Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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315. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if grant aid will be made available in respect of the retention of a childcare facility (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27185/22]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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During 2021, my Department successfully secured €70m in the revised National Development Plan (NDP) allocation. This will enable significant capital investment in early learning and childcare during 2023-2025.

 Investment under the NDP will consist of three pillars: Modernisation, New Capacity and First 5 Initiatives. This will enable significant capital investment in early learning and childcare during the lifetime of the NDP as follows:

(1) Modernisation: Much of the existing early learning and childcare infrastructure that was previously delivered by large scale capital programmes is now in need of upgrading and modernisation in order to be fully compliant with new regulations and more recent guidelines, as well as to maximise energy efficiency. This investment will prioritise follow-up funding for buildings that were funded through the Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme (EOCP) and the National Childcare Investment Programme (NCIP), with funding also available for previously non-funded infrastructure.

(2) New Capacity: Ireland is approaching the limits of capacity, with shortfalls for early learning and childcare places already evident in some areas and for some cohorts. The rates of participation in early learning and childcare are also lower than European averages. As investment in subsidisation grows in the coming years as committed to in First 5 and the Programme for Government, demand from parents will also increase.

In the coming years, NDP capital funding allocated to early learning and childcare will be used to increase the stock of early learning and childcare infrastructure, in order to address capacity challenges including the undersupply for certain types of provision and in specific areas of the country.

(3) First 5 Initiatives: First 5 (Government Strategy for babies, young children and their families 2019 -2028) was launched in 2018 and was re-committed to in the Programme for Government: Our Shared Future. First 5 envisages a range of innovative initiatives for the early learning and childcare sector, including piloting Family and Early Childhood Centres and piloting outdoor early learning and childcare provision, piloting meal provision. Each of these initiatives have capital requirements.

Further information on the Department’s NDP allocation and the application process will

be communicated to the sector in the near future.  

Unfortunately at present my Department does not have funding available for the service in question to purchase the property. My Department advises that the service may wish to contact Cavan County Childcare Committee, who will provide information on future capital supports when they become available. 

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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316. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the grant aid that is available at present towards the provision of childcare facilities by community groups; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27199/22]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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During 2021, my Department successfully secured €70m in the revised National Development Plan (NDP) allocation. This will enable significant capital investment in early learning and childcare over the period 2023-2025. This will enable significant capital investment in early learning and childcare during the lifetime of the NDP over three pillars as follows:

 (1) Modernisation: Much of the existing early learning and childcare infrastructure that was previously delivered by large scale capital programmes is now in need of upgrading and modernisation in order to be fully compliant with new regulations and more recent guidelines, as well as to maximise energy efficiency. This investment will prioritise follow-up funding for buildings that were funded through the Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme (EOCP) and the National Childcare Investment Programme (NCIP), with funding also available for previously non-funded infrastructure.

 (2) New Capacity: Ireland is approaching the limits of capacity, with shortfalls for early learning and childcare places already evident in some areas and for some cohorts. The rates of participation in early learning and childcare are also lower than European averages. As investment in subsidisation grows in the coming years as committed to in First 5 and the Programme for Government, demand from parents will also increase.

 In the coming years, NDP capital funding allocated to early learning and childcare will be used to increase the stock of early learning and childcare infrastructure, in order to address capacity challenges including the undersupply for certain types of provision and in specific areas of the country.

 (3) First 5 Initiatives: First 5 (Government Strategy for babies, young children and their families 2019 -2028) was launched in 2018 and was re-committed to in the Programme for Government: Our Shared Future. First 5 envisages a range of innovative initiatives for the early learning and childcare sector, including piloting Family and Early Childhood Centres and piloting outdoor early learning and childcare provision, piloting meal provision. Each of these initiatives have capital requirements.

Further information on the Department’s NDP allocation and the application process will be communicated to the sector in the near future.

Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independents 4 Change)
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317. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will further advise on a SUSI-grant matter raised in correspondence by a person (details supplied). [27043/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Further to previous PQ 23930/22 and in response to issues raised by the applicant my officials have been informed by SUSI that the student in question applied for grant assistance on 28th April 2020 with regard to the 2020/2021 academic year. An award letter was sent on that day 28th April 2020 advising she had been awarded Postgraduate Tuition Fees to a maximum of €6,270 and the special adjacent rate of maintenance grant.

The application was reviewed as part of a Post-Award Review on 15th October 2020 and a further award letter confirming she had been awarded Postgraduate Tuition Fees to a maximum of €6,270 and the special adjacent rate of maintenance grant was sent on 19th October 2020.

An internal review request was received regarding this application on 19th October 2020 regarding the adjacency rate awarded.

The assessment team in SUSI investigated this placement and based on information from the college’s website the placement is for two days a in SUSI week on placement and the rest of the week is on campus. Therefore, as the placement is not for a period of at least one semester off-campus the adjacency rate cannot change as more time is spent on campus than off campus. The applicant was advised of this by telephone on 26 October 2021. The Internal Review Team issued the following determination. “As the placement/course is split throughout the week as stated on the college website, the placement is not full time and therefore will not affect adjacency.” The student further contacted SUSI on 30th August 2021 to query why she had not been awarded the non-adjacent rate of maintenance. Her application was reviewed and a letter to advise her that there had been no change to the original decision to award her the adjacent rate of grant was sent to her on 2nd September 2021. SUSI received a Notice of Appeal regarding adjacency for the 2020/2021 academic year on 17th December 2021 and a letter was sent to the applicant on 22nd December 2021 advising that the appeal could not be accepted as it was received outside the maximum 60-day timeframe.

The applicant contacted the Support Desk in SUSI to enquire when the original decision was made and how the 60 days were calculated. The student was advised date of the decision to award her the adjacent rate of grant was 19 October 2020 and the 60 days started then. This would mean the 60-day window to appeal closed on 18 December 2020. As the appeal was received 12 months after this date it could not be considered by the Appeals Officer. Where an individual applicant has had an appeal turned down in writing by an appeals officer in SUSI and remains of the view that the scheme has not been interpreted correctly in his/her case, an appeal may be submitted to the independent Student Grants Appeals Board within the required timeframe (i.e. not later than 30 days after the notification of the determination of the appeals officer to the applicant). My officials have also been informed that the student in question submitted an appeal to the Student Grant Appeals Board in January 2022 however, this could not be heard as an appeal by the Board as the student never submitted an appeal to the SUSI Appeals Officer as per the process outlined above. I would encourage the Deputy to make contact directly with SUSI if she has any additional questions.