Results 261-280 of 20,908 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Child and Family Agency (24 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: Both Tusla and the Department are committed to promoting safe and high quality practice in all areas of child protection and welfare. The Child Care Act, 1991 is the statutory framework for child welfare and protection in Ireland. Tusla is very much a demand led service and operates in a challenging environment. Tusla expects to handle some 105,000 referrals this year, up from 96,666 last...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Childcare Services (24 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: The National Childcare Scheme (NCS) design includes a number of features to enhance flexibility and access to early learning and childcare. In particular NCS subsidies are awarded as an hourly rate, along with a maximum number of weekly hours that the subsidy will be paid for i.e. 45 weekly hours. The parent and provider agree the hours of childcare registered by considering what the family...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Early Childhood Care and Education (24 Sep 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 the Department can set wage levels or...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Irish Language (23 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: I thank the Deputy. I know this is a matter close to her heart. As she has articulated so well in the context of her constituency, it is of particular importance given the Gaeltacht provision. The national plan is particularly important in advancing the supports and the vision we have for naíonraí. I agree with the Deputy that the earlier we can support the language and ensure...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services (23 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: I am aware of the facility to which the Deputy refers. As he indicated in the question, Once Upon a Time has regrettably chosen to withdraw four of its ten services from core funding. They are Once Upon a Time services in Ballymount, Dublin 2, Dundrum and Shankill, with six other sites remaining in the core funding. The Department, through the local childcare committee, has engaged...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services (23 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: Core funding remains open and Once Upon a Time may reapply for the withdrawn services during the year and can join the overwhelming majority of providers. Already 90% of all providers are involved in core funding, which is a 5% increase on the number of providers involved in core funding this time last year. The opportunity remains open to Once Upon a Time to reapply for the services it has...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services (23 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: I reiterate that the Government is absolutely committed to the €200 per month payment as outlined in the programme for Government over its lifetime. I took note of the Deputy's commentary that this provider and other providers are suggesting that core funding "traps services". That is not an accurate phrase to use insofar as I can point to the fact that core funding provided...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Irish Language (23 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: The funding provided by the Department for early learning and care, ELC, and school-aged childcare services is provided on the same basis to both Irish medium and English medium services, whether inside or outside Gaeltacht areas. In line with commitments in the five-year action plan for the Irish language, the Department recruited an Irish language support co-ordinator in 2020 to drive the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: After-School Support Services (23 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: It is an absolute objective of this Government to ensure that we make provision for children of all ages. More specifically, the Deputy is interested in school-age childcare. We have had some very significant innovations I can point to. For example, in my time as the Minister for Education, I published procedures on the use of school buildings and sports facilities outside of school hours....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: After-School Support Services (23 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: I want to be clear that I 100% agree with the Deputy. It is only right and proper that everybody who wishes to participate in the workforce get that opportunity. It is certainly not acceptable or right that anyone's opportunities would be hindered because of a lack of childcare or that it would be one particular cohort of people. The Deputy specifically instanced women who would be...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services (23 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: I thank Deputy Kerrane. I have no argument with what she is saying. Childminders do provide a valuable service. It is important that they would be open to the registration process too though. That is important and will be a gain not just for children but for the childminders themselves. It also allows the supports to be put in place like those we have currently such as the €1,000...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: After-School Support Services (23 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: I thank the Deputy. Improving access to quality, affordable early learning and care and school-age childcare is a key priority for the Government. Capacity in this sector is increasing. Data from the annual early years sector profile for 2023 to 2024 shows that the estimated number of enrolments increased by approximately 19% over the previous two years. School-age childcare has shown...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Child Protection (23 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: It is a commitment in the programme for Government and therefore there is agreement across the Government. I was party to the negotiation of that programme for Government so I am very committed to that initiative. I believe it is hugely important. On the matter of full disclosure, I have also met the Ombudsman for Children and was happy to do so. The lead Department has not yet been...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Child Protection (23 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: I reiterate, for the purpose of accuracy, that the national review panel is entirely independent, and that is right and proper. There should be no interference with its work. It is entirely independent in its functions, making findings of fact and producing reports that are objective and independent of Tusla or anyone else. That is important. I point out, and it is important this is...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services (23 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: I will say clearly that childminders are a hugely important part of early learning and care and school-age childcare provision, and they continue to be the option of choice for many families. I am firmly behind the regulation of childminding services, which is critical to the safeguarding of children. The childminding-specific regulations, which came into effect in September 2024, are...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services (23 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: To be fair, we want the system to work. We want childminders to feel they can register with Tusla and that this is in their best interests as much as it is in the best interests of the children they care for as well. The work childminders do is invaluable. The Deputy is correct; it is a matter of choice for parents as well. Some parents opt for this and want this. I come from a rural...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Planning Issues (23 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: The 2001 planning guidelines for local authorities on early learning and childcare settings were issued under section 28 of the Planning and Development Act 2000. The guidelines are intended to ensure a consistent approach to the treatment of planning applications in respect to the land use planning aspects of early learning and childcare provision. The programme for Government commits to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Planning Issues (23 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: The Deputy and I have discussed this at length. It is my strong view that the notion of 75 homes and providing 20 childcare places is not fit for purpose. We have also discussed that there are many units across the country that were built for purpose childcare but either went for a change of use or were certainly not used for the purpose for which they were intended. As the Deputy...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Planning Issues (23 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: The entire purpose is to ensure that we can maintain the services that we have, and indeed, provide for new services to meet the demands that are out there. The Deputy will have to concede that the Government is the most significant contributor at this point in time to this sector. The investment from the Government is quite phenomenal but equally so, it is the objective of the Government...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Child Protection (23 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: The establishment of a child death review mechanism, while very welcome, is not in the remit of the Department of children. As the Ombudsman for Children’s recent child death review report outlined, the majority of deaths take place in medical settings, which the Deputy will appreciate is outside of the scope of the Department. It is important to state that. I welcomed the report...