Results 401-420 of 19,404 for speaker:Norma Foley

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Mother and Baby Homes (25 Feb 2025)

Norma Foley: I thank the Deputy. We want to the scheme to work. That is why so much effort is going into the whole advertising element of it and much more. Regarding those who are excluded from the scheme, I absolutely understand the points that are raised by so many. However, those identified by the commission of investigation as having a main function of providing shelter and supervision from an...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Early Childhood Care and Education (25 Feb 2025)

Norma Foley: I thank the Deputy. Investment in the early learning and childcare sector is now at an unprecedented level with public funding exceeding €1.37 billion in 2025. We have never had as much money being expended. This clearly demonstrates the Government’s commitment to this area. As well as addressing affordability, this investment has served to improve accessibility,...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Early Childhood Care and Education (25 Feb 2025)

Norma Foley: Again, I thank the Deputy. He is 100% correct. There is an issue around capacity and the Government recognises that. It is for that reason that the Government has committed to doing a root-and-branch discovery around the country to determine where there are areas of maximum need and where is under-provided for. The new forward planning and delivery unit will be very important in that...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Early Childhood Care and Education (25 Feb 2025)

Norma Foley: I thank the Deputy. To confirm in terms of the core funding model, an unprecedented level of funding has gone into that for the first time. In year 1, €259 million was expended directly on core funding and €210.8 million was brand-new funding. That increased to €287 million in year 2 and presently in year 3, it has increased to €331 million. Again, a very...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Mother and Baby Homes (25 Feb 2025)

Norma Foley: I thank the Deputy. Just for information, the mother and baby institutions payment scheme opened for applications in March 2024. The underpinning legislation for the scheme provides for a number of reports and reviews to be produced. Section 12 provides for annual reports to be prepared by 30 June by the chief deciding officer of the scheme. These reports are to include details on...

Disability: Statements (25 Feb 2025)

Norma Foley: Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCeann Comhairle as ucht an t-am agus an deis a thabhairt dom. A change of Government often brings with it a renewed sense of optimism, an opportunity to reassess our priorities and refocus our minds on the commitments and promises that have been made both here in this Chamber as well as on the doorsteps of homes across the country. Nowhere is this more urgent...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (25 Feb 2025)

Norma Foley: So far this year, 4,180 children in Louth are benefiting from a subsidy under the National Childcare Scheme. This represents an increase of 14% or 517 children in Louth benefitting from this Scheme, when compared to the same period last year. This growth in National Childcare Scheme beneficiaries is mirrored nationwide, with the numbers of children benefitting from the Scheme up more than...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Ukraine War (25 Feb 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: Mother and Baby Homes (25 Feb 2025)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 127 and 160 together. The Government proposals for the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme were developed following extensive deliberations on the very complex issues in question. They were significantly broader than those proposed by an Interdepartmental Group (IDG) and by recommendations from the Commission of Investigation. The Scheme is designed...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Official Engagements (25 Feb 2025)

Norma Foley: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, is the dedicated State agency responsible for improving wellbeing and outcomes for children and families. Tusla perform invaluable work often under extremely challenging circumstances. On becoming Minister, I requested to meet with the CEO of Tusla and it was agreed that we would meet on 19 February 2025. The CEO and I discussed a wide variety of issues...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (25 Feb 2025)

Norma Foley: Ireland currently provides accommodation to almost 33,000 people applying for international protection and has also welcomed over 114,000 people from Ukraine since 2022. People from Ukraine are supported across the EU under the Temporary Protection Directive. The basis of applying for asylum or refugee status is fleeing war or persecution in one’s home country. As an international...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (25 Feb 2025)

Norma Foley: Toward the end of 2021, Ireland was accommodating about 7,000 people in the international protection system, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine had not yet occurred. Our accommodation systems have needed to expand at a rapid pace over the last two years in response to a sharp increase in need, among both people fleeing the war in Ukraine, and greater numbers of people applying for...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Mother and Baby Homes (25 Feb 2025)

Norma Foley: The Deputy has sought some statistics pertaining to the operation of the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme which I provide here up to 17 February. Applications received Notices of determination Notice of determination - no award Paid or in process of being paid - Schedule 2 Paid or in process of being paid - Schedule 3 ...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (25 Feb 2025)

Norma Foley: First 5, the whole-of-Government strategy for babies, young children and their families, recognises that the workforce is at the heart of high-quality early learning and care. In a very competitive labour market and with low levels of unemployment, recruitment and retention is a challenge for all employers, especially in low-paid sectors. I acknowledge that many early learning and...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Programme for Government (25 Feb 2025)

Norma Foley: This is not a matter for our Minister.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (25 Feb 2025)

Norma Foley: There are commitments in the new Programme for Government to review and increase Core Funding, to ensure that providers’ fees are open, transparent, and equitable and readily available to parents, and to maintaining the fee cap. These form part of a wider suite of ambitious commitments that seek to make further progress on making high quality early learning and childcare more...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (25 Feb 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 (25 Feb 2025)

Norma Foley: Together for Better funding, the funding model for early learning and care (ELC) and school-age childcare (SAC) - launched in September 2022 – includes the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme, the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM), the National Childcare Scheme (NCS), Core Funding and Equal Start - all of which are open to eligible Tusla-registered ELC and SAC providers....

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (25 Feb 2025)

Norma Foley: An Action Plan for Administrative and Regulatory Simplification is being developed, informed by an independent review of an end-to-end processes linked to publicly funded early learning and childcare programmes/schemes. There is also a Programme for Government commitment to reduce the administrative burden on providers. This initiative is being supported by a Working Group comprising...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (25 Feb 2025)

Norma Foley: Tusla, the independent statutory regulator for early years services, including pre-school, childminding and school age services, is responsible for maintaining the register of services under the Child Care Act 1991. Where an early years service ceases operation, the registered provider is required by law to advise Tusla of this and the service will then be removed from the public register....