Results 701-720 of 20,049 for speaker:Norma Foley

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.

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

Norma Foley: I wish to inform the Deputy that several staff, including the Senior Management Team, have undertaken AI familiarisation sessions, some on an ad hoc basis. However, this Department does not have any specific training costs associated with A.I. presently. The Department's Learning and Development team will shortly offer an awareness session to all staff on A.I. as part of a lunch and...

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

Norma Foley: The Department continually reviews its structures, processes, staffing and skills so that these are aligned and it is best placed to deliver efficient and effective operations and achieve its goals. Staff surveys have been conducted as part of these review processes however these surveys do not extend to estimating or calculating the amount of time on administrative tasks.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (9 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: The guidelines for the International Protection Integration Fund (IPIF) and Communities Integration Fund (CIF) are currently being finalised by officials in my Department. Provisionally, €2.5m has been allocated to IPIF and a further €500,000 has been allocated to CIF for 2025. It is expected that both funds will be launched by early May. The National Integration Fund (NIF)...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child Detention Centres (9 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: Oberstown Children Detention Campus (Oberstown) is Ireland’s sole national centre for the detention, care and education of young people under 18 years referred by the courts on detention or remand orders. Established under the Children Act 2001, as amended, Oberstown provides individualised care to young people through an integrated multi-professional approach that enables young people...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child and Family Agency (9 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: As the subject matter of the Deputy's question relates to an operational matter for Tusla, I have referred the matter to them for a direct reply.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child and Family Agency (9 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: Under the Child Care Act 1991, Tusla has the statutory responsibility to promote the welfare of children who are not receiving adequate care and protection. The State offers a complex range of support services under a variety of Departments supporting families in financial, social, employment, leisure and other aspects of their lives. Tusla’s response to concerns about the welfare...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child Protection (9 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: Child protection is a multi-agency, multi-disciplinary activity. Under Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children 2017, anyone with a reasonable concern that a child may have been, is being or is at risk of being abused is required to report that information to Tusla. The Guidance provides detailed information on the different types of abuse and how to...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (9 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 233, 234, 235, 236 and 237 together. My Department is working in collaboration with other relevant Departments and agencies to develop a national plan to further the development of Irish language provision in the Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School-Age Childcare (SAC) sector. The following table sets out the organisations and networks that have...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (9 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: My priority for childminding is the continued delivery of the National Action Plan for Childminding 2021-2028. The publication of the National Action Plan in April 2021 followed an extensive process of public consultation and research. The National Action Plan distinguishes childminding which involves care in the childminder’s home from care that takes place in the child’s...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (9 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: There are currently 3 Reception and Orientation Centres (ROCs) contracted to accommodate programme refugees under the Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP). These centres are located in Ballaghaderreen, Co. Roscommon, Clonea Strand, Co. Waterford and Mosney Village, Co. Meath. Details on the capacity of these centres, as well as the occupancy as at the end of March 2025 are set out in...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (9 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: As mentioned by the Deputy, the Programme for Government commits to reducing the cost of childcare to €200 per month per child and exploring options to cap childcare costs including costs for larger families. A number of existing Schemes would need to play a role to achieve these aims. The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme, which provides two years of pre-school...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (9 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: The new Programme for Government, which was published on 15 January 2025, commits to ensure that providers’ fees are open, transparent and equitable and readily available to parents, and to maintaining the fee cap. Fee management under Core Funding has been an incremental and deliberate process to date. Since the launch of the scheme in September 2022, Partner Services have agreed to...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (8 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 790 and 833 together. The Programme for Government sets out the ambition to work with schools to host before and after-school childcare in school buildings as well as planning the development of State-led early learning and childcare facilities in tandem with the school building programme, specifically referencing Irish medium naíonraí.Last year,...