Results 661-680 of 20,818 for speaker:Norma Foley

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

Norma Foley: The Department of Children, Disability and Equality remit does not extend to birth rate.

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

Norma Foley: On 29th March 2022 Government accepted the findings of the independent Review of the Early Learning and Childcare Operating Model in Ireland that a dedicated state agency is the optimal operating model for the early learning and childcare sector for the years ahead. It is envisaged that this state agency will undertake the functions currently carried out by Pobal Early Years (including...

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

Norma Foley: All Governmental business is managed through my Departmental and Oireachtas email accounts, I can confirm I do not use personal emails for this purpose.

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

Norma Foley: I would like to advise the Deputy that I do not have any external messaging providers downloaded on my Ministerial phone.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Social Workers Register (29 Jul 2025)

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

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

Norma Foley: The Department of Children, Disability and Equality does not provide funding directly to the organisation referred to by the Deputy. The Department provides funding to the National Traveller Partnership, an umbrella network of 14 local Traveller organisations, of which the organisation referred to by the Deputy is one. The Table below outlines funding provided to the organisation in question...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Disability Services (29 Jul 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: 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 an intervention at the site of the former Mother and Baby institution in Tuam, Co. Galway. In March 2023 the Office of Director of Authorised Intervention, Tuam (ODAIT) was formally established and in May the Director was appointed to oversee the excavation, recovery, analysis, identification (if...

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

Norma Foley: I wish to inform the Deputy that neither my Department nor Tusla currently have capital funding to support the building of new or refurbishment or extension of existing Family Resource Centres (FRCs). Tusla does not have a dedicated budget for capital or building works for FRCs. The Family Resource Centre Programme is a community development programme that is financially supported by many...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Disabilities Assessments (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 this Department and the HSE have been working intensively to progress measures to reduce waiting times. It is important to emphasise that, while children have a right to apply for an AON, they do...

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

Norma Foley: The National Action Plan for Childminding 2021-2028, launched in April 2021, set out a pathway for the extension of registration to childminders in their own home. A key objective of the National Action Plan for Childminding is to enable parents who use childminders to benefit from State subsidies through the National Childcare Scheme (NCS). As a result of the commencement of the relevant...

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

Norma Foley: Thanks you Deputy for your question relating to national standards for children's social services. As you may be aware, statutory responsibility in respect of the setting of national standards for children's social services, falls under the remit of HIQA, as outlined in section 8 of the Health Act, 2007. In 2019, HIQA began the process of developing the National Standards for Children's...

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

Norma Foley: I thank the Deputy for this question and the opportunity to reiterate that Government is committed to increasing the rate of employment of people with disabilities in the public service. Public bodies must continue to take the initiative on this issue and lead by positive example. Part 5 of the Disability Act 2005 sets out obligations on public bodies to promote and support the employment...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Assisted Human Reproduction (29 Jul 2025)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy will be aware, the Department of Children, Disability and Equality has worked closely with the Department of Health and the Department of Justice as part of the interdepartmental group on the development of the Heath (Assisted Human Reproduction) Act 2024 and the forthcoming amending bill, and continues to do so. The Department of Health retains lead responsibility for...

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

Norma Foley: The table below shows the travel and subsistence payments that were made on my department's behalf by the NSSO over the period requested. The 2025 figures reflect payments made to the end of June 2025 and include payments in respect of the International Protection and Ukraine functions that transferred to the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration in May. 2021...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Public Procurement Contracts (29 Jul 2025)

Norma Foley: My Department uses templates provided by the Office of Government Procurement for public procurement competitions. These contain standard clauses which require successful tendering parties to be compliant with relevant environmental, social and labour law. In this regard, we operate in full compliance with the requirements as set out in S.I. No. 284 of 2016, the European Union (Award of...

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

Norma Foley: On 29 March 2022 Government accepted the findings of the independent Review of the Early Learning and Childcare Operating Model in Ireland that a dedicated state agency is the optimal operating model for the early learning and childcare sector for the years ahead. It is envisaged that this state agency will undertake the functions carried out by Pobal Early Years (including Better Start),...

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 the Government’s commitment to this area. The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme, which provides two years of pre-school without charge, enjoys participation rates of 96%. Over 70% of families on low income...