Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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69. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if consultations will take place with representative groups in relation to the roll-out of his Department’s Capital Programme in 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15372/22]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Under the National Development Plan 2021 to 2030 my Department secured capital funding which will support capital programmes across the Department including the implementation of a new system of accommodation for International Protection applicants as envisaged under the White Paper to end Direct Provision and establish a new International Protection Support Service along with capital spending in relation to Early Learning and Childcare, Child and Family Agency, Youth organisations and Oberstown Children Detention Campus.

As part of the implementation of the White Paper I am very conscious of the importance of communicating clearly on the progress that we are making in implementing the new model of accommodation for International Protection applicants. Currently we are developing a communication strategy for the programme, which will include a community engagement strategy and include a process for consulting relevant communities when locating a Reception and Integration Centre in a particular location.

In the meantime information on the new model can be found on the new IPSS website at gov.ie/ipss.

My Department secured funding in the NDP for Early Years, which will enable significant capital investment in early learning and childcare over the period 2023-2025. This adds to the substantial level of capital investment by the State in recent years through the Department’s Annual Capital Programme. My Department is engaging with early learning and childcare services, through City/County Childcare Committees, in areas where there is unmet need for early learning and childcare from families. This engagement will inform the design and rollout of the early learning and childcare capital funding scheme.

In relation to youth affairs, it is expected that there will be an engagement in the first quarter of 2023 with the Education and Training Boards and the National Youth Council of Ireland in relation to a capital grant scheme to support minor works and equipment purchases for national youth organisations, local youth clubs and UBU Your Place Your Space funded organisations. The application criteria for the scheme will be updated where appropriate on foot of this engagement.

In general my Department closely monitors the capital spending across the Department and when and where appropriate will engage with relevant stakeholders in terms of programme delivery and design.