Seanad debates

Tuesday, 23 May 2023

National Parks

Special Educational Needs

12:30 pm

Photo of Fiona O'LoughlinFiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)
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I have been working with a wonderful team of people at Sensational Kids in Kildare, including Karen Leigh, CEO, and Ann Marie Sweeney, to try to realise their vision to transform access and therapeutic supports for children with additional needs and their families.On Friday last, I visited the enterprise's interim space in Kildare town once again and had the opportunity to tour its national headquarters, which really embodies the ethos of a child-first approach. Every element of this building is focused on supporting and developing the therapeutic offerings of the space and the use of play and fun are key drivers of the sessions. Ms Karen Lee, the CEO, has built Sensational Kids up with blood, sweat and tears. She used her own personal struggles in accessing services for her own child to build a one-of-a-kind social enterprise. It now has bases not just in its original location in Kildare but also in counties Mayo and Monaghan, west Cork and an outreach centre at Athlone. It is a real success story.

We all know the issues facing the HSE in terms of waiting lists. Children and their families suffer most when they languish on waiting lists. The waiting lists in community healthcare organisation, CHO, 7 which includes County Kildare, are the worst in the country. Quite often, we must take the opportunity to raise these issues in the Seanad.

Sensational Kids was established to provide access to vital therapeutic services at a discounted rate to ensure that as many children as possible get the supports they so desperately need. Last year alone the organisation provided 7,300 hours of therapy and it has supported more than 10,000 children since it was established. The Minister of State should bear in mind that this is a social enterprise that was started at the kitchen table of Karen Lee, a mother of a child with additional needs, to try to access services for her own child. She has developed that vision to the benefit of 10,000 children.

Sensational Kids is now at a vital stage in its development. While its current facility in Kildare is good, it is clear that it has outgrown the space, which is no longer sufficient to support the organisation's long-term development and commitment to supporting children with special needs. Karen and her team are at an advanced stage in realising their dream of constructing a flagship child development centre for vulnerable children. I have seen the designs and the centre has the potential to transform how Sensational Kids operates. Sensational Kids was relying on the immigrant investor programme, IIP, as a key source of funding to deliver the project, which was originally costed in 2021 at €9.6 million. In March 2022, it was deemed to be a suitable project for IIP endowment funding, with a total amount approved. However, shortly after the project was approved, it became clear that additional funds would be required because of increases in the cost of construction.

Overnight on February 14 this year, the Minister for Justice, Deputy Harris, announced the decision to close the IIP to new applications. An agreed procedure had been put in place in 2022 by the IIP's independent evaluation committee to deal with requests for further tendering in the context of higher costs. This involved the project submitting various documentation and information to the evaluation committee for further assessment. At no point was Sensational Kids ever informed by the Department of any timeframe or deadline by which to submit updated costs before the programme closed overnight in February, or of any timeframe with regard to returning the application form for additional funding. We are now at a point where a social enterprise that has supported 10,000 children to date, with ambitions to support 30,000 children over the next ten years, has been left in limbo. The organisation has taken out a significant loan on the site, has secured planning permission and has fully developed designs. It has put huge work into private fundraising and is in a quandary. The Minister for Justice needs to put something in place to support Sensational Kids and other similar enterprises.

Photo of Ossian SmythOssian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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The Minister for Justice believes it would not be appropriate for me to provide details on, or make reference to, the specific project to which the Senator refers.

The IIP was established more than a decade ago, during a time of unprecedented economic difficulty, to stimulate investment in Ireland that would be of strategic and public benefit to the State.However, it is important that we keep all programmes under review, including any implications for wider public policy, such as the continuing appropriateness and suitability of this programme for cultural, social and economic use.

As the Senator is aware, the Minister, Deputy Harris, obtained approval from the Government to close the IIP to further new applications from 15 February 2023. It is appreciated that closure of the programme has given rise to many queries and concerns on the part of individuals and organisations with an interest in it. The Minister and his officials are committed to an orderly wind-down of the programme and the management of the closure in a way that is fair to all.

I assure Senator O'Loughlin that the Department of Justice is aware of the many organisations that are anxious to receive a decision and it will communicate with all individuals and organisations in a timely manner. However, the volume of applications to the programme has accelerated rapidly in recent years and this has given rise to significant pressures on the IIP unit. In addition, a significant number of queries have been received since the programme's closure on 15 February 2023. The Department confirms that all applications recently received are currently pending examination and that each application will be examined on its own merits.

It is not possible at this time to give an indication of when individual applications will receive a decision. The programme's independent evaluation committee has requested that an analysis of certain issues be undertaken to assist it in the task of ensuring that the closure of the programme is carried out in a manner that is consistent and fair to applicants. The committee has committed to more frequent and intense engagement to progress these matters, and the patience of stakeholders is requested over the coming months while this work is completed.

The Minister assures all applicants and project sponsors that the closure of the programme will not affect existing projects or individuals already approved. Detailed communications, including an updated frequently asked questions document, will continue to be provided through the immigration service delivery website, www.irishimmigration.ie, on the arrangements applicable to the closure and winding down of the programme.

Photo of Fiona O'LoughlinFiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)
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The bottom line is that the Department of Justice has pulled the rug out from under Sensational Kids at the last minute. It was approved for the IIP programme. It was told it could still access the required additional funding to complete the project after the IIP closed. It was never advised of a timeline to submit additional information and now it is in a situation where costs have risen by more than €4 million and there is nowhere to turn.

Sensational Kids is not alone. Numerous organisations have committed significant financial investment to their applications, based on the reasonable expectation that their application would be treated in the same manner as all previous applicants had been treated.

I put it to the Minister of State that all organisations should be granted 12 months from 15 February 2023 in which to resolve IIP projects already approved, in particular when the project is at serious risk of failing due to this decision and through no fault of its own. That is a very important message to bring back to the Minister.

Photo of Ossian SmythOssian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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I hear Senator O'Loughlin's sincere passion for this project and I understand she wants to get a good resolution for it. I feel the same when representing anybody.

The Senator indicated that the project was already approved. I am told by the Department that projects that have already been approved are not affected. I presume this refers to an additional requirement for money, which has not yet been approved and is subject to appraisal. I think Senator O'Loughlin is asking that I go back to the Department and ask that all projects that have sought additional approval get a response within 12 months. I will ask the Minister.

Photo of Fiona O'LoughlinFiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)
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To clarify, it is not to get a response within 12 months but for the scheme to be extended for a 12-month period in order to get the additional costings, etc., in.

Photo of Ossian SmythOssian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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I will take the Senator's request back to the Department of Justice. I think she understands that not every request for funding is automatically approved. There has to be an appraisal process. As a result of the announcement of the wind-down of the funding programme, there has been a large increase in the volume of inquiries and submitted requests. Those requests that have been received are causing a large workload for the Department, which is working as fast as it possibly can. I will take Senator O'Loughlin's specific request to the Minister. I can see how sincere she is about this matter and I thank her for raising it.