Results 341-360 of 19,404 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (4 Mar 2025)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 596 and 630 together. 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 Data (4 Mar 2025)

Norma Foley: The regulation of early years services is dealt with in Part VIIA of the Child Care Act 1991. The Act defines a 'school-age service' as one which:caters for children under the age of 15 years enrolled in a school providing primary or post-primary education,provides a range of activities that are developmental, educational and recreational in manner, which take place outside of school hours,...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Contracts (4 Mar 2025)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 598 and 599 together. Huge efforts are underway, within this Department and as part of a whole-of-Government response, to source and bring into use suitable facilities to provide shelter and safety to international protection applicants. Providing reception conditions – accommodation and other basic supports – to applicants is part of Irish...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Data (4 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 Inquiries (4 Mar 2025)

Norma Foley: The Building Blocks Extension Scheme is making available €25 million in 2025 to support the delivery of new early learning and care places. Under the Extension Scheme, community and private providers could apply for funding to physically extend their premises. In addition, community providers could apply for funding to purchase or to construct new premises. Providers were...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Schemes (4 Mar 2025)

Norma Foley: The Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme provides payments and health benefits to people who spent time in any of the Mother and Baby or County Home Institutions that were identified by the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation as having a main function of providing sheltered and supervised ante and post-natal facilities to single mothers and their children. The...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Disability Services (4 Mar 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: Disability Services (4 Mar 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 Schemes (4 Mar 2025)

Norma Foley: An independent review of the ECCE Programme has recently been completed. The findings from the review are being considered by my Department and will inform any potential changes to the Programme in the future. The current ECCE eligibility criteria were set based on a number of considerations. Firstly, the ECCE programme is a pre-school programme based on the National Practice Frameworks...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Schemes (4 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: Disability Services (4 Mar 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: Disability Services (4 Mar 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 Inquiries (4 Mar 2025)

Norma Foley: This is a matter for my cabinet colleague, the Minister for Justice.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (4 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: Disability Services (4 Mar 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 Inquiries (4 Mar 2025)

Norma Foley: As this question relates to a service matter, 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: Childcare Services (4 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: Departmental Data (4 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: Departmental Schemes (4 Mar 2025)

Norma Foley: While I try to be helpful at all times in the parliamentary process, the Deputy will be aware that I cannot be involved in individual cases and cannot comment on same. The legislation underpinning the Payment Scheme - the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Act 2023 - specifically provides for the explicit independence of the Chief Deciding Officer in administering the application...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (4 Mar 2025)

Norma Foley: Each year, Pobal compiles data from Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) providers as part of the Early Years Sector Profile. The most recent published capacity data for the 2022/23 programme year estimated that there were 5,278 children enrolled in ELC and SAC services in County Louth. Estimated data for the number of children enrolled in County Louth, and the...