We are always looking to support innovative and co-operative work with youth organisations and other sectors as well. My capital budget in this area is not huge - I have to be upfront about that - and much of it at the moment is being spent on supporting existing services and maintenance. Many of the buildings in youth services are old and we are backing them up. What I have been able to grow quite significantly over the past two years is our current budget. Almost the opposite to what the Deputy was saying, perhap…

My Department has strongly supported young people throughout the pandemic with a range of supports, in particular financially. We provided an additional €5 million in both budget 2021 and budget 2022. We have continued to provide those financial supports in order that we can have more services. I visited the Kilkenny and Ossory youth services, based in Kilkenny city. Under its UBU, it has a mandate to provide rural youth services in a range of towns and villages throughout rural County Kilkenny. There is a model th…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 16, 17 and 24 together. I too had a good meeting with the ombudsman about that report and we discussed his ideas in detail. The Department of Social Protection leads on the Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020–2025, which is aimed at reducing poverty and improving social inclusion. Under the roadmap, a new child poverty target is being agreed. Addressing child poverty was identified as a priority action under Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures and will remain a priority in the successor…

I see the successor strategy to Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures as being hugely important. There is always the decision of whether to go narrow and centralise the decision-making process or make it broad and ensure all parts of government are acting towards it. That is that balancing element. Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures, the policy framework that is ending now, has been really successful, but I have been clear that in a successor I want child poverty eradication to be central and to play an even greater rol…

I thank the Deputy very much. I am taking this issue for the Minister, Deputy Ryan. Obviously, as Minister for Transport, Deputy Ryan has responsibility for overall policy and Exchequer funding in respect of the national roads programme. Once funding arrangements have been put in place with Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, under the Roads Acts 1993-2015 and in line with the national development plan, NDP, the planning, design, improvement and upgrading of individual national roads is a matter for TII, in conj…

I take the Deputy's point with regard to clarity on what is meant by the first half of the year. I cannot deliver that clarity right now. I will engage with the Minister, Deputy Ryan, and ask him to come back with some more clarity on that particular point. It is important to note that the route selection element is being progressed. TII is actively progressing it and is engaging with Limerick City and County Council and providing money to undertake those design and research elements of the project. It is recognise…

I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. Reports of historical sexual abuse in St. John Ambulance in the 1990s have been highlighted over recent years. Initially the case concerned three men who made allegations against one named adult. Two of these individuals were under 18 at the time of the abuse. All three people and the accused were volunteers with St. John Ambulance. A fourth man came forward in November 2020 and a fifth in recent months. It is my understanding that a Garda investigation is under…

I want the record to be clear. My Department provides no funding to St. John Ambulance as a youth organisation. I met a survivor who explained his experience. I subsequently met the board of St. John Ambulance to discuss both its current child protection procedures, which Tusla has assured me are in compliance with Children First, and a review of the historical cases. I encouraged and put pressure on the board members to undertake that independent review of historical practices. That independent review is now takin…

I want to express my appreciation to the Seanad for arranging this debate further to the discussions we had in the Dáil Chamber last Tuesday and Thursday. I reiterate my appreciation of the keen interest many Members of the Oireachtas have shown in this important issue. The matters we are discussing are not easy to discuss but it is imperative we do so because survivors have waited a long time for an adequate response to the pain and suffering they have endured. I know they appreciate the support of Deputies and Se…

I thank the Acting Chairperson for his ongoing contributions and his often wise words in this area. I thank all Members of the House for their contributions on this issue. It was valuable of Senator Dolan to call out the numbers for the support schemes. That is important and I echo her reminder that those supports are there for all survivors of institutional abuse. Victims of mother and baby institutions get priority access to counselling. That is free counselling and it is available during the day and out of hours…

I thank the Business Committee for arranging this debate and allowing time for the Dáil to discuss the important work that is ongoing in dealing with Ireland's legacy of mother and baby and county home institutions. The keen interest Members have in these matters is very welcome and it is clear that survivors appreciate the level of support across the House. In speaking with survivors, I have heard countless stories of horrendous suffering. I cannot begin to imagine the bravery it takes to share those accounts. Man…

I thank all the Deputies for their contributions today and for taking the opportunity to read into the Dáil record many of the items of correspondence that they have received from survivors. Deputy Gino Kenny’s contribution was particularly meaningful. Throughout today’s debate and the debate on Tuesday, Deputies have raised a range of concerns regarding the payment scheme that I brought forward. I have been given Government approval to bring forward legislative proposals on the basis of the scheme as outlined. We …

It was given detailed consideration at the Oireachtas joint committee, which provided me with a detailed report outlining issues members had with the proposals. We are looking to respond to that and to bring forward amended legislation. Deputy Higgins spoke about a project run by the Christine Buckley Centre concerning the lived history of survivors of institutional abuse generally. As set out in the action plan, we are working on capturing that lived history and the personal stories and accounts of survivors to se…

I thank Senator Ruane for raising this important matter and for her ongoing work in this really significant area. It is valuable that Members of the Seanad should have the opportunity to express their views on issues concerning vulnerable children and young people in or leaving State care. We all share an ambition for children in care to thrive. This requires all forms of alternative care in Ireland to support and look after children and young people, and for these individuals to have continuous relationships with …

I welcome the opportunity to address the issues raised in this motion. We are all united in our belief that the State must take responsibility for the indisputable wrongs that were visited on women and children who spent time in these institutions. As the Taoiseach stated in his apology earlier this year, "The State failed you - the mothers and children in these homes." It would be difficult to find a family in Ireland whose lives the legacy of mother and baby institutions has not touched. It weighs heavily on indi…

I must leave as I have to speak on a Private Members' motion in the Dáil. The Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, will take over for me. I thank the Senators for their contributions and I am sorry I cannot respond directly. However, many of the issues raised are issues we are engaging with, as Senator Ruane and I discussed yesterday. We will continue to engage on those issues and I am available for Commencement matters or further statements at any stage.

I was relieved at the start of the Senator's contribution to hear she was not in any way questioning protection for trans people in society, but I ask her in future contributions to consider her framing because to bring reference on at least two occasions to sex offenders straight into the debate and to speak about voyeurism and exhibitionism in a way that suggested these are linked to a person being trans is really problematic. There are people watching the proceedings in this Upper House of our national Parliamen…

I am not offended. I am just saying that we have to be very careful with the language we use in this area. From her experience as a foster parent, the Senator acknowledges and knows better than me the sensitivities of children and the pressures they face, particularly where a child may be struggling with gender identity. That is why the language we use here is extremely important when we talk about these issues and the concerns people have. Referencing and bringing the debate straight to the worst-case scenario is …

I will respond to Deputy Buckley's question. As he knows, we announced a scheme to provide financial payments to 34,000 former residents and enhanced medical cards to 19,000 former residents at an overall cost of €800 million. I am acutely conscious of the importance of getting these payments and the enhanced medical cards to survivors, many of whom are elderly. Because the scheme is so large, it requires legislation. I will work as hard as I can with members of the Opposition to get the legislation passed as quick…

Following intense deliberations over the past months, on Tuesday the Government approved an action plan for mother and baby institution survivors and a mother and baby institutions payment scheme. This payments scheme goes significantly beyond both the recommendations of the commission of investigation and those of the interdepartmental group that was established to bring proposals to me. It will provide supports with a value of more than €800 million. It also stands as part of a much broader Government response th…