Results 701-720 of 20,818 for speaker:Norma Foley

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

Norma Foley: The Capital Ceilings for the Department of Children, Disability and Equality were published in the National Development Plan on 22nd July 2025. A copy of the NDP is available on the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform website. (See link below) In total, €795m has been allocated tor this Department for capital for the years 2026 - 2030. See split in table 1 below. The...

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

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 2449 and 2476 together. My Department is committed to reforming the Assessment of Need (AON) process to streamline it for the benefit of children who need it. This is reflected in the current Programme for Government which includes a clear commitment to support families who are waiting for an AON and to ensure children and their families can access the...

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: Early Childhood Care and Education (29 Jul 2025)

Norma Foley: Improving access to quality and affordable early learning and childcare is a key priority of Government. A Forward Planning and Delivery Unit in my Department has been allocated additional staff and is pursuing an ambitious programme of work. A forward planning model is in development which maps the distribution of children of different ages and the corresponding early learning and...

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

Norma Foley: An evaluation of the first year of Core Funding and the development of an evaluation framework for Core Funding is currently underway. This project will examine the early implementation of Core Funding and make recommendations for future evaluations of the grant. Findings from the project are expected in Quarter 4 2025. This project is being undertaken by Irish Government Economic and...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Disabilities Assessments (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: Capital Expenditure Programme (29 Jul 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, Disability and Equality: Capital Expenditure Programme (29 Jul 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, Disability and Equality: Departmental Schemes (29 Jul 2025)

Norma Foley: The National Childcare Scheme (NCS) provides financial supports to parents to help reduce the cost of early learning and childcare. The Scheme has undergone a number of enhancements in recent years to further improve affordability for parents. These include the extension of the universal subsidy to all children under 15 and two increases to the minimum hourly subsidy, which is now worth...

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

Norma Foley: The Programme for Government, ‘Securing Ireland’s Future’, contains a commitment to advance legislation to ban conversion practices. Given the complex and sensitive nature of the proposed legislation, my Department is carefully considering the key policy principles that will underpin the legislation to ensure that individuals are protected from harmful conversion...

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

Norma Foley: The LGBTIQ+ Community Services Fund provides for initiatives that will promote inclusion, protect rights and improve quality of life and well-being for members of the LGBTIQ+ community, both local and regional, enabling them to participate fully in Ireland's social, economic, cultural and political life. The LGBTIQ+ Community Services Fund operates an annual competitive Funding Call, which it...

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

Norma Foley: The agreement reached at the WRC in March this year, between Government Departments and unions, includes funding for a 9.25% pay increase for workers in community and voluntary health and social care organisations. The agreement recognises that staff in these organisations, delivering services on behalf of the State, should be fairly paid for the vital work they do. In a landmark step by this...

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

Norma Foley: Tusla's proposed Integrated Reform Programme represents a transformational change programme, for the reform of Structure, Practice and Culture, in Tusla. A key target for the programme includes improvement of child protection services, through a Local Integrated Service Delivery Model, the proposed reform programme continues to be explored by my Department and Tusla. In Budget 2025, Tusla...

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

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 2465 to 2470, inclusive, together. 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: Ministerial Responsibilities (29 Jul 2025)

Norma Foley: On January 29, the Government, upon the nomination of the Taoiseach, formally appointed Ministers of State and assigned their responsibilities. In respect of my Department, Hildegarde Naughton TD has been appointed Minister of State with special responsibility for Disability. The delegation of certain disability functions to a Minister of State reflects the Government’s commitment to...

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

Norma Foley: The Government is committed to supporting the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and this also encompasses the inclusion of persons in society through the use of Assistive Technology (AT). Government also recognises the serious need to invest in AT due to the projected increase in non-communicable diseases and aging...