Results 341-360 of 20,908 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Family Resource Centres (23 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: I am aware that there are no members of the Family Resource Centre Programme based in the Allenwood area. The nearest Family Resource Centre Programme members are located in Newbridge, the Curragh and Kildare Town. I was pleased to note that Kildare secured an additional Programme member - based in Leixlip - as part of the recent Programme expansion supported by my Department. The...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Childcare Services (23 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: The Programme for Government commits to “progressively reduce the cost of childcare to €200 per month per child.” This commitment will be achieved over the lifetime of the Government. The Deputy will be aware that the maximum fee caps were extended to all Partner Services in Core Funding this month. The introduction of fee-caps is an important step towards the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Early Childhood Care and Education (23 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: Investment in Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School-Age Childcare (SAC) has quadrupled in the last 10 years from €260 million in 2015 to €1.37 billion in 2025. The National Childcare Scheme (NCS) provides financial support to help families with their early learning and childcare costs, via a subsidy paid directly to the childcare provider. All children in Ireland...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: United Nations (23 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: I thank the Deputy for their question regarding the implementation of the Optional Protocol to the UNCRPD. On 30 November 2024, Ireland ratified the Optional Protocol to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The Optional Protocol supplements the Convention by establishing additional procedures aimed at strengthening the implementation of the Convention....

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Early Childhood Care and Education (23 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: Work is well advanced on the Programme for Government commitment to develop an Action Plan for Administrative and Regulatory Simplification for the Early Learning and Childcare Sector, supported by a Working Group comprising representatives from the Department, Pobal, the City / County Childcare Committee and an Advisory Group comprising providers, educators/practitioners and parent...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Early Childhood Care and Education (23 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: A key priority of my Department is to support improved accessibility of early learning and childcare places, including capacity for young children where there is evidence of undersupply. Core Funding has served as a key vehicle in addressing this insufficiency of supply and making the provision of these places more attractive. Since its introduction in 2022, Core Funding has provided...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Early Childhood Care and Education (23 Sep 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, Disability and Equality: Children in Care (23 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: Tusla’s Strategic Plan for Foster Care Services for Children and Young People 2022 – 2025 forms part of Tusla’s overall Alternative Care Strategy across the continuum of care. The implementation plan for this strategy and regular progress updates are shared with the Department of Children, Disability and Equality. The Plan sets out various recommendations to...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Early Childhood Care and Education (23 Sep 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...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Disability Services (23 Sep 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, Disability and Equality: Childcare Services (23 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: As of 5 August 2025, 553 childcare services were registered with Pobal in Cork. Of those, 9 had left Core Funding at one point over the past 3 years and continued to operate outside of this scheme on this date. A further 26 services had left Core Funding but later rejoined and were signed up to the third year of the scheme on this date. 502 services in Cork, an overwhelming majority, have...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Disabilities Assessments (23 Sep 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, Disability and Equality: Disability Services (23 Sep 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, Disability and Equality: Family Resource Centres (23 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: There is a Programme for Government commitment to work to increase funding and expand the capacity and network of Family Resource Centres, and this is something I will engage on over the lifetime of this Government. I can inform the Deputy that a funding equalisation scheme was initiated in 2024 for the Family Resource Centre Programme. The scheme ensures that all Programme members...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Childcare Services (23 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: The Programme for Government commits for the first time to provision of early learning and childcare through State-led facilities adding capacity in areas where unmet need exists. State ownership of facilities is a very substantial and significant development and offers the potential to influence the nature and volume of provision available and to ensure better alignment with estimated...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Disability Services (23 Sep 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, Disability and Equality: Ombudsman for Children (23 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: Reply not received from Department.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Childcare Services (23 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: The Programme for Government commits for the first time to provision of early learning and childcare through State-led facilities adding capacity in areas where unmet need exists. State ownership of facilities is a very substantial and significant development and offers the potential to influence the nature and volume of provision available and to ensure better alignment with estimated...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Family Resource Centres (23 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy that the number of applications to join the Family Resource Programme that were unsuccessful on this occasion was forty-four. A total of forty-nine organisations applied for membership of the Family Resource Centre Programme. This followed on from an announcement of an open call for applications to join the Programme, made possible by my Department securing...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Disabilities Assessments (23 Sep 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.