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Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (3 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I firmly believe the level of pay for early years educators and school-age childcare practitioners should reflect the value of their work for children, families, society and the economy. The State is not the employer and therefore does not set the pay or conditions for employees in either early learning and care (ELC) or school-age childcare (SAC) services. However, there is now, through...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (3 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Significant progress has been made in advancing plans for a dedicated state agency for early learning childcare and school age childcare. It is envisaged that this agency will undertake the functions carried out by Pobal Early Years (including Better Start), the 30 City/County Childcare Committees, as well as operational functions currently undertaken by my Department. A Programme...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (3 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Capital funding has been allocated to the early learning and childcare sector under the revised National Development Plan (NDP). This will enable significant investment in early learning and childcare. In 2024 and 2025, my Department is delivering capital investment through the Building Blocks Capacity Grant. The primary focus of the Building Blocks Capacity Grant Schemes is to increase...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Children in Care (3 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: As this relates to Tusla operational matters, the question has been forwarded to Tusla for direct reply to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Residential Institutions (3 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme will provide financial payments to an estimated 34,000 people, some 19,000 of whom will also benefit from an enhanced medical card or health support payment. These benefits are in recognition of experiences while resident in Mother and Baby and County Home Institutions. The overall cost of the Payment Scheme is estimated at €800 million....

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (3 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Ireland has a legal obligation to provide accommodation and associated supports to people who arrive in this country seeking international protection under S.I. No. 230/2018 - European Communities (Reception Conditions) Regulations 2018. While an international protection applicant’s application is being processed, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration, and...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child and Family Agency (3 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Thank you Deputy for raising this important matter. I have made contact with the Child and Family Agency, and Tusla has confirmed that it has appointed a Data Protection Officer who acts independently in their role. In the interests of clarity the role referred to in the Deputy's question is not the precise job title of Tusla's DPO. The DPO's other duties relate to the support functions...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child and Family Agency (3 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: This is an operational matter for Tusla. I have referred the question to Tusla for direct response to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child and Family Agency (3 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: This is an operational matter for Tusla. I have referred the question to Tusla for direct response to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: School Meals Programme (4 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Following a successful meals pilot in 2023, my Department is currently in the process of developing costing scenarios for a targeted meals programme as part of Equal Start, our new funding model to support children and their families who experience disadvantage to access and experience meaningful participation in early learning and care and school-age childcare. An estimated full-year cost...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Legislative Reviews (4 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 413, 414, 415, 416, 417 and 418 together. Section 70 of the Birth Information and Tracing Act 2022 requires that a review of the operation of the Act is commenced not later than two years after the coming into operation of the section. Section 70 was commenced on 3 October 2022 and, as such, the review is scheduled to commence by the end of Q3 2024. My...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (4 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: With regards to overall funding for early learning and care (ELC) and school-age childcare (SAC) services, my Department allocated more than €1 billion to the sector in 2024 – a clear demonstration from Government of the value of the sector. Over the past eight budgets the unprecedented investment in the sector speaks to the commitment of Government in prioritising the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (4 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I acknowledge that many early learning and care (ELC) and school-age childcare (SAC) services report staffing challenges in relation to recruitment and retention. In general, staffing pressures in the sector are caused not by insufficient supply of qualified personnel, but by high levels of staff turnover. Recruitment challenges may be compounded in Irish-medium settings given the need for...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (4 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The centre to which the Deputy refers is providing accommodation to International Protection (IP) applicants. There are no Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) currently being accommodated in this location. The International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) does not comment on the particulars of individual transfers. My Department is currently providing accommodation to...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (4 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Deputy has requested the full year cost of providing free childcare for all children under five years. According to the most recent Census data, there are 293,769 children under 5 in Ireland. To generate the cost of providing free early learning and childcare to these children, it is assumed that they avail of a full time place, on a year round basis (52 weeks per year). According...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (4 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Deputy has requested the full year cost of providing free childcare for all children in primary school. According to Department of Education data, there were 558,143 children enrolled in primary school in 2023. To generate the cost of providing free childcare to these children, it is assumed that they avail of 20 hours of childcare per week in term (38 weeks per year) and they avail...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (4 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Over the past nine budgets, investment in Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School-Age Childcare (SAC) has risen from €260 million in 2015 to €1.1 billion in 2024, reaching the First 5 investment target 5 years ahead of time. In 2022, Ireland’s GDP at constant prices was €475 billion. To increase spending to 1% of GDP, equalling €4.7 billion, an...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (4 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I firmly believe the level of pay for early years educators and school-age childcare practitioners should reflect the value of their work for children, families, society and the economy. The State is not the employer and therefore does not set the pay or conditions for employees in either early learning and care (ELC) or school-age childcare (SAC) services. However, there is now, through...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (4 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Deputy has requested the full year cost of increasing subsidies to 100% of fees paid by parents availing of early learning and childcare subsidies. It is assumed that the Deputy is referring to the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) which is provided by my Department to offset the cost of early learning childcare to parents. My Department does not hold individualised fee data for...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Disability Services (4 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The award winning Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) has supported more than 28,000 children with a disability to access and meaningfully participate in the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme since it was first introduced in September 2016. In Budget 2024, I was very pleased to secure an allocation of €57.497m for AIM, including an additional €14m. €7m...