Dáil debates

Friday, 3 December 2021

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions

Departmental Funding

9:30 am

Photo of Alan DillonAlan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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6. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the plans for increased funding for his Department delivered as part of budget 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59467/21]

Photo of Jennifer Carroll MacNeillJennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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A substantial increase in the budget of the Minister's Department of €183 million brings funding up to €2.1 billion. It is great to see such support for the Department and I congratulate him on securing that in the budget. Will the Minister outline to the House the plans of how he will use that and the progress in that regard?

Photo of Roderic O'GormanRoderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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As the Deputy said, we secured an additional €183 million of funding in budget 2022, bringing my Department's overall budget to €2.1 billion. The increase will be targeted at improving outcomes for children, young people and their families, as well as promoting equality and human rights. I am allocating an extra €78 million for the early learning and school-age childcare sector, €41 million additional funding for Tusla and an extra €41 million for international protection and the work to end direct provision, in addition to €23 million for a range of other areas.

The main spending areas - childcare, international protection and Tusla - represent 89% of the overall budget and are receiving a significant proportion of the increased funding. In early learning and childcare, the bulk of the extra funding allows for a new core funding scheme for providers, which in return for a commitment not to increase parents' fees will entitle them to access a new funding stream to help cover increased operating costs linked to quality improvement measures.

The additional resources for Tusla will bring funding for the agency to almost €900 million and will allow it to continue to grow, to improve front-line services and to support those services provided by its partners in the community and voluntary sector. This investment underlines the Government's commitment to ensuring that Tusla has the resources to meet its mission of protecting and supporting our most vulnerable children and families.

A key priority for me is to end direct provision and I have allocated additional funding to start the transition to a new model of accommodation to meet expected increased demand for accommodation for international protection applicants in 2022. Other very important areas, such as youth, equality and inclusion, are also receiving increases. I have also placed a particular emphasis on supporting services for former residents of mother and baby institutions.

I am very pleased the additional resources of €183 million for my Department will allow us advance with significant work in 2022 and, indeed, achieve many of the programme for Government commitments

Photo of Jennifer Carroll MacNeillJennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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That is great. I have another question on childcare and I will leave until then.

On international protection, the Minister is doing an awful lot of work in trying to end the direct provision system. Will he give us an outline of how the additional €41 million will expedite that process? There is also €3 million specifically for refugee and migrant integration and anti-racism projects. Will the Minister provide a list of those projects? Similarly, €2 million has been allocated for actions in gender inequality. Will he provide a couple of specific examples of what is happening there? I will come back to the point on childcare in a later question.

Photo of Roderic O'GormanRoderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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In terms of the actions on gender, some of that money will go towards the creation of the website and the reporting system for the gender pay gap which, as the Deputy knows, we passed legislation on earlier this year.

On the international protection funding of approximately €41 million, a significant part of that is to contribute towards the expected increased numbers of people arriving in the country seeking international protection as international travel increases, and we are seeing that. It is to increase our capacity to respond to people as they arrive. Another significant portion of that money will be used in securing the first element of the community accommodation for the new model and for providing the initial people moving into community accommodation with an independent living allowance, which will be really important in supporting them there.

What was the second area of funding?

Photo of Jennifer Carroll MacNeillJennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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The €3 million for refugee and migrant integration.

Photo of Roderic O'GormanRoderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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A key part of that will go towards anti-racism. We expect the anti-racism strategy to be provided early next year. There is an allocation there to support the roll-out of the national action plan against racism.

Photo of Jennifer Carroll MacNeillJennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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I believe there is also extra money for Traveller and Roma integration and support. There is an extra €5.6 million. I know it is not under the direct remit of the Department, but the national Traveller education strategy is overdue and necessary. It is the central plank for supporting the Traveller community. It is always the first ask when one speaks to representatives from the Traveller community who are trying to do more. I appreciate the additional funding, but are the Minister's officials working to expedite that with the Department of Education? Can we do more on that please, Minister?

Photo of Roderic O'GormanRoderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Absolutely. The national Traveller and Roma education strategy is something I feel passionate about. It does fall within the remit of my Department because early years is a key issue. We know in terms of accessing the early childhood care and education scheme, ECCE, the access rate of the Travelling community is 10% less than the settled community. The educational disadvantage is already being ingrained there. Funding will deal with that. Part of the allocated extra money is to ensure that the Traveller pilot programme - I do not have the name right - which is run in a number of schools across the country and seeks to support the retention in particular of Traveller children in education, is supported for another year. It had originally run for two years but because of Covid, it will run for an extra year.

There are a range of reports published. The Out of the Shadows report is really important, as well as a significant report on bullying in schools with a particular lens on the bullying Traveller children have had experienced. A range of issues will feed into the Traveller and Roma education strategy that we will be working to bring to fruition next year.

Question No. 7 replied to with Written Answers.