Paul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein)
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384. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of WTE forensic accountants employed by his Department in 2023 and to date in 2024, in tabular form. [38602/24]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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My Department has not employed forensic accountants in the period to which the Deputy refers. Since April 2023, the Ukraine Division in my Department has engaged an accountancy firm to assist in supporting the payment function for my Department's costs incurred in the Government's response to the Ukraine crisis. This mostly related to costs of temporary emergency accommodation sourced by and for my Department. Earlier in 2024, this work was extended to include forensic accounting services to support the Compliance function within the Ukraine Division and to assist in investigation and reconciliation. I cannot provide the WTE breakdown of forensic accountants involved in the work in tabular form as requested.

Paul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein)
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385. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of WTE staff, by grade, within his Department that are dealing with applications under the mother and baby homes institutions payment scheme, in tabular form. [38603/24]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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The Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme opened on 20 March.

In terms of staffing for Scheme delivery, a blended operating model was developed. This provides for the Chief Deciding Officer to be supported by a core Executive Office operating independently but based in my Department and also by experienced third party support, appointed after a procurement process. This blended approach facilitates efficiencies in application processing and payments through the ability to scale staff numbers involved in the Scheme as necessary depending on applicant numbers at any given time.

All staff in the Executive Office, as well as the third party support team, operate under the direction and supervision of the Chief Deciding Officer and a comprehensive training programme for all staff involved in Scheme administration has been delivered.