-----some of which are particularly relevant to my Department in the context of increases in the qualified child payment, those being, €2 per week for children under 12 years of age and €5 per week for children over 12 years of age.

It will lead to a €5 increase in the living alone allowance and a €3.50 per week increase in the fuel allowance. Those are the social welfare measures that will be funded as a result of this measure. A number of Deputies raised the issue of rural Ireland. It is important to note that €20 million of the revenue will be used to pilot environmental programmes in agriculture, which is a recognition of the precarious nature of the incomes of many farmers and the importance of supporting farmers in making this change.

Is the Leas-Cheann Comhairle indicating that I must conclude?

The overall impact of this measure has to be seen in the context of a range of programme for Government commitments, some of which are being financed today, for example, the increased investment in LocalLink so that we can provide rural public transport, which has not been adequately provided for by previous Governments, and an increase in the public service obligation payment so that we can deliver BusConnects and improved public transport, put money into retrofitting schemes and support farmers in making the chan…

I move: (1) THAT the rate of value-added tax on the supply of certain goods and services at present chargeable at the rate of 13.5 per cent be decreased to 9 per cent of the amount on which tax is chargeable in relation to the supply of certain goods and services from 1 November 2020 to 31 December 2021 and that accordingly, subsection (1)(ca) of section 46 of the Value-Added Tax Consolidation Act 2010 (No. 31 of 2010) be amended to extend the application of the rate of 9 per cent to goods or services of a kind spe…

I move: (1) THAT section 288 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 (No. 39 of 1997) be amended, in subsection (3C), by substituting “incurred before 14 October 2020 on the provision” for “incurred on the provision”. (2) THAT paragraph (1) of this Resolution shall have effect as on and from 14 October 2020. (3) IT is hereby declared that it is expedient in the public interest that this Resolution shall have statutory effect under the provisions of the Provisional Collection of Taxes Act 1927 (No. 7 of 1927). Financial…

I will try to address some of the issues raised by Deputies. Following on from what the Tánaiste has said, these measures are in the context of wider reviews of corporate tax regimes and the wider process of ongoing corporate tax reform in recent years. This has been taking place internationally and at a European and OECD level. A part of those endeavours has involved an examination of capital allowance measures. In that context, Revenue officials here conducted an informal review of the publicly-available informat…

I thank the Senator for raising an issue that is of real concern to me. I acknowledge that there is a need for significant improvement in levels of pay and working conditions for practitioners working in early learning and care and school-age childcare services. The level of pay they receive at the moment does not reflect the value of the work they do for children, for families and for the wider society. In addition, low pay and poor working conditions have an impact on the quality of the childcare provided through…

As regards the overall funding of the sector, I am focused on the report of the expert funding group. I have contacted it since taking on this role as Minister. I have asked that we will have something very clear by the middle of next year to allow three major pieces of work: the expert funding group, the workforce development plan and the organisational review of the entire sector. I am hoping for those three pieces of work to be ready for the middle of next year. When we have those three key pieces of information…

I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after “Dáil Éireann” and substitute the following: "commits strongly to the principle that Government should ensure the best start possible for every child, underpinned by the principles of social justice, equality and fairness; recognises the need for a renewed, target-led, cross-Departmental approach to tackling child poverty through continued collaboration on the Cabinet Committee on Social Affairs and Equality, and through a cross-Government focus on child poverty in …

I thank the Senator for raising this very important matter and for speaking with such passion on it. Before I address her, I want to say that it is an honour to be speaking to this House for the first time. I look forward to working with Members here. I know many Members of this House have a very personal and deep interest in the issues that fall within my Department. We have a lot of legislation and many plans coming from my Department within the programme for Government and I look forward to working co-operativel…

I thank the Senator for her offer of support. If she could send those letters, I would appreciate it. I am very happy for the Department to take responsibility but I need additional resources. If they can be achieved it will make a huge difference. I had thought about the point the Senator made about our fostering campaign and we will have a general national fostering campaign. I have spoken to Tusla, and in light of the significant needs many of these children have some of the level of care required may be best de…

I thank the Senator. I am glad to have this opportunity to discuss the future of early learning and care and school-age childcare in the country, particularly the role of the city and county childcare committees. I appreciate the Senator pushing back this Commencement matter by a week to allow me address the matter directly. The 20 city and county childcare committees, CCCs, which operate nationwide and are funded by my Department, act as the local agent for my Department in the co-ordination and delivery of nation…

Absolutely nothing has been prejudiced by me. I am listening very carefully. Over the past 12 weeks since I have taken on this role, I have met a large number of providers in the sector. I am meeting representatives from Childcare Committees Ireland next week and we will discuss its valuable role in this process. In any public engagement I have had, and in every opportunity I have had over the past 12 weeks, I have noted the incredible work done across all areas in childcare. It has been a tough year. The childcare…

As schools have been reopening, Tusla's education and support service, TESS, has been engaging with families to provide advice, support and encouragement for students as they return to school recognising that this is a significantly different environment for many children and young people. Under the Education (Welfare) Act 2000, schools are obliged to maintain a record of the attendance of students and are required to refer cases to TESS when a student misses more than 20 days at school, as the Deputy referred to i…

I am happy to confirm that. We double-checked that with Tusla and TESS today in advance of addressing the Deputy’s question. Where an absence is explained due to a Covid-related reason, that will not count towards the 20 days. The Deputy is correct that parents are nervous as this is such a different environment but when one looks at how the education and welfare service worked over the years, its approach is to try to bring parents on board and to get students into class, if at all possible. The Deputy will be awa…

This is a common sense approach. We are carrying out the September audit of who is attending because research undertaken by my Department over the past number of months has shown that there is a real potential for impact of the three and half months spent out-of-school on children generally but, particularly, on children with special educational needs and from disadvantaged backgrounds. That is why it is so important, as we have this transition back to school, that TESS keeps a particular eye out for children who a…

I thank the Deputy. First, I commend the early learning and childcare sector on the fact that 94% of services that normally open during the summer did so again this year. This is despite the very many challenges Covid-19 created. Our preliminary information is that the level of term-time services reopening over the past two weeks is also extremely high. This involved a major commitment by providers and childcare professionals to children and their families. I applaud their work in that context. It is important to n…

I thank the Deputy. On the point about testing, I will continue to engage with the acting Chief Medical Officer and the HSE. Again, I am working in the context of NPHET advice and that objective to increase the general level of testing but also to get the response in the tracing time down as quickly as possible. The statistics out today show that, certainly in the past week, we are upscaling the amount of testing that is taking place nationally, which is welcome for all sectors of society. However, I take on board …

I thank the Deputy. We are all aware of the high turnover in that sector and statistics released yesterday highlighted that. I know they are for 2015 but, nonetheless, they are concerning as regards the overall sector. This is probably one element of creating the uncertainty that exists in the sector. We are undertaking a workforce development plan and, as the Deputy said, greater professionalisation and giving those entering the workforce here the idea that there are long-term careers and that they will be support…