding to Covid-19.

Since taking office, I have prioritised resourcing Tusla appropriately to fulfil its statutory responsibilities and support the most vulnerable in our communities. In the budget, I have secured the largest annual budget increase for Tusla since its establishment. I have increased its allocation to €878 million for the coming year, an effective overall increase of €61 million, or 7.5%, on the original 2020 allocation. The increased level of investment will support Tusla to advance a range of developments required to fulfil its statutory obligations, including meeting the needs of the most vulnerable children and families, giving important supports to community and voluntary sector organisations that deliver services on its behalf, providing care and protection through quality services for victims of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence and allowing Ireland to fulfil commitments to bring more unaccompanied minors from Lesbos to Ireland.

A key priority for my Department will be to end direct provision. Doing so will take time. How we will achieve it will be set out in a White Paper the Government will publish by the end of the year. As ending direct provision will take time, we urgently need to improve the standard of current accommodation for people within the international protection system. I am pleased, therefore, that the total allocation for accommodation for asylum seekers under the direct provision system has been increased to an unprecedented €225 million for 2021. This funding will allow my Department to raise standards of accommodation, making a difference in the lives of people within the system while also providing resources to implement the upcoming White Paper and end direct provision.

Responsibility for equality has transferred to my Department and I am committed to putting equality at the heart of all we do. In recent months we have seen that Covid-19 can have a disproportionate effect on the most marginalised communities. I am pleased, therefore, that funding for Traveller and Roma initiatives has increased by more than 25% to €4.9 million.

Youth organisations have been the unsung heroes of the Covid-19 pandemic, adapting quickly to continue their vital support for young people. Research indicates that young people who engaged with youth organisations during the pandemic fared better than those who did not. As such, I am particularly pleased to have secured an additional €5 million in funding for youth services, bringing the total allocation for this area to almost €70 million. The €5 million increase in funding for youth organisations is recognition of their great work and the role they play in the lives of so many young people.

Turning to childcare, in a very challenging year I have maintained the funding to early learning and care at €638 million for 2021. The pandemic severely affected the provision of services. My Department worked intensively with providers to put in place a series of financial and practical interventions to ensure the sustainability of the sector. All childcare providers will continue to benefit automatically from the employment wage subsidy scheme until the end of March. It will support the wages of childcare professionals to the value of €60 million. The funding for 2021 will allow the demands of the various funding schemes to be met, while also addressing key areas such as further increases in funding to the access and inclusion model that supports children with disabilities to access the early childhood care and education scheme, as well increases for inspections and development of strategy. I understand the pressure the sector and parents with children in childcare are facing. However, we must be clear that any additional benefits must benefit the parents who pay the fees and the childcare professionals working in the services. Mechanisms to achieve these goals need to be in place. Three major expert reviews will report next year and they will inform future investment and reform. I reiterate that I am fully committed to improving pay and conditions for childcare professionals, as well as reducing fees for parents.

In the midst of the Covid pandemic and facing the possibility of no-deal Brexit, we have a package of measures to support the country through these difficult times. We are investing in children in care, domestic violence services and family support services. We are supporting young people through this difficult time and ending direct provision. Our focus this year must be on protecting the most vulnerable. I believe this budget will achieve that.

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