Results 321-340 of 19,404 for speaker:Norma Foley

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: Children in Care (19 Mar 2025)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1443 to 1445, inclusive, together. My Department and Tusla continue to take the issue of non-compliance with Garda vetting requirements by commissioned services very seriously and are committed to ensuring ongoing review of compliance by these services. Tusla has oversight and governance measures in place for all commissioned services. Tusla ensures...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Data 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: Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence (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. The Deputy is seeking information in relation to an operational matter for Tusla. 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: Early Childhood Care and Education (19 Mar 2025)

Norma Foley: In the most recent Annual Early Years Sector Profile data, services reported that 33,631 staff were working in early learning and care and school-age childcare services in 2022/23. This includes 27,902 staff working directly with children and 4,117 ancillary staff who work in areas such as management, administration, catering and maintenance. When these figures are extrapolated, it is...

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

Norma Foley: Levels of staff turnover within early learning and care services are linked to pay and conditions. While Government is the primary funder of the sector as a whole, the State is not an employer of staff and neither I, nor my Department, set wage rates or working conditions. The Joint Labour Committee process is the formal mechanism by which employer and employee representatives can...

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

Norma Foley: In the most recent Annual Early Years Sector Profile data 2002/23, 291 out of 3,996 (7%) early learning and care and school-age childcare services had an annual staff turnover rate* of 80% or more. The national average staff turnover rate for 2022/23 was 24.5% down 0.2% on the 2021/22 turnover rate of 24.7%. Levels of staff turnover within early learning and care services are linked to pay...

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

Norma Foley: I extend my sympathies to the family of the young girl who lost her life so tragically. I appreciate the enormous trauma that has been visited upon the family. I understand that the events leading to the tragic death of this young girl have been the subject of court proceedings, leading to a settlement by the youth organisation under whose watch they occurred.

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

Norma Foley: The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) is guided by the Interim Guidelines for Use of AI in the Public Service published by the Public Service Transformation Delivery Unit in the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform, the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer and by the National Cyber Security Centre on ICT policy and...

International Women's Day: Statements (6 Mar 2025)

Norma Foley: It is a great honour to stand here today, ahead of International Women’s Day, as the newly appointed Minister for children, disability and equality. Throughout my career, it has always been incredibly important to me to ensure that women and girls of all ages have the same opportunities as their male counterparts in all aspects of their professional and personal lives. Equality of...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (6 Mar 2025)

Norma Foley: Thank you Deputy for your further question on this matter. As you will understand, planning matters relating to a property are a matter between the Local Authority and the property owner or service provider. We continue to await the outcome of the legal process undertaken by the accommodation provider against An Bord Pleanála, which they dispute breaches planning law, and any...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Schemes (6 Mar 2025)

Norma Foley: The Accommodation Recognition Payment scheme is currently in place until 31 March 2025. The scheme was introduced to recognise the generosity of private individuals who provide accommodation on a humanitarian basis to beneficiaries of temporary protection from Ukraine. As the Temporary Protection Directive has been extended to 4 March 2026, consideration is being given to the extension...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (6 Mar 2025)

Norma Foley: My Department is progressing a range of actions to reduce the cost of early learning and childcare to families. The National Childcare Scheme (NCS) is the primary measure aimed at reducing costs. Through the provision of both universal and targeted subsidies, the Scheme is progressive in nature ensuring the highest levels of subsidies go to families that need them most. As of September...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Statutory Instruments (6 Mar 2025)

Norma Foley: My Department is currently collating the information requested and a reply will issue directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Inquiries (6 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 (6 Mar 2025)

Norma Foley: I can inform the Deputy that Tusla, through its Family Support Services Counselling funding, annually supports services providing peer support to children and young people following bereavement. Its guide in this is the Irish Childhood Bereavement Network (ICBN) ‘Bereavement Care Pyramid’, which highlights the value of Level 2 peer support availability in communities. Tusla...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Family Resource Centres (6 Mar 2025)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 380 and 381 together. I can inform the Deputy that an additional €800,000 was secured in Budget 2025 for the Family Resource Centre (FRC) Programme. This additional allocation will allow for expansion of the FRC Programme membership in 2025, by providing core funding to new Programme members. Core funding supports the pivotal role FRCs play in so...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (5 Mar 2025)

Norma Foley: I recognise that Storm Éowyn caused very significant disruption across the country and indeed to many early learning and care and school age care services. General information and preparedness guidance is relayed to services annually through the national “Be Winter Ready” campaign. My Department is a member of the National Emergency Coordination Group and specific...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Inniúlacht sa Ghaeilge sa Státseirbhís (5 Mar 2025)

Norma Foley: Tá 993 ball foirne ag obair i mo Roinn (ó dheireadh mhí Eanáir). Déantar cainteoirí Gaeilge a earcú ó phainéil de chuid Poist Phoiblí de réir mar is gá. Tá fáil ag foireann na Roinne ar an Teastas sa Ghaeilge Ghairmiúil le Gaelchultúr ó bhunleibhéal go hardleibhéal. Ó 2020 i leith, tá...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Legislative Programme (5 Mar 2025)

Norma Foley: As regards current EU legislation requiring transposition and awaiting referral to an Oireachtas Committee, my Department has responsibility for Directive (EU) 2022/2381. This Directive is focused on improving the gender balance among directors of listed companies and related measures, and it is being transposed into national legislation by way of a Statutory Instrument (SI), the drafting of...