Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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9. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the details of the promised payment scheme to make once-off payments of €3,000 to persons affected by illegal birth registration in the files of an institution (details supplied); his plans to extend this payment scheme to all persons affected by illegal birth registrations; the timeline for when the payment scheme will be operational; the calculations or analysis upon which the figure of €3,000 was based; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15471/22]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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In March 2021, following publication of the Independent Review into Illegal Birth Registration,  I asked Professor Conor O’Mahony, the Special Rapporteur on Child Protection, to consider the significant complexities and challenges which arise in relation to the issue of illegal birth registrations, and to provide a report proposing an appropriate course of action. On 14th March 2022 I published the report which sets out 17 numbered recommendations.

Recommendation 16 of the report by the Special Rapporteur on Child Protection was that provision should be made to cover legal costs associated with a declaration of parentage of persons affected by illegal birth registrations. In response, the Government approved a once-off payment of €3,000 for the individuals whose illegal birth registration has been confirmed by Tusla from the files of St. Patrick’s Guild.

This once-off payment of €3,000 is intended as contribution towards costs such as creating or amending wills or seeking a declaration of parentage. While it could also be used for DNA testing, Tusla has covered the costs of DNA testing for individuals in cases where records were insufficient to confirm an illegal birth registration and will continue to provide this support.

Tusla already hold confirmation of illegal birth registrations from the files of St. Patrick’s Guild that can form the basis for a payment to the individuals affected without any need to bring forward evidence and meet a certain burden of proof.  There may be potential to extend the payment to other confirmed cases after the Birth Information and Tracing Bill has provided access to records and people with suspicions are, therefore, able to access evidence necessary to confirm illegal birth registration and effect a change in the birth register.

In terms of the basis for the figure of €3,000, this was informed by the work of the Interdepartmental Group on Illegal Birth Registration and by the Special Rapporteur’s recommendation in terms of the purpose of the payment.

My officials are currently working to establish the scheme with the intention of making payments as soon as possible in 2022.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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12. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if new grant aid schemes will be introduced in 2023 in respect of the upgrading of existing childcare facilities and the provision of new accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15371/22]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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My Department successfully secured €70m in the revised National Development Plan (NDP) allocation, 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 my Department’s Annual Capital Programme which has, since 2015, funded the creation of more than 27,000 new places and has funded the upgrading of early learning and childcare services, with specific funding streams for services to comply with fire safety regulations and public health guidance in the context of Covid-19 and specific funding streams to enhance outdoor areas in these services. 

Funding under the NDP will also allow the very significant capital investment by the State under the Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme (EOCP) (2000-2006) and the National Childcare Investment Programme (NCIP) (2006-2013)) to be protected.

Investment under the NDP will consist of three pillars: Modernisation, New Capacity and First 5 Initiatives.

€10m in NDP funding has been allocated to Modernisation in 2023 - with much of the existing early learning and childcare infrastructure previously funded under EOCP and NCIP now in need of upgrading in order to be fully compliant with new regulations and to take account of new guidelines published by my Department, including the Universal Design Guidelines for Early Learning and Childcare Services and the National Quality Guidelines for School-Age Childcare Services.

Over the period 2024-2025, the remaining €60m in NDP funding has been largely earmarked for new places, to ensure that the supply of early learning and childcare places meets demand.

In addition to funding under the NDP, my Department is taking a number of other steps to ensure demand the supply of early learning and childcare places meets demand, including steps to strengthen the capacity to forecast supply and demand, updating the 2001 Planning Guidelines for Local Authorities on Early Learning and Childcare Settings, in partnership with the Department of Housing Planning and Local Government (DHPLG), and proactively 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.