Results 241-260 of 20,818 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Family Resource Centres (23 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: I can inform the Deputy that my Department allocates core funding for the Family Resource Centre Programme through Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. Tusla administers the Family Resource Centre Programme, which supports members throughout the country. Core funding principally covers the salaries of staff, along with some operational costs. Such funding supports the pivotal role Family...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Early Childhood Care and Education (23 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: The Department is working in collaboration with other relevant Departments and Agencies to develop a national plan to further the development of Irish language provision in the Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School-Age Childcare (SAC) sector. The development of such a plan is a commitment in the 5-Year Action Plan for the Irish Language. The national plan is expected to support the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Early Childhood Care and Education (23 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: In 2025, €25m in voted expenditure was made available for the Building Blocks Extension Grant Scheme. The Building Blocks Extension Grant scheme allows for Core Funding Partner Services to extend their existing premises or, in the case of community services, to construct or purchase new premises. 50 projects were shortlisted to be funded and will deliver up to 1,500 additional new full...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Child and Family Agency (23 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: The National Review Panel (NRP) conducts reviews of child deaths and serious incidents, where the child is in care or is known to Tusla. I can inform the Deputy that the NRP is independent in the performance of its functions, making findings of fact and producing reports that are objective and independent of Tusla. The NRP produces reports that are factually based and identify points of...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Disability Services (23 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: As this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Childcare Services (23 Sep 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, Disability and Equality: Health Services (23 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: As this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Mother and Baby Homes (23 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: Ms. Patricia Carey was appointed to the role of Special Advocate for Survivors of Institutional Abuse in March 2024. Operating independently of the Minister and the Department, her primary role is to amplify the voices of survivors as a central, essential input to Government deliberations on matters which affect them and to promote the collective interests of survivors. Her remit encompasses...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Childcare Services (23 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: The Programme for Government commits to “progressively reduce the cost of childcare to €200 per month per child.” This commitment will be achieved over the lifetime of the Government. The Deputy will be aware that the maximum fee caps were extended to all Partner Services in Core Funding this month. The introduction of fee-caps is an important step towards the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Disability Services (23 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: This Department funds several assistive technology (AT) projects to enhance the lives of people with disabilities in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF Global Report on Assistive Technology (GReAT). This report published in 2022 has estimated that 3.5bn people will need at least one form of...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Family Resource Centres (23 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: I am aware that there are no members of the Family Resource Centre Programme based in the Allenwood area. The nearest Family Resource Centre Programme members are located in Newbridge, the Curragh and Kildare Town. I was pleased to note that Kildare secured an additional Programme member - based in Leixlip - as part of the recent Programme expansion supported by my Department. The...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Childcare Services (23 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: The Programme for Government commits to “progressively reduce the cost of childcare to €200 per month per child.” This commitment will be achieved over the lifetime of the Government. The Deputy will be aware that the maximum fee caps were extended to all Partner Services in Core Funding this month. The introduction of fee-caps is an important step towards the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Early Childhood Care and Education (23 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: Investment in Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School-Age Childcare (SAC) has quadrupled in the last 10 years from €260 million in 2015 to €1.37 billion in 2025. The National Childcare Scheme (NCS) provides financial support to help families with their early learning and childcare costs, via a subsidy paid directly to the childcare provider. All children in Ireland...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: United Nations (23 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: I thank the Deputy for their question regarding the implementation of the Optional Protocol to the UNCRPD. On 30 November 2024, Ireland ratified the Optional Protocol to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The Optional Protocol supplements the Convention by establishing additional procedures aimed at strengthening the implementation of the Convention....

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Early Childhood Care and Education (23 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: Work is well advanced on the Programme for Government commitment to develop an Action Plan for Administrative and Regulatory Simplification for the Early Learning and Childcare Sector, supported by a Working Group comprising representatives from the Department, Pobal, the City / County Childcare Committee and an Advisory Group comprising providers, educators/practitioners and parent...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Early Childhood Care and Education (23 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: A key priority of my Department is to support improved accessibility of early learning and childcare places, including capacity for young children where there is evidence of undersupply. Core Funding has served as a key vehicle in addressing this insufficiency of supply and making the provision of these places more attractive. Since its introduction in 2022, Core Funding has provided...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Early Childhood Care and Education (23 Sep 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, Disability and Equality: Children in Care (23 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: Tusla’s Strategic Plan for Foster Care Services for Children and Young People 2022 – 2025 forms part of Tusla’s overall Alternative Care Strategy across the continuum of care. The implementation plan for this strategy and regular progress updates are shared with the Department of Children, Disability and Equality. The Plan sets out various recommendations to...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Early Childhood Care and Education (23 Sep 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, Disability and Equality: Disability Services (23 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: As this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.