Results 41-60 of 19,404 for speaker:Norma Foley

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Childcare Services (29 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: The officials are working on the solution and the 2021-22 fees list will be made available through the county and city childcare committees. Also published will be the list of services that have been approved to increase their fees through the fee increase assessment process. It is the Department's best estimate currently that this will be available in the coming weeks. I am happy to...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Commissions of Investigation (29 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: I thank the Deputy. She is 100% right. There must be learnings from this. We are conscious this is the story of Grace and others. It is important to point out that since Grace's case first arose, there have been a number of steps forward in safeguarding. There was the development of the Ombudsman for Children's Office, the establishment of HIQA, the establishment of Tusla - Child and...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Commissions of Investigation (29 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: Safeguarding is everybody's responsibility and should be everybody's business. I am committed to working with the HSE and Tusla to ensure there is a focus on continually enhancing the approach to safeguarding across all services. We are conscious of the obligations on us as individuals, whether working in the field of education, sport or whatever. When we deal with young people, we are all...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Childcare Services (29 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: Thanks very much, Deputy. I am aware the childcare search on the Hive website does not currently contain fees listed for services for the programme year 2021 to 2022. The portal was originally designed to contain information for the current programme year only. In addition to service fee lists, the following information is available on the portal: contact details for services; whether...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Commissions of Investigation (29 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: The commission of investigation into certain matters relative to a disability service in the south east and related matters, or the Farrelly commission, is an independent statutory commission of investigation established in 2017 to investigate the care and protection of Grace, which, as we are all aware, is a pseudonym, and others in a former foster home in the south east, which has been the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Offices (10 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: I am very conscious of the pain caused by the deaths of children who were resident in the former Mother and Baby institution in Bessborough. One of the most tragic aspects of what happened is the uncertainty regarding the burial place of many children who were resident there. The investigation of burial arrangements in Mother and Baby institutions, including Bessborough, was an important...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Youth Work Supports (10 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: Youth funding is administered on behalf of my Department by the 16 Education and Training Boards. Youth funding is allocated on an annual basis to each Education and Training Board for youth services within each ETB functional area rather than on a county-by-county basis. The youth funding provided to Waterford Wexford Education and Training Board for the period 2020 to 2025 for both...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (10 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: Departmental Schemes (10 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: I would like to offer my sincere condolences to any parents who have been bereaved and to acknowledge that there are many people who will have experienced this loss. There is currently no form of statutory bereavement leave of any kind in Ireland. This type of leave is normally dealt with through employment contracts. The Government fully appreciates that parents who have...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Reports (10 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 343 and 344 together. I can confirm to the Deputy that research is being undertaken for the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage on the impact of the Accommodation Recognition Payment (ARP) scheme, if any, on the private rental market. My Department has facilitated the transfer of anonymised ARP data to assist in that research I can further...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (10 Apr 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 (10 Apr 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 2023/24 programme year estimated that there were 2,729 children enrolled in ELC and SAC services in County Carlow and 4,617 children enrolled in ELC and SAC services in County Kilkenny. This data...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Community Welfare Services (10 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: Community Welfare Services (10 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: Child and Family Agency (10 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: I wish to inform the Deputy that my officials have asked Tusla to respond to you directly on this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child and Family Agency (10 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: Tusla has a duty, under Section 45 of the Child Care Act 1991 to make a decision whether each person leaving care has a need for assistance, and to provide services in accordance with the legislation and subject to available resources. Upon reaching the age of 18, a young person is deemed to have left State care. Young people who have had a care history with Tusla are entitled to an aftercare...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Artificial Intelligence (10 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: I wish to inform the Deputy that department's ICT Business unit is looking at several actions to improve data collection and database construction. These actions are outlined in the Departments “Digital Strategy 2024-2028: Our digital Future” under objective five “Data Agility”. With data protection by design as a guiding principle, the unit seeks to engage with...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Artificial Intelligence (10 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: I wish to inform the Deputy that no projects are currently underway with CeADAR, Ireland’s national centre for AI.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Artificial Intelligence (10 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: My Department is currently collating the information requested and a reply will issue directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Artificial Intelligence (10 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: I wish to inform the Deputy that there are no specific policy areas where the Department is examining future use of AI.