Results 501-520 of 20,908 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Homeless Accommodation (17 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: I wish to inform the Deputy that my office is aware that this issue was discussed at an Oireachtas Committee meeting on Children and Equality on Thursday, 10 July 2025. I have contacted Tusla asking them to provide further details on this matter and will share details with the Deputy when my office has received them.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Early Childhood Care and Education (17 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: 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 - Aistear and Síolta. 2 years and 8 months is considered the youngest age where a child has the capacity to engage with the ECCE programme. Additionally, the lower age range was set based on Tusla...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Childcare Services (17 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: The Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) is a model of supports designed to ensure that children with additional needs can access the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme. The goal of AIM is to empower Early Learning and Care (ELC) providers to deliver an inclusive preschool experience, ensuring that every eligible child can meaningfully participate in the ECCE Programme and reap...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Departmental Programmes (17 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1111 and 1112 together. I wish to inform the Deputy that my office has contacted Tusla asking them to provide further details on this matter. I will share details with the Deputy when my office has received them.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Health Service Executive (8 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.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Health Services Staff (8 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: This Department provides funding to the HSE to deliver specialist disability services either directly or via Section 38 and Section 39 Voluntary Organisations, however it does not have any funding or governance relationship with individual organisations.   It is important to note that, while the strategy, policy direction and overall allocation for the sector is set at...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Children in Care (8 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: Foster carers play a vital role providing stable and caring homes for our most vulnerable children. Foster care is recognised as the preferred care setting for a child in the care of the State. My Department has overseen record investment in foster carers, including a 21% increase to the foster care allowance in Budget 2024, resulting in a weekly allowance for foster carers of €400...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Departmental Data (8 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: Departmental Schemes (8 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: The Mobility Allowance and Motorised Transport Grant were put in place in 1979 and 1968 respectively, for operation by the Health Service Executive at a time when there was limited availability of accessible public transport. The Government decided to close these administrative schemes in 2013 to new applicants, on foot of the reports of the Ombudsman in 2011 and 2012 regarding the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Disability Services (8 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.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Early Childhood Care and Education (8 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 and the City / County Childcare Committee and an Advisory Group comprising providers, educators/practitioners and parent...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Rights of the Child (8 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: The Government is firmly committed to ratifying the Second Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Ireland signed the Second Optional Protocol in 2000, and the Government is committed to taking the further step of ratifying it as soon as possible. In Irish treaty practice, the State must be in a position to meet the obligations it assumes under the terms of an...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Disability Services (8 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1872 and 1997 together. The European Commission published a proposal for a Directive establishing the European Disability Card and the European Parking Card for persons with disabilities on 6th September 2023. The proposal is one of the flagship initiatives of the EU Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-30, and aims to facilitate the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Disabilities Assessments (8 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: Parental Leave (8 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1874, 1882 and 1884 together. There have been significant developments in the entitlements to family leaves for working families in recent years. The Government committed in the Programme for Government to supporting parents, including by extending paid leave for parents to allow them to spend more time with their baby during the first year. Under the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Employment Rights (8 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: Thank you for your enquiry about the Technical Adjustment Payments applied to public service employees transferring from the National Educational Welfare Board’s (NEWB) payroll systems to the Tusla - Child and Family Agency payroll. I am advised that when Tusla was established on 1 January 2014 it brought together over 4,000 staff who were previously employed within Children and...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Departmental Reviews (8 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: My Department commissioned the PLACES: Pregnancy Loss (under 24 weeks) in the Workplace report, a qualitative research study aimed at examining the workplace experiences of parents coping with pregnancy loss and at determining whether policy interventions are required at a national level to better to support bereaved parents in the workplace. The study focuses on people who experience...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Departmental Strategies (8 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: My Department leads on cross-government policy to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. The Programme for Government 'Securing Ireland's Future' commits my Department to publish and implement an updated National Strategy for Women and Girls. My Department is currently working to fulfil that commitment. A stakeholder consultation was completed at the end of...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Mother and Baby Homes (8 Sep 2025)

Norma Foley: All men, women and children infected with Hepatitis C via contaminated blood and blood products are entitled to a Health Amendment Act 1996 (HAA) card which gives them access on a statutory basis to a wide range of primary care and hospital-based services. The provisions under the HAA card were put in place because the Government at that time deemed the circumstances to be exceptional; the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Disabilities Assessments (8 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.