Results 261-280 of 19,925 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Funding (29 May 2025)

Norma Foley: In relation to capital funding, I wish to inform the Deputy that neither my Department nor Tusla have capital funding to develop Family Resource Centre-type capital infrastructure projects, including delivering new facilities. Tusla does not have a dedicated budget for capital or building works for third party organisations. I would suggest, in relation to any proposed new-builds, that...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Legislative Programme (29 May 2025)

Norma Foley: The Government is firmly committed to ratifying the Second Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Ireland signed the Second Optional Protocol in 2000, and the Government is committed to taking the further step of ratifying it as soon as possible. In Irish treaty practice, the State must be in a position to meet the obligations it assumes under the terms of an...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Disability Services (29 May 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, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Funding (29 May 2025)

Norma Foley: The Autism Innovation Strategy was published on 26 August 2024. It identifies 83 actions that can make a meaningful difference to the lives of autistic people over the 18-month lifetime of the Strategy, or actions which provide a solid foundation for improved mainstream accommodation of autism going forward. 11 Government Departments and several public bodies have committed to leading on,...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (29 May 2025)

Norma Foley: Improving access to quality and affordable early learning and childcare is a key priority of Government. Capital funding has been allocated to the early learning and childcare sector under the revised National Development Plan (NDP). This will enable significant investment in early learning and childcare. The Building Blocks Capacity Grant schemes are operating over 2024 and 2025....

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (28 May 2025)

Norma Foley: Improving access to quality and affordable Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare is a key priority of Government. The National Development Plan identifies access to quality early learning and childcare as a component of National Strategic Objective 10. Early learning and childcare capacity is increasing. Data from the Annual Early Years Sector Profile 2023/24 shows that the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (28 May 2025)

Norma Foley: As Early learning and childcare providers are private entities and set their own admissions policies, my Department does not have influence in this regard. Drop-off policies and admissions more broadly are issues that are negotiated between the parent and provider. I would note that the development of guidance on admissions policies is committed to in the Equal Start model. This guidance...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (28 May 2025)

Norma Foley: Up to now, services availing of Core Funding have not been allowed to raise their fees above what was charged to parents on 30 September 2021 (or at the point of first signing up for Core Funding if the service did not exist on 30 September 2021). In August 2024 the Fee Increase Assessment process opened, whereby Core Funding Partner Services who were charging fees below the county average...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (28 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 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: Departmental Contracts (28 May 2025)

Norma Foley: A review and redesign of the Early Learning Care and School Age Childcare (ELC/SAC) operating model was committed to in First 5, the Whole of Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families (2019-2028). The review ultimately concluded that a dedicated statutory agency (under the remit of the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality) would be the optimal operating model...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Traveller Community (28 May 2025)

Norma Foley: Funding for Traveller and Roma communities is provided across a range of Government Departments and State Agencies to address their specific needs, and to advance the objectives of the National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy II 2024 - 2028, according to the individual responsibilities of each Department and Agency. My Department supports Traveller and Roma local and national...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (28 May 2025)

Norma Foley: Naíonra is not a term currently used as part of data collection within the early learning and childcare sector. Instead, data is collected under the following categories in the Annual Early Years Sector Profile (AEYSP): Wholly Irish-medium; Mixed (part Irish-medium); English-medium with some use of Irish and Wholly English-medium. The table below is the most recent data the Department...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (28 May 2025)

Norma Foley: The Deputy has requested the first and full year cost of funding a year of preschool at an Irish-medium naíonra for every pre-school-aged child living in the Gaeltacht currently availing of a pre-school service funded under the ECCE Programme year. Data from Census 2022 indicates that there were 2,342 children aged 3-4 living in a Gaeltacht area. For simplicity it is assumed that...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Traveller Community (28 May 2025)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy will be aware, the National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy II 2024 - 2027 (NTRIS II) represents a whole of Government approach to bring about meaningful change and progress for the Traveller and Roma communities in Ireland. It brings Government Departments and Agencies together along with representatives of Traveller and Roma communities to focus on issues, which affect...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (28 May 2025)

Norma Foley: Improving access to quality and affordable early learning and 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 Year 1 and Year 3...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Policies (27 May 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. In circumstances where families are affected by the unexpected death of a child known to or in the care of Tusla, such cases are notified to the National Review Panel (NRP). The...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Mother and Baby Homes (27 May 2025)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 524 and 548 together. The Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme acknowledges circumstances experienced while resident in a Mother and Baby Institution and the associated conditions, shame and stigma endured over a period of time. Using time spent as the deciding factor, is intended to support a non-adversarial approach which avoids the need for...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (27 May 2025)

Norma Foley: Improving access to quality and affordable early learning and childcare is a key priority of Government. Capital funding has been allocated to the early learning and childcare sector under the revised National Development Plan (NDP). This will enable significant investment in early learning and childcare. The Building Blocks Capacity Grant schemes are operating over 2024 and 2025....

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Mental Health Services (27 May 2025)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 528 and 530 together. My Department is committed to engaging with the Department of Health on any issue which may impact on the welfare of vulnerable children. The Children and Young People’s Policy Forum is a cross-government mechanism for communication between senior officials and agency representatives for communication between senior...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child and Family Agency (27 May 2025)

Norma Foley: Tusla has informed my Department that its Separated Children Seeking International Protection (SCSIP) Service is currently providing accommodation under a Special Emergency Arrangement (SEA) to children in this location. Tusla has further advised that a member of its staff met with residents at this location on the 2nd May 2025. The member of staff answered queries on the purpose and use of...