Results 201-220 of 20,049 for speaker:Norma Foley

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Early Childhood Care and Education (17 Jun 2025)

Norma Foley: I will absolutely know a lot when this process concludes. I have always been clear that there are two elements to this, namely, the providers and the employees. One cannot work without the other. They must work together in the best interests of the children we serve. The mechanism we have currently, as the Deputy has outlined, is the joint labour committee. We have all made our views...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (17 Jun 2025)

Norma Foley: In a very competitive labour market and with low levels of unemployment, recruitment and retention is a challenge for all employers, especially in low-paid sectors. Data from the 2023 Annual Early Years Sector Profile survey shows the national turnover rate for the sector was approximately 25%, however the turnover rate of Community service was significantly lower at approximately 20%. I...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Family Resource Centres (17 Jun 2025)

Norma Foley: The number of applications received for inclusion in the Family Resource Centre Programme is forty-nine. The expansion of the Family Resource Centre Programme was made possible in Budget 2025 because my Department secured additional funding for the Programme. This funding will allow for membership of the Programme to increase from 121 members to 126 members in 2025. This is in line with...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child and Family Agency (17 Jun 2025)

Norma Foley: I welcome the publication of the Tusla commissioned Report of the External Review Group on Special Care. The External Review Group was tasked with examining the operation of special care services in Ireland and the report details several recommendations for its future delivery. A number of these recommendations relate to staff remuneration, retention and recruitment. Officials from my...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (17 Jun 2025)

Norma Foley: Pay is one of a number of issues impacting the early learning and care and school-age childcare workforce. The level of pay for early years educators and school-age childcare practitioners does not reflect the value of their work for children, families, society and the economy. As the State is not the employer of staff in the sector, neither I nor my Department can set wage levels or...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (17 Jun 2025)

Norma Foley: Earlier this month, I announced the introduction of maximum fee caps for all Partner Services in Core Funding from September 2025. The fee freeze will remain in place for all Partner Services with fees below these caps. This is an important step towards the reduction of childcare fees to €200 per month over the lifetime of this Government. Maximum fee caps were introduced for new...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (17 Jun 2025)

Norma Foley: Early learning and childcare capacity is increasing nationally. Core Funding data shows that between Year 1 and Year 3 of the scheme, annual place hours increased by over 15% and the estimated number of enrolments increased by approximately 19% between 2022 and 2024. Enrolments in Kildare increased by almost 22% over the same period. Moreover, data from the Tusla shows there was an...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Schools Building Projects (17 Jun 2025)

Norma Foley: The Building Blocks Extension Grant Scheme was launched last year and closed for applications in January. There were four strands to the scheme: Community Construction, Community Extension, Community Purchasing and Private Extension. A total of 78 applications were received. The applications came from a variety of locations across the country. All applications received were appraised...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Family Resource Centres (17 Jun 2025)

Norma Foley: I am aware that there are no members of the FRC Programme based in the town of Dungarvan. While the Family Resource Centre Programme is a community development programme that is financially supported by many State agencies in a partnership approach, I feel it is important to acknowledge that there many initiatives that operate in communities, delivering services comparable to those...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Mother and Baby Homes (17 Jun 2025)

Norma Foley: Following receipt and publication of the Report from the Independent Negotiator, Ms Sheila Nunan, I made contact with each of the relevant religious organisations referred to in that Report. The Deputy will be aware that of the eight organisations mentioned in the Report, only two made offers of a voluntary contribution to the Mother and Baby Homes Payment Scheme. My officials have...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (17 Jun 2025)

Norma Foley: Earlier this month, I announced a maximum fee cap for services joining Core Funding that will apply to all services in Core Funding from September 2025. Under the new fee caps, the maximum fee allowed for a Core Funding Partner Service will be €295 per week for a full day place of between 40 and 50 hours per week. These fees are reduced by State subsidies under the National Childcare...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Children in Care (17 Jun 2025)

Norma Foley: The death of a child in care or known to state services, whether at home, in care, or aftercare, is a tragic event that deeply affects family, friends, carers/staff connected to the child and local communities. The National Review Panel (NRP) conducts reviews of child deaths and serious incidents, where the child is in care or is known to Tusla. The NRP is independent in the performance...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (17 Jun 2025)

Norma Foley: The results from the 2025 childcare survey of parents, undertaken by Ipsos B&A on behalf of my Department, highlight both the positive progress made and challenges that exist in accessibility of both pre-school age and school going childcare for families. Of those surveyed, 95% of parents of pre-school children and 93% of parents of school-going children reported being satisfied with...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (17 Jun 2025)

Norma Foley: The National Childcare Scheme provides subsidies – both universal and targeted - to reduce the costs to parents for children to participate in early learning and childcare. The Childcare Support Act 2018, which provides a statutory basis for the National Childcare Scheme, specifies that only Tusla-registered providers are eligible to participate in the Scheme. The limitation of public...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (17 Jun 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 2023/24 shows that the estimated number of enrolments increased by approximately 19% from the 2021/22 programme year. Core Funding application data shows that between...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (17 Jun 2025)

Norma Foley: Ensuring access to early learning and childcare is a key priority of Government. Capital funding is one way that Government supports capacity expansion. The Building Blocks Extension Grant Scheme was launched on 4th November 2024. The closing date for applications was 30th January and a total of 78 applications were received from across the country. 49 of these applicants have been...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Mother and Baby Homes (17 Jun 2025)

Norma Foley: The Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme opened for applications in March 2024. The underpinning legislation for the Scheme provides for a number of reports and reviews to be produced. Section 48 provides for two reviews into the operation of the Scheme to be completed. The first is to be completed within six months of the Scheme’s second anniversary, by September 2026. ...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (17 Jun 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 2023/24 shows that the estimated number of enrolments increased by approximately 19% from the 2021/22 programme year. Core Funding application data shows that...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: State Pensions (17 Jun 2025)

Norma Foley: I am aware that eligibility for the State Pension (Contributory) is an area of genuine concern for foster carers. The Programme for Government 2025 contains a commitment to develop a pension solution for foster carers in recognition of the enormous contribution they make to vulnerable children in our society, and to acknowledge their long-term commitment and to ensure that they are...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Parental Leave (17 Jun 2025)

Norma Foley: Significant improvements have been made in the entitlements to both paid and unpaid leaves in recent years, including by extending paid parent's leave for parents to allow them to spend more time with their baby during their earliest years. The Maternity Protection Act 1994 and the Maternity Protection (Amendment) Act 2004 provide a pregnant employee with 26 weeks of paid maternity leave...