Results 321-340 of 4,617 for speaker:Sorca Clarke

Mental Health Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2025)

Sorca Clarke: I move amendment No. 29: In page 37, line 22, after “for” to insert “no more than”. As the Chair said, amendments Nos. 29 and 30 are related. They concern one of the issues that has most frequently been brought to my attention since Committee Stage of the Bill, namely, the extension of the involuntary detention period from 21 days to, potentially, 42 days....

Mental Health Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2025)

Sorca Clarke: I understand that completely. My concern is that “not later than five years” can mean four years and 364 days. I want to see something that is more tangible, and I think it needs to be put into this Bill. While five years is a standardised approach, two and a half years is much more effective because it allows us, as legislators, to make the appropriate changes as soon as...

Mental Health Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2025)

Sorca Clarke: By not accepting the amendment and not recognising the value of the two and a half year interim review, the Minister of State is closing the door on potential learnings for the new parts of the Bill that may not be enacted or may not be fully in place. There may be very valuable learnings from parts of the Bill that have been enacted and the services that have been in place for two and a...

Mental Health Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2025)

Sorca Clarke: I move amendment No. 2: In page 16, to delete lines 32 to 35 and substitute the following: “ “mental health difficulty” and/or “psychosocial disability” mean, in relation to a person, any mental disorder, illness or disability, whether of a continuous or intermittent nature, which affects the person’s thinking, perception, emotion, or mood and...

Mental Health Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2025)

Sorca Clarke: I move amendment No. 9: In page 21, line 9, after “Act” to insert “and shall carry out an interim review after 2.5 years”. This is an area that has me very concerned. While five years is some progress, it is not enough. The Government has the opportunity here to put some very real and substantial oversight into the Bill by accepting the Sinn Féin...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Legal and Policy Gaps in Adult Safeguarding: Discussion (9 Jul 2025)

Sorca Clarke: I thank the witnesses for the conversation and information this morning. My instinct as a TD and a human is to ask why we are still having this conversation. There is no single authority or relevant legislation, and the policy we have is 11 years old. The public would be absolutely horrified if this were to be a headline on a national newspaper, and they would be right to be absolutely...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Legal and Policy Gaps in Adult Safeguarding: Discussion (9 Jul 2025)

Sorca Clarke: I asked about the potential repercussions for a social worker who was ignored after raising concerns.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Departmental Correspondence (9 Jul 2025)

Sorca Clarke: 212. To ask the Minister for Health if she will respond to correspondence from a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38161/25]

Student Fees: Motion [Private Members] (8 Jul 2025)

Sorca Clarke: What kind of government looks struggling students in the eye and says, "You're on your own"? That would be those sitting on the opposite side of the House. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael came into power on a narrative of fairness and support for young people, and access to education, but instead we got the Minister touting that student fees will rise in September. From the Taoiseach, the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (8 Jul 2025)

Sorca Clarke: 390. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the current average processing time for schools’ applications to the NCSE for additional SNA supports following a formal diagnosis; the difference in response time between mainstream schools and special schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37175/25]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (8 Jul 2025)

Sorca Clarke: 391. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the average waiting time for a child with a diagnosis of moderate to severe or profound intellectual disability to be offered an appropriate school placement, by county, and by category of need, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37176/25]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Educational Psychological Service (8 Jul 2025)

Sorca Clarke: 393. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the current average waiting time for a psychological assessment through NEPS in DEIS versus non-DEIS school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37188/25]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Home Schooling (8 Jul 2025)

Sorca Clarke: 394. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the average processing time for the home tuition grant scheme applications for children without school placements; the number of applications delayed beyond 30 working days in the past year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37189/25]

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Visa Applications (8 Jul 2025)

Sorca Clarke: 617. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the average waiting time for approval of long-stay (D) student visa applications from India, Nigeria, Brazil and China, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37205/25]

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Visa Applications (8 Jul 2025)

Sorca Clarke: 618. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the average processing time for employment-based visa applications; if he will provide a breakdown by visa office and region; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37206/25]

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Visa Applications (8 Jul 2025)

Sorca Clarke: 619. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the average length of time taken to process visa appeals, broken down by visa type and region, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37207/25]

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Visa Applications (8 Jul 2025)

Sorca Clarke: 620. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the average processing time for short-stay (C) visa applications, broken down by application centre; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37208/25]

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Disabilities Assessments (8 Jul 2025)

Sorca Clarke: 726. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the average waiting time in each health region for the completion of the preliminary team assessment under the standard opening procedure for AON, specifically for children suspected of having autism or an intellectual disability; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37174/25]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Mental Health Services (8 Jul 2025)

Sorca Clarke: 849. To ask the Minister for Health to provide a detailed breakdown of the €93 million being spent annually on outsourcing mental health care, including the types of services and providers involved. [37666/25]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Mental Health Services (8 Jul 2025)

Sorca Clarke: 850. To ask the Minister for Health has the €93 million spent on outsourcing mental health care led to any measurable reductions in waiting times for CAMHS, primary care psychology, AONs and so on- and can you provide that data. [37667/25]