Results 61-80 of 20,908 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Vacant Properties (21 Oct 2025)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy that my Department does not own any buildings that are currently vacant. The question has been forwarded to the agencies below for direct response to the Deputy.  Adoption Authority of Ireland National Disability Authority Oberstown Office of Director of Authorised Intervention, Tuam ...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Disability Services (21 Oct 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 (21 Oct 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: Departmental Reports (21 Oct 2025)

Norma Foley: The Department is currently collating the information requested and a reply will issue directly to the Deputy on this matter as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Disabilities Assessments (21 Oct 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: Parental Leave (16 Oct 2025)

Norma Foley: Significant improvements have been made in the entitlements to both paid and unpaid leaves in recent years, including by extending paid parent's leave for parents to allow them to spend more time with their baby during their earliest years. The Maternity Protection Act 1994 and the Maternity Protection (Amendment) Act 2004 provide a pregnant employee with 26 weeks of paid maternity leave...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Detention Centres (16 Oct 2025)

Norma Foley: Taking the definition of “refurbishment” to mean any work of construction, reconstruction, repair, or renewal, please find a list of capital works projects completed or near completion in Oberstown Detention Campus in 2024 and 2025. Year Description of Refurbishment Works Status / Completion Date 2024 End of life CCTV upgrade...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Disability Services (16 Oct 2025)

Norma Foley: As this question refers to the 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: Social Welfare Benefits (16 Oct 2025)

Norma Foley: I thank the Deputy for this question. Government is committed to delivering on improved outcomes for disabled people in relation to the provision of accessible transport and greater mobility. We know that for disabled people personal mobility and being able to make seamless journeys in accessible transport and environments are critical to their daily lives and full participation in...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Early Childhood Care and Education (16 Oct 2025)

Norma Foley: The Government is committed to ensuring access to affordable, quality early learning and care (ELC) and school-age childcare (SAC), with an investment of €1.48bn in the 2026 budget. This funding will allow my Department to build on recent progress in the gradual reduction of fees for parents, while also supporting supply and the quality of provision. New caps on maximum fees came into...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Budget 2026 (16 Oct 2025)

Norma Foley: The additional 35,000 children anticipated to be supported in 2026 by the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) is estimated based on current usage patterns applied to forecasted uptake of the scheme. This estimate forecasts a 14% existing level of service increase in the numbers of children benefitting from the NCS resulting in a €65 million or 12% increase on the 2025 Budget allocation. ...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Childcare Services (16 Oct 2025)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 320 and 324 together. The introduction of Core Funding in 2022 brought a significant increase in investment for the sector, with €259 million of funding paid directly to services in year 1 of the scheme, of which €210.8 million was entirely new funding. An allocation of €405.21 million for the Scheme was secured in Budget 2026. This is...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Budget 2026 (16 Oct 2025)

Norma Foley: The Programme for Government commits to progressively reducing the cost of childcare to €200 per month per child, and to ensuring that providers’ fees are open, transparent and equitable and readily available to parents, and to maintaining the fee cap. One of the main vehicles for delivering these commitments is the Core Funding scheme. Core Funding is a supply-side payment...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Childcare Services (16 Oct 2025)

Norma Foley: Each year, Pobal compiles data from Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) providers as part of the Early Years Sector Profile. At the time of the most recent Profile survey for 2023/24, there were 184 service providers that had a contract for at least one DCEDIY (now DCDE) funded programme/scheme. The published capacity data from the 2023/24 survey estimated that...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Budget 2026 (16 Oct 2025)

Norma Foley: The Programme for Government commits to progressively reducing the cost of childcare to €200 per month per child, and to ensuring that providers’ fees are open, transparent and equitable and readily available to parents, and to maintaining the fee cap. One of the main vehicles for delivering these commitments is the Core Funding scheme. Core Funding is a supply-side payment...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Child and Family Agency (16 Oct 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: Childcare Services (16 Oct 2025)

Norma Foley: The utilisation of local authority buildings, and any criteria which may be used in the selection of tenants of those buildings, are matters for each local authority. In respect of the early learning and childcare sector, this is an entirely privately delivered sector with three quarters of operators established on a for-profit basis and one quarter of a not-for-profit basis. ...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: EU Funding (16 Oct 2025)

Norma Foley: I can advise the deputy of the following two programmes in relation to his question. Programme 1: The Nurturing Skills Learner Fund The Nurturing Skills Learner Fund is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the European Social Fund+ Employment, Inclusion, Skills and Training programme (EIST) 2021-27. The Nurturing Skills Learner Fund contributes up to...

Confidence in the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade: Motion (15 Oct 2025)

Norma Foley: I also join in the condolences offered to Harvey's family. I speak today conscious that much more needs to be done to improve our spinal services for children. The parents of children waiting for spinal surgery have real and genuine concerns and the Government must address those concerns. All parents want the best for their children and every opportunity for their future and rightly so. ...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Departmental Inquiries (15 Oct 2025)

Norma Foley: As this question refers to the service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.