Results 741-760 of 20,908 for speaker:Norma Foley

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: Healthcare Infrastructure Provision (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: 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...

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

Norma Foley: 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 pay in the sector through updated Employment Regulation Orders. This is an increase of over 50% since the scheme began in September 2022 with an allocation of €259 million. Last...

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. Significant investment has been made in the NCS in recent years with over €529m allocated in Budget 2025. This investment has allowed my Department to further improve affordability for parents through the...

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

Norma Foley: Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Aged Childcare (SAC) services are required to have insurance as part of their registration with Tulsa, the independent regulator of the sector. Insurance reform is a priority for this Government. The Action Plan for Insurance Reform, which was launched on 8 December 2020, has already resulted in reductions in car and house insurance costs. ...

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 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 shows that the estimated number of enrolments has increased by 19% between 2022 and 2024. Core Funding application data shows that between Year 1 and Year 3 of the...

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

Norma Foley: The Programme for Government also commits to ensure that providers’ fees are open, transparent and equitable and readily available to parents, and to maintaining the fee cap. 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 pay in...

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

Norma Foley: The gender pay gap is a key measure of women’s economic empowerment and their equal representation in senior business roles and well-paid occupations. Under the Gender Pay Gap Information Act 2021, employers must publish their gender pay gap information. In 2025, organisations with over 50 employees are required to report on their gender pay gap. My Department is currently at an...

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

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 2386, 2404, 2409, 2410, 2414 and 2512 together. Significant improvements have been made in the entitlements to both paid and unpaid leaves in recent years. The Maternity Protection Act 1994 and the Maternity Protection (Amendment) Act 2004 provide a pregnant employee with 26 weeks of paid maternity leave and an additional 16 weeks of unpaid leave,...

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...