Results 581-600 of 20,818 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Early Childhood Care and Education (29 Jul 2025)

Norma Foley: My Department is currently collating the information requested and a reply will issue directly to the Deputy in due course

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

Norma Foley: Investment in early learning and childcare is now at unprecedented levels with public funding exceeding €1.37 billion in 2025, clearly demonstrating Government commitment to this area. Core Funding has seen consistent increased State investment to the sector year on year, and is set in year 4 to be worth over €390 million contingent on the establishment of new minimum rates of...

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

Norma Foley: I acknowledge many early learning and childcare services report recruitment and retention challenges. In general, these challenges are not caused by insufficient supply of staff, but by high levels of turnover, which is linked to pay and working conditions. Data from the 2024 Annual Early Years Sector Profile survey shows the national turnover rate for the sector was approximately 25.8%,...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Childcare Services (29 Jul 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: Childcare Services (29 Jul 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. Initial steps have already been taken. Work is also under way to develop an Action Plan to build an affordable, high-quality, accessible early learning and childcare system, informed by...

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

Norma Foley: The National Childcare Scheme (NCS) provides financial support to help parents to meet the cost of childcare and allow children to access Early Learning and School Age Childcare. The NCS subsidies are progressive in nature. All families can receive a universal subsidy, but the highest subsides are provided to families with the lowest levels of income through an income assessment process....

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

Norma Foley: First 5 is Ireland’s Whole-of-Government Strategy for babies, young children and their families. It focuses on the period of early childhood, from the antenatal period to age five, and takes a joined-up, cross-government approach to supporting babies, young children and their families during these critical early years. It has a pivotal focus on providing a broader range of options for...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Legislative Process (29 Jul 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, Disability and Equality: Family Resource Centres (29 Jul 2025)

Norma Foley: I would like to acknowledge the Deputy’s support for the application by Ballybunion Community Centre to be granted Family Resource Centre (FRC) status. As the Deputy may know, the previous Minister, Roderic O'Gorman T.D. secured funding for an additional 5 Family Resource Centres as part of Budget 2025, to allow for membership of the Programme to increase from 121 members to 126...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Health Services Waiting Lists (29 Jul 2025)

Norma Foley: This Government absolutely recognises that waiting times for Assessment of Need (AON) are far too long and have a significant impact on delivering on the needs of children and their families. Both the Department of Children, Disability and Equality and the HSE have been working intensively to progress measures to reduce waiting times. It is important to emphasise that, while children have...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Child Protection (29 Jul 2025)

Norma Foley: Statutory and operational responsibility for the delivery of child protection and welfare services is a matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. The Deputy is seeking information in relation to an operational matter for Tusla. Consequently, I have referred the matter to Tusla, and requested that a direct response be provided to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Children in Care (29 Jul 2025)

Norma Foley: As this question relates to operational information held by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, the question has been referred to the Agency to reply directly to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Child Protection (29 Jul 2025)

Norma Foley: I would like to thank the Deputy for raising this important matter during Topical Issues in the Dáil chamber on 10th July last. As you may be aware, as Minister I am not in a position to intervene in individual cases as Tusla, Child & Family Agency, is required by law to be independent in its work as set out in Section 8 (11) of the Child & Family Agency Act 2013 that...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Early Childhood Care and Education (29 Jul 2025)

Norma Foley: Improving access to quality and affordable Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) is a key priority of Government. Specifically the Programme for Government commits to providing capital investment to build or purchase state-owned childcare facilities, to create additional capacity in areas where unmet need exists. State ownership of facilities is a very substantial...

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

Norma Foley: Improving access to quality and affordable early learning and childcare is a key priority of Government. This includes reviewing deposit rules across each early learning and childcare scheme. Under Core Funding, in which over 92% of the sector participate, providers agree that all deposits relating to the 2024/2025 Programme Year must be returned to the parent/ guardian once the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Care Services (29 Jul 2025)

Norma Foley: This is a matter for the Health Service Executive (HSE) and they have been asked to respond to the Deputy directly.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Legislative Process (29 Jul 2025)

Norma Foley: I wish to acknowledge the difficulties experienced by couples pursuing surrogacy arrangements and reaffirm Government's commitment to recognising and supporting Irish families in all their diversity. The Programme for Government 2025 - Securing Ireland's Future commits to introducing paid surrogacy leave and my officials are examining how best to implement this commitment. They are also...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Family Resource Centres (29 Jul 2025)

Norma Foley: I would like to thank the Deputy for raising this issue. Unfortunately, neither my Department nor Tusla have additional supports available specifically for Family Resource Centre rental costs. In addition, neither my Department nor Tusla have a dedicated budget for capital or building works for third party organisations. I have been informed that in 2025, funding allocated to Teach Oscail...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Child Protection (29 Jul 2025)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise that following receipt of a request, the Tusla CEO assigned the Office of the Chief Social Worker to review some individual case files. Information was shared by the group/parents from March-June 2025, and the reviews have commenced. The reviews entail a desktop review of the child's file from the point of engagement with Tusla to present, and explores areas including...

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

Norma Foley: In October 2022 the Government made an Order under the Institutional Burials Act 2022 to direct the establishment of an office to oversee the excavation, recovery, post-recovery analysis, identification (if possible) and reburial of the children’s remains at the site of the former Mother and Baby institution in Tuam. In March 2023 the Office of Director of Authorised Intervention, Tuam...