Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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93. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the extent to which the 2016 budget is likely to positively impact on the welfare and well-being of children; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36764/15]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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I am pleased to be able to inform the Deputy that I have been able to secure a gross funding allocation of €1.138bn under Budget 2016 for the provision of services under my Department’s Vote. This includes a provision of €1.113 billion in current expenditure and €25 million in capital expenditure. The net funding allocation for the Vote amounts to €1.112 billion when Appropriations-in-Aid receipts of €25.450 million in current funding are taken into account. This level of funding represents an increase of 11% on the 2015 Revised Estimate.

The resource allocation includes financial provisions for a range of key services in respect of children and young people including:

- an additional €85 million towards a suite of measures, which will improve the affordability, accessibility and quality of childcare. In particular, the budgetary decisions will provide for:

- An extension to the free pre-school year, which will now allow children to avail of the free pre-school provision from age three until they make the transition to primary school; thereby increasing current provision (i.e. 38 weeks) by up to a further 50 weeks;

- A suite of supports, which will ensure children with a disability can meaningfully participate in, and fully reap the benefits of, pre-school education;

- An extension of the Community Childcare Subvention Programme by up to 8,000 places and, for the first time, making this Programme available through private childcare providers throughout the country;

- A resource which will allow important work to commence on consolidating existing targeted childcare support programmes, including the Community Childcare Subvention Programme, into a new simplified targeted childcare support programme that will be available through community and private childcare providers from 2017.

- A range of measures to improve the quality of early years and school-aged childcare, including an audit of quality, a programme of continuing professional development and training for childcare providers and enhanced inspection; and

- A range of measures to improve the provision of after-school childcare, including a once-off capital fund to develop after-school services using existing school (and other community) facilities in conjunction with both community/not-for-profit and private childcare providers.

- An allocation of €676 million for Tusla, The Child and Family Agency representing an increase of €33 million or 5% over the 2015 allocation of €643 million. This includes €662m in current expenditure and €14m in capital expenditure. The additional resources are intended to alleviate service pressures in child welfare and protection services, in particular pressures being faced in the areas of unallocated cases, private residential and foster care and Domestic Sexual and Gender Based Violence Strategy. The increased capital provision will allow for a range of projects to be initiated and progressed including the development of new and improved special care facilities at Portrane and Ballydowd.

- €54 million (an increase of €3.350m) to support the provision of youth services throughout the country including services for young people at risk of disadvantage. This will benefit 380,000 young people involving 30 national youth organisations and other local services supported by 40,000 volunteers and communities throughout the country.

- €4.604 million (an increase of €2.104m) towards the Intervention Programme for Children and Young People which supports a number of specific measures to support children and disadvantaged young people through the Dormant Accounts Fund.

- €3.283 million (an increase of €1.383m) to support the implementation of Phase 2 of Growing Up in Ireland - the National Longitudinal Study of Children.

- An additional €1.613 million for the Children Detention Schools to support operational costs of the National Children Detention Facility at Oberstown as well as the introduction of a new initiative in the area of Bail Support that is intended to reduce the demand for detention beds. [The capital allocation for the Oberstown Complex is reducing by €12.674m in 2016 reflecting the completion of the project].

- Increased resources of €443,000 for the Adoption Authority of Ireland and €205,000 for the Office of the Ombudsman for Children to support their statutory requirements.