Results 241-260 of 19,412 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (20 Mar 2025)

Norma Foley: The deputy refers to the Programme for Government 2025, in which, this Government has committed to "Evaluate options to amend the ECCE (Early Childhood Care and Education) eligibility criteria." An independent review of the ECCE Programme was completed last year with the final report published in October. Overall the report indicated the remarkable success of the ECCE programme which has...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (20 Mar 2025)

Norma Foley: The deputy refers to the Programme for Government 2025, in which, this Government has committed to "Explore making available an extra hour of ECCE each day in the second year of preschool". An independent review of the ECCE Programme was completed last year with the final report published in October. Overall the report indicated the remarkable success of the ECCE programme which has...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (20 Mar 2025)

Norma Foley: The introduction of Core Funding in 2022 brought a significant increase in investment for the sector, with €259 million of funding paid directly to services in year 1 of the scheme, of which €210.8 million was entirely new funding. This funding increased by 11% (to €287 million) in year 2 and by a further 15% in year 3 (to €331 million). This facilitated the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (20 Mar 2025)

Norma Foley: Currently 93% or more than 4,400, providers having signed up for Core Funding in year 3. There were a total of 11 services around the country who withdrew from the Core Funding scheme in 2024. It is a matter for providers to decide whether they wish to withdraw from the Core Funding scheme, the significant financial supports it provides to providers and the certainty it provides to...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (20 Mar 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. An annual sector profile demonstrates an 8% increase in enrolments between 2021/22 and 2022/23. Core Funding application data shows that between Year 1 and Year 2 of the scheme, annual place hours increased by...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (20 Mar 2025)

Norma Foley: The Programme for Government marks a significant shift in the policy direction in relation to public delivery of early learning and childcare. There is a commitment for the first time to public provision and to capital investment to build or purchase State-owned facilities. These commitments accompany other ambitious actions to significantly reduce out-of-pocket fees paid by parents, as...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Schemes (20 Mar 2025)

Norma Foley: The Accommodation Recognition Payment scheme is currently in place until 31 March 2025. However, the scheme may be extended by Ministerial order, subject to Oireachtas approval. In making an order to extend the scheme, I am required under the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022 (Act of 2022) to have regard to the need to continue to make provision for a financial contribution to...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Schemes (20 Mar 2025)

Norma Foley: The Accommodation Recognition Payment scheme is currently in place until 31 March 2025. However, the scheme may be extended by Ministerial order, subject to Oireachtas approval. In making an order to extend the scheme, I am required under the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022 (Act of 2022) to have regard to the need to continue to make provision for a financial contribution to...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Schemes (20 Mar 2025)

Norma Foley: The Accommodation Recognition Payment Scheme, which is currently in place until 31 March 2025, is an important instrument of public policy that has supported my Department in meeting the accommodation needs of those fleeing the war. It has also diverted thousands of beneficiaries away from State-contracted accommodation. Section 4(2) of the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Schemes (20 Mar 2025)

Norma Foley: The Accommodation Recognition Payment (ARP), which is provided for under Part 2 of the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022, is paid in recognition of the generosity of those who host. It is not intended to substitute rent. The legislation is silent in terms of additional contributions requested by the host provided this does not constitute a rental agreement. However, a host may...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Schemes (20 Mar 2025)

Norma Foley: The Accommodation Recognition Payment was introduced to recognise the generosity of private individuals who have provided accommodation on a humanitarian basis to Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) from Ukraine. The monthly payment rate under this scheme is €800 per property with a unique Eircode, irrespective of whether the property is vacant or shared with the host. ...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Schemes (20 Mar 2025)

Norma Foley: I can confirm for the Deputy that I was briefed by officials in the usual course on arrival in this Department and the Accommodation Recognition Payment was flagged as a priority. I have also been briefed in person and in writing when considering the scheme’s future. As required under the governing legislation, I have consulted with the Minister for Social Protection and the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Schemes (20 Mar 2025)

Norma Foley: My Department has not sought or received reports or analysis on impacts that the accommodation recognition payment may be having on the private rental sector. However, before considering extending the scheme, my Department consulted its key pledge stakeholders; the Irish Red Cross, the International Organisation for Migration and the Local Government Management Agency, via survey and...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (20 Mar 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. An annual sector profile demonstrates an 8% increase in enrolments between 2021/22 and 2022/23. Core Funding application data shows that between Year 1 and Year 2 of the scheme, annual place hours increased by...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Staff (20 Mar 2025)

Norma Foley: There have been no secondments from consulting firms to my Department since 2020.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Contracts (20 Mar 2025)

Norma Foley: A response will be provided directly to you in the coming days.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child and Family Agency (19 Mar 2025)

Norma Foley: As this is an operational matter, I wish to inform the Deputy that my officials have asked Tusla to respond directly to you on this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Children in Care (19 Mar 2025)

Norma Foley: I can inform the Deputy that where a member of An Garda Síochána has reasonable grounds for believing that there is an immediate and serious risk to the health or welfare of a child that may not await the making of an application to the court for an emergency care order by the Child and Family Agency, the member may under section 12 of the Act, remove the child to a place of safety...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (19 Mar 2025)

Norma Foley: Investment in early learning and childcare is now at unprecedented levels with public funding exceeding €1.37 billion in 2025, clearly demonstrating Government commitment to this area. As well as addressing affordability this investment has served to improve accessibility, availability and the quality of provision. The ECCE programme, which provides two years of pre-school without...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (19 Mar 2025)

Norma Foley: My priority for childminding is the continued delivery of the National Action Plan for Childminding 2021-2028. The publication of the National Action Plan followed an extensive process of public consultation and research. Recommendations for extending regulation to childminders were made in the 2013 report of the Expert Advisory Group on the Early Years Strategy ('Right from the Start') and...