Results 501-520 of 19,925 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (29 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: The State is currently accommodating over 33,000 people in over 320 IPAS centres around the country, about 9,000 of whom are children with their families. The safety and wellbeing of all residents and staff in our accommodation centres is our priority and we have guidelines in place for IPAS staff and Department officials in relation to responding quickly to any critical incidents, taking...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Funding (29 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: The Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth provide the following supports within these areas; ‘Early Years’ Units ECCE The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme is a free two year pre-school programme available to all children within the eligible age range. A child must have reached 2 years and 8 months of age on or prior to 31...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (29 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: Our Department has a duty to provide accommodation for people who are in the international protection application process and are therefore entitled to reception conditions under EU regulations. Our system has been forced to expand dramatically in the last two years, from accommodating 7,000 people at the end of 2021, to now accommodating over 33,000 people. Despite this growth in our...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Disability Services (29 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: Although the most recent Annual Early Years Sector Profile data 2002/23 shows that 291 out of 3,996 of early learning and care and school-age childcare services had an annual staff turnover rate of 80% or more, this represents 7% of all services. The national average staff turnover rate for 2022/23 was 24.5% down 0.2% on the 2021/22 turnover rate of 24.7%. The data shows that 29% of the 24.5%...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (29 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: Core Funding is a grant to providers designed to support quality, sustainability, and enhanced public management, with associated conditions in relation to fee control and cost transparency, incorporating funding for administration and to support the employment of graduate staff. The introduction of Core Funding in 2022 brought a significant increase in investment for the sector, with...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Detention Centres (29 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: Oberstown Children Detention Campus (Oberstown) is the State’s sole detention centre for children. The maximum occupancy in Oberstown is set by the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality by way of a certificate made under the Children Act 2001. This is currently set at 46 (40 boys and 6 girls). This includes children on detention orders and also children who have been remanded...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (29 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: Many families avail of the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) as a way to reduce the cost of their early learning and childcare. The Scheme is designed to be flexible in acknowledgement that childcare needs differ widely across these families. For this reason, NCS subsidies are awarded as an hourly rate, along with a maximum number of weekly hours that the subsidy will be paid for. ...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Mother and Baby Homes (29 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: The Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme recognises time spent in a Mother and Baby Institution and the circumstances experienced. Its non-adversarial approach ensures that those who spent longer periods of time in these institutions, and endured the harshest conditions, receive the highest level of support. The six month eligibility criterion was initially presented in the Commission...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Contracts (29 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department does not currently have any contracts with the named company.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (29 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: My Department does not currently hold a directory of naíonraí or Irish-medium settings. In 2023 my Department undertook a survey of Irish-medium early learning and care (ELC) and school-age childcare (SAC) settings including childminders to obtain a baseline of the current level of Irish-medium provision in the sector. This survey asked service providers to distinguish, based...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Gender Equality (29 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: According to the latest Structure of Earnings Survey, which refers to the year 2022, the gender pay gap in Ireland was 9.6%. The Government has taken a range of actions to reduce the gender pay gap. The Gender Pay Gap Information Act 2021 introduced the legislative basis for gender pay gap reporting in Ireland. The Act requires organisations to report on their hourly gender pay gap...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Youth Work Supports (29 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: Youth Work Ireland’s ‘Youth Work for All’ campaign aligns with my Department’s new national strategy for youth work and related services ‘Opportunities for Youth’ which was launched in September 2024. Opportunities for Youth: National Strategy for Youth Work and Related Services 2024 – 2028 is centred on the diverse needs, perspectives and...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: School Costs (29 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: Capital equipment costs are required in relation to financial reporting as the purpose of financial reporting is to collect data that provides an accurate picture of the costs relating to delivering Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare across the different operating models in the sector to inform future policy while also satisfying the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Correspondence (29 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: My Department is aware of the significant challenges that Storm Éowyn has caused around the country earlier this year. The UBU Your Place Your Space (UBU) scheme is my Department’s largest youth funding scheme, targeting disadvantaged young people aged between 10-24. The scheme currently provides funding to over 250 targeted youth services across 16 ETBs, with the ETBs...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (29 Apr 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: Childcare Services (29 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: The early years sector includes pre-school, childminding and school-age childcare services. Quality assurance of pre-school services currently includes inspections carried out by both the Tusla Early Years Inspectorate and the Department of Education Inspectorate, while inspection of school-age childcare services and childminding services is undertaken by the Tusla Early Years Inspectorate....

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Legislative Reviews (29 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: The General Scheme of the Equality (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024 was approved by Government in November of last year. The General Scheme was included for Priority Drafting in the Spring Legislative Programme. It was renamed here as the Equality and Family Leaves (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill to account for potential proposed additions related to surrogacy leave and leave for...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (29 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1856 and 1857 together. My Department is seeking clarification from the Deputy in relation to the exact data sought and will collate the information requested to issue directly to the Deputy once clarification is received.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Adoption Services (29 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1859, 1860, 1861, 1862, 1863, 1864 and 1865 together. The Information and Tracing services established under the Birth Information and Tracing Act 2022 opened for applications on 3 October 2022. As of 14 April 2025, the Child and Family Agency, Tusla has received 9,821 applications for information and the Adoption Authority of Ireland (AAI) has received...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (29 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: The Building Blocks Extension Grant Scheme is designed is to increase the number of full day places for 1–3-year-olds, pre-ECCE age range by existing Core Funding Partner Services. €25 million has been made available and it is anticipated to deliver a significant increase in places for this age cohort. The capital funding allocation for the Building Blocks Extension...