Results 261-280 of 19,404 for speaker:Norma Foley

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

Norma Foley: Thank you Deputy for your question relating to fines Issued to Tusla for Breaches in Data Protection. See below the schedule of fines issued to the Data Protection Unit paid in 2020 and 2025. Year Fine reference number Amount of fine Date of DPC decision Notice of fine Breach criteria cited 2020 FN/IN-19-10-1 ...

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

Norma Foley: Ryevale House accommodates approximately 90 adult females who are international protection applicants. The Department of Integration does not provide detailed occupancy figures for individual properties, to maintain the security and right to privacy of international protection (IP) applicants. For the same reason, and because of the variability of this data due to the emergency nature of...

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

Norma Foley: Many families avail of the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) as a way to reduce the cost of their early learning and childcare. NCS subsidies are awarded as an hourly rate, along with a maximum number of weekly hours that the subsidy will be paid for. It is between the parent and provider to agree on the hours of childcare based on the family's requirements and what sessions the provider can...

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

Norma Foley: Statutory and operational responsibility for the delivery of child protection and welfare services is a 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 Strategies (19 Mar 2025)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1320, 1321, 1394 and 1404 together. I recognise the enormous impact that pregnancy loss has on expectant parents, and I wish to extend my sympathies to all parents who have suffered such a loss. The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth commissioned a qualitative research study to examine the workplace experiences of...

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

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1322 and 1323 together. I am advised that approximately 15% of early learning and childcare provision operates from school premises. The Programme for Government sets out the ambition to work with schools to host before and after-school childcare in school buildings as well as planning the development of State-led early learning and childcare facilities in...

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

Norma Foley: My Department provides a number of Schemes which aim to reduce the cost of childcare for families. The ECCE programme provides two years of pre-school without charge and enjoys participation rates of 96% each year. The National Childcare Scheme (NCS) complements the ECCE programme, providing subsidies – both universal and targeted - to reduce the costs to parents for children...

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

Norma Foley: I am advised that approximately 15% of early learning and childcare provision operates from school premises. The Programme for Government sets out the ambition to work with schools to host before and after-school childcare in school buildings as well as planning the development of State-led early learning and childcare facilities in tandem with the school building programme. Last year, the...

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

Norma Foley: I am advised that approximately 15% of early learning and childcare provision operates from school premises. The Programme for Government sets out the ambition to work with schools to host before and after-school childcare in school buildings as well as planning the development of State-led early learning and childcare facilities in tandem with the school building programme. Last year, the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Ukraine War (19 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: Parental Leave (19 Mar 2025)

Norma Foley: The Programme for Government 2025 - Securing Ireland's Future commits to introducing paid surrogacy leave and my officials are examining this commitment. They are also engaging with officials from the Department of Social Protection as the Minister for Social Protection has responsibility for the payment of any associated benefits. As the Deputy may be aware, the Minister for Health has...

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

Norma Foley: Thank you for your question, Deputy. A response will be provided directly to you in the coming days.

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

Norma Foley: Staff recruited to the Department through Public Jobs are vetted at the pre-employment stage by Public Jobs. In the cases where staff are recruited directly by the Department, the Department conducts vetting prior to employment as a registered organisation with the National Vetting Bureau. My officials have asked the bodies under the aegis of my Department to respond directly to you on...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: After-School Support Services (19 Mar 2025)

Norma Foley: Funding for Tusla registered School Aged Childcare (SAC) is provided through a number of measures including the National Childcare Scheme and Core funding. Core Funding, the funding scheme introduced in 2022, allocates funding for providers based on the cost of delivery. The National Childcare Scheme is the first ever statutory entitlement to financial support for childcare. It...

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

Norma Foley: The total allocation for early learning and childcare in 2025 is €1.37 billion - €1.25 billon of which is allocated through Together for Better, the funding model for early learning and childcare, specifically:€269.3m for the ECCE programme€80.9m for the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM)€529.8m for the National Childcare Scheme (NCS)€17.2m for Equal...

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

Norma Foley: Ireland has opted in to the EU Asylum and Migration Pact, which will introduce a more comprehensive, streamlined, and efficient approach to asylum and migration both in Ireland and across the EU. While this question may relate to international protection accommodation centres, matters relating to overall border security come under the domain of the Department of Justice. The...

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

Norma Foley: I am aware that officials from my Department have responded to the complaint received through the financial reporting portal. On 20 June 2024 and again on 2 July 2024, Department officials issued documents to each service provider informing them that the deadline for year 2 submissions would be end of February 2025. This decision to extend the deadline was made late on the 28 February in...

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

Norma Foley: My officials have advised that my Department does not have a contract for the temporary accommodation of Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) at the property to which the Deputy refers and is not involved in this relocation.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Mother and Baby Homes (19 Mar 2025)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1342 to 1359, inclusive, together. The Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme opened in March 2024. As at 9th March 2025, 6,259 applications have been received. Aside from those submitting paper applications, there are 5,294 total registered users on the application online portal, 3,623 of which have submitted an application. If applicants are...