I propose to take Questions Nos. 3 and 4 together. Following the publication of the independent review into illegal birth registrations in March 2021, I asked Professor Conor O'Mahony, the special rapporteur on child protection, to consider the significant complexities and challenges which arise in respect of the issue of illegal birth registrations and to provide a report proposing an appropriate course of action. On 14 March 2022, I published the report, which sets out 17 numbered recommendations, one of which is…

I thank the Deputies. There has been a rightful focus on the question of illegal birth registration through "RTÉ Investigates" programmes and the published report of the independent investigator. Following on from that, the Government and I took action, recognising that the independent reviewer's report, comprehensive though it was, perhaps did not set out clear next steps. We asked Professor Conor O'Mahony to bring forward his report and he has set out clear next steps. He recognises the importance of the Birth In…

Yes.

Deputy Cairns is correct about the comprehensive nature of Professor O'Mahony's discussion of the issue of inquiry. He very clearly took the commission-of-investigation model to task, and we all agree it did not deliver what survivors of institutions were seeking. Deputy Tully spoke about accountability. One of the key issues with a truth commission is that it requires people to come forward on a non-statutory basis. As a result, what everybody seeks to achieve from an inquiry may not be delivered from a truth comm…

In 2018, the Crowe consultancy group was commissioned by my Department to undertake a sustainability review of a small cohort of early learning and care and school-age childcare services operating in disadvantaged areas. Through this review, Crowe also engaged with parents using these services. A key objective of the review was to examine the potential impact of the national childcare scheme, NCS, which was under development at the time. It was never intended to publish a report of this sustainability review as it …

From very early in taking up my role, I recognised that the NCS as a national scheme is extremely beneficial. We have very clear evidence that on a national basis it is providing real benefits to large numbers of parents and encouraging large numbers of those parents back to work. However, we recognised that specific services felt a negative impact and I engaged with the Deputy's colleagues about that. I also met representatives from a significant number of services and listened to them and that is why we brought f…

I very much recognise the needs of children from disadvantaged areas. That is why we have made changes to the scheme. We have made it clear that sponsorship should be interpreted broadly, particularly by Tusla. That has led to a significant increase in the number of children getting full hours through the sponsorship process. We also removed the wraparound hours, which will benefit 5,000 children. It is my hope that in next year's budget we will be able to begin to advance the DEIS measures. The Government has comm…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 8, 13, 19, 30, 50, 65, 72, 73, 298 and 306 together. I thank the Deputies for their questions. I am sure everyone joins me in condemning in the strongest possible terms the illegal aggression of Russia towards Ukraine, which at this stage appears to be designed to create the most possible suffering for civilians. I am sure all Deputies will join with me in extending a hand of welcome to Ukrainian refugees as they arrive in our country. Since the outset of the Russian attack, I and m…

First, it is important to say that we are taking an all-of-government approach, led by the Department of the Taoiseach. The Deputy is right that transport will be a key element and I will be engaging with the Department of Transport on that. It is important that each Department is responsible for its particular element of the response to the crisis. We all will work together to deliver for the very significant needs of Ukrainian refugees. I will engage with Tusla regarding family resource centres. Its CEO, Bernard …

It is 28 days since Russia invaded Ukraine. All of Europe is responding to a crisis none of us foresaw and which is happening at a scale none of us foresaw. Yes, the response right now is imperfect. We are doing our best to meet the immediate needs about which Deputy Moynihan spoke and to plan for what could be very significant medium- to long-term needs. The entire system is coming together but it will take time before everything is perfect. I genuinely think Cork County Council is in a better position to decide, …

As the Deputy is aware, accommodation is being made available by the International Protection Accommodation Service, IPAS, of my Department to meet the needs of Ukrainian refugees. So far, accommodation has been provided to more than 4,500 people. The community sponsorship model he referenced was developed by the Government in collaboration with non-governmental partners such as the Irish Red Cross, the Irish Refugee Council, Nasc, Amnesty International and Doras Luimní. The purpose of the programme is to enable co…

The Deputy is right that the community sponsorship model was brought forward in a different time and it responded to the very real needs of Afghan refugees last year and Syrian refugees prior to that. It was an extremely successful programme and communities really have rallied around to support those who arrived. However, it was done on a small scale, whereas now we are undertaking developments at a massive scale across the country, as we expect tens of thousands of refugees to arrive in the weeks and months ahead.…

I thank the Deputy. We are proceeding on a phased basis. The initial phase involves hotel accommodation. Two thousand five hundred rooms have been procured in recent weeks. We are now moving on to the pledges and seeking in the first instance to activate the vacant houses or fully vacant units into which people can move quickly. Following on from that will be shared accommodation in people's homes. There will be an element of vetting where a child is going into a home. We are engaging with a view to considering lar…

I prepared a response for Deputy Niamh Smyth. I might put that on the record and then address the Deputy's question, on Carlow. Deputy Niamh Smyth has raised this issue regularly. I have received correspondence from Cavan County Council on the matter. I am very much aware of the importance of refuge protection in counties such as Cavan and Monaghan, and, indeed, Carlow. The response to domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, DSGBV is cross-departmental and multi-agency, co-ordinated by the Department of Justice…

It is great that the Deputy has got the group together. It shows the genuine commitment to the delivery of refuge services in Carlow. The Deputy raised this with me when I visited Carlow recently. She has clearly identified that the mechanisms for the delivery of refuges up to this point have been slow, cumbersome and ill-focused. That is one of the key issues that the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, is working on addressing to ensure we have a clear and fast-acting mechanism. We now have the report that has …

As both Deputies know, responsibility for delivering the refuge services is being moved from the Department and Tusla to the Department of Justice. That is an issue on which the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, and I have been working. It has been decided across Government that the Department of Justice is the appropriate location for both the setting of policy and the delivery of new refuge space. We will be seeking to facilitate the transfer of the responsibilities. We have been working very closely with the…

I thank the Deputy. In March, following publication of the independent review into illegal birth registrations, I asked Professor Conor O'Mahony, the special rapporteur on child protection, to consider the significant complexities and challenges which arise regarding the issue of illegal birth registrations and to provide a report proposing an appropriate course of action. On 14 March, I published the report which sets out the 17 numbered recommendations. Recommendation 16 in the report from the special rapporteur …

The Deputy is absolutely right in saying that if we do not look we cannot find. That is why I have prioritised the birth information and tracing legislation, which provides the mechanisms to allow us to find this information and get birth certificates, records and early life information which is the core way in which we can find out if someone has been subjected to an illegal birth registration. We have the provision of a specialised tracing team, which Professor O'Mahony recommended. We have set out in our respons…

Professor O'Mahony conducted a very detailed piece of work within a short period of time. When I get detailed work, I give it the time to consider it. There were 17 detailed and complex recommendations. I do not rush into things in this area. I give them time and consideration. Through doing that we have a strong Birth Information and Tracing Bill and strong Institutional Burials Bill because they were given the time to assess the various elements that needed to be addressed. In the context of the independent revie…

I thank the Deputy. I believe significant progress can be made through my Department's co-ordination of the EU child guarantee, which is an important initiative that aims to combat social exclusion by guaranteeing access for children who are in need of a range of key services. I will publish our national action plan for the child guarantee shortly. The commitments under the guarantee address critical matters such as: free access to early childhood education and care; education and healthcare for children in need; h…