Results 181-200 of 19,741 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (13 May 2025)

Norma Foley: The National Childcare Scheme (NCS) provides financial supports to parents to help reduce the cost of early learning and childcare. The Scheme has undergone a number of enhancements in recent years to further improve affordability for parents. These include the extension of the Universal subsidy to all children under 15 and two increases to the minimum hourly subsidy, which is now worth...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Mother and Baby Homes (13 May 2025)

Norma Foley: The Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme opened for applications in March 2024. As at 30th April, over 6,460 applications have been received. There are over 6,100 fully completed applications which have proceeded into the processing system. The Payment Scheme Office is supporting the remainder, namely those applicants with incomplete applications who need to provide some further...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Data (8 May 2025)

Norma Foley: My Department is currently collating the information requested and a reply will issue directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (8 May 2025)

Norma Foley: The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme is a universal two year pre-school programme available to all children within the eligible age range of 2 years and 8 months to 5 years and 6 months. A child must have reached 2 years and 8 months of age on or prior to 31 August of the relevant programme year to be eligible. A child must not reach 5 years and 6 months on or before June...

Childcare: Motion (7 May 2025)

Norma Foley: I move amendment No. 2: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "welcomes the significant prioritisation by the Government of measures designed to: — reduce out of pocket costs of early learning and childcare for families; — better align the supply of State-subsidised early learning and childcare with demand; and — increase...

Report of the Farrelly Commission: Statements (Resumed) (7 May 2025)

Norma Foley: Gabhaim buiochas leis an Cathaoirleach Gníomhach as ucht an ama agus an deis seo a thabhairt dom. I thank all the Deputies who have contributed to this debate on the final substantive report of the Farrelly commission. I intend to respond to as many of the issues raised as I can. I must emphasise that the commission of investigation is an independent statutory commission, empowered...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Care Services (7 May 2025)

Norma Foley: Tusla has advised my Department that, on the 7th April 2025, the Agency was informed that an emergency residential care provider could no longer support two young people due to staffing challenges. This necessitated the immediate identification of alternative placements. Tusla made the decision, under exceptional circumstances, to temporarily close a respite service in Navan in order to...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Commissions of Investigation (7 May 2025)

Norma Foley: The Commission of Investigation (certain matters relative to a disability service in the South East and related matters), “the Farrelly Commission”; is an independent statutory Commission of Investigation established in 2017 to investigate the care and protection of “Grace” (pseudonym) and others in a former foster home in the South East, which has been the subject...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Mother and Baby Homes (7 May 2025)

Norma Foley: The Office of the Director of Authorised Intervention, Tuam (ODAIT) was established in 2023 to oversee the excavation, recovery, analysis, identification (if possible) and dignified reburial of the children’s remains located at the site of the former Mother and Baby institution in Tuam, Co. Galway. The Office is headed by the Director, Mr Daniel MacSweeney. Last week the Director...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child Protection (7 May 2025)

Norma Foley: I am advised by Tusla that, as of 6th May 2025 there are 15 young people in Special Care and that there are 3 young people who are currently the subject of a Special Care Order, in accordance with the Child Care Act 1991, who are not in Special Care owing to the absence of an available bed in a Special Care Unit. I am fully aware of the significant challenges facing special care services,...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Cycling Policy (7 May 2025)

Norma Foley: In the period from 2020 to 2024 there were 105 Cycle to Work Scheme applications processed by my Department. This is broken down in the table below. Year Total 2020 14 2021 21 2022 22 2023 24 2024 24 Total 105 The agencies under...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Mother and Baby Homes (7 May 2025)

Norma Foley: While I try to be helpful at all times in the parliamentary process, the Deputy will be aware that I cannot be involved in individual cases and cannot comment on same. The legislation underpinning the Payment Scheme - the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Act 2023 - specifically provides for the explicit independence of the Chief Deciding Officer in administering the application...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Registration of Births (7 May 2025)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 394, 395 and 396 together. The Birth Information and Tracing Act 2022 enshrines in law the right to identity information for all those who are adopted, nursed out, boarded out, subject to an illegal birth registration, or resided in a mother and baby or county home institution as a child. The Contact Preference Register (CPR), established under the Act,...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Commissions of Investigation (7 May 2025)

Norma Foley: The Commission of Investigation (certain matters relative to a disability service in the South East and related matters), “the Farrelly Commission”; is an independent statutory Commission of Investigation established in 2017. The deputy may wish to be aware that the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth received the Final Substantive Report from...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Commissions of Investigation (7 May 2025)

Norma Foley: The Commission of Investigation (certain matters relative to a disability service in the South East and related matters), “the Farrelly Commission”; is an independent statutory Commission of Investigation established in 2017. To date, the Commission of Investigation has cost approximately €13.6m. This is inclusive of administration costs, salaries, Ward of Court costs...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Family Resource Centres (7 May 2025)

Norma Foley: The Deputy is seeking information in relation to an operational matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. Consequently, I have referred the matter to Tusla, and requested that a direct response be provided to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Schemes (7 May 2025)

Norma Foley: Nurturing Skills, the Workforce Plan for Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare aims to build on the significant progress already made in raising skill levels across the sector. Supporting the further professionalisation of the workforce is key to improving outcomes for children and families. In line with commitments in Nurturing Skills, the pilot of a new Nurturing Skills...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Bodies (7 May 2025)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 402 and 403 together. The public bodies funded through my Department’s Vote and for which the Secretary General is the Accounting Officer, are as follows:the Child and Family Agency (www.tusla.ie/), established in January 2014 under the www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2013/act/40/enacted/en/htmlthe Adoption Authority of Ireland (AAI) (), established in...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Gender Recognition (7 May 2025)

Norma Foley: The Programme for Government contained a commitment, in terms of gender recognition, to examine arrangements for those aged under 16. DCEDIY jointly commissioned this research, with the Department of Social Protection, to identify the mechanisms used in other countries which govern legal gender recognition of children aged under 16 and to provide practical advice in relation to recognition...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (7 May 2025)

Norma Foley: Improving access to quality and affordable Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare is a key priority of Government. Early learning and childcare capacity is increasing. Data from the Annual Early Years Sector Profile shows that the estimated number of enrolments increased by more than 25% in the past two years. Core Funding application data shows that between Year 1 and Year 2 of...