Results 61-80 of 19,359 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Funding (8 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: Core Funding, which was introduced in 2022, operates alongside all other early learning and childcare programmes and constitutes additional income to services on top of these programmes, and parental fees. The scheme is designed to meet the combined objectives of:Improved affordability for parents through the introduction of fee managementContractual requirements on providers to offer the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Emergency Accommodation (3 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: According to figures from the Department of Justice, since March 2022 to date, temporary protection has been granted to over 115,000 people. I am advised by my colleague, the Minister for Justice, that as there are no routine immigration exit checks it is not possible to say how many beneficiaries of temporary protection are still here. While roughly 3,400 permissions have been voluntarily...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: After-School Support Services (3 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: My Department provides a range of supports for anybody that wishes to set up an early learning and childcare service (which includes school-age childcare services). Any provider interested in establishing a service can get support from their local County Childcare Committee (CCC). Details of the CCCs can be found on: www.gov.ie/en/publication/52b71-support-for-parents-city-and...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Emergency Accommodation (3 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: The Accommodation Recognition Payment (ARP) was introduced to recognise the generosity of people who have opened their homes to provide accommodation to Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs). I have recently made an order to extend the scheme for a further year to March 2026 to mirror the extension of the Temporary Protection Directive. This extension provides certainty to...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Data (3 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 281 and 282 together. The legislation underpinning the Payment Scheme - the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Act 2023 - specifically provides for the explicit independence of the Chief Deciding Officer in administering the application process and making decisions on applications. Therefore, it would be inappropriate for me to engage in the...

Seanad: Childcare: Statements (2 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: I welcome the opportunity to discuss in the Seanad today the issue of early learning and childcare. The Government recognises the importance of early learning and childcare services to society and to the economy. Most importantly, we recognise the importance of the service to the thousands of children and families they serve every day. This is very clear in the programme for Government....

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Contracts (2 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: Thank you for your question, Deputy. A response will be provided directly to you in the coming days.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (2 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 240, 243, 244, 247 and 248 together. As you're aware, Ireland has opted in to the EU Asylum and Migration Pact, which will introduce a more comprehensive, streamlined, and efficient approach to asylum and migration both in Ireland and across the EU.While your questions may relate to how the Pact will have effect in relation to international protection...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Immigration Policy (2 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 241 and 242 together. I thank the Deputy for his questions. A cross-departmental Programme Board is overseeing the national implementation plan for the EU Asylum and Migration Pact. This group will be working through the many elements of the national implementation plan and the State’s approach to meeting the requirements set out in the Migration...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Immigration Policy (2 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 245, 246, 249 and 250 together. There has been significant pressure on the State to source suitable international protection accommodation for people entitled to it under EU and Irish law. This is particularly the case since 2022, when a sharp increase in applications in Ireland commenced. While there has been a backdrop of local concern in relation to...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (2 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: Under EU and Irish law, all applicants for international protection are entitled to be offered accommodation and reception conditions by the State for the duration of their application. The International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) is currently providing accommodation to 33,006 International Protection (IP) applicants, and over 9,000 of these are children with their families....

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: An Garda Síochána (2 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: Under the Parental Leave (Amendment) Act 2019, an employee who is a relevant parent in respect of a child under the age 12 is entitled to 26 weeks’ unpaid parental leave for each child. Where a child has a disability or long-term illness, the entitlement can continue until the child is 16. A relevant parent is a parent, an adoptive parent, or a person acting in ‘loco...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (2 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: The Programme for Government marks a significant shift in the policy direction in relation to public delivery of early learning and childcare. There is a commitment for the first time to public provision and to capital investment to build or purchase State-owned facilities. These commitments accompany other ambitious actions to significantly reduce out-of-pocket fees paid by parents, as...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (2 Apr 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. An annual sector profile demonstrates an 8% increase in enrolments between 2021/22 and 2022/23. Core Funding application data shows that between Year 1 and Year 2 of the scheme, annual place hours increased by...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Meetings (2 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: I have not held a MinMAC meeting since assuming my role in January this year. I have however met separately with the Secretary General and heads of divisions to discuss Departmental priorities.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (2 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: Improving access to quality and affordable early learning and childcare is a key priority of Government. Demand for early learning and childcare beyond sessional pre-school provision is highly elastic and shaped very substantially by families' individual composition, circumstances, and preferences; employment patterns and income; and the price and availability of services. Last year,...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (2 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: Fee management was introduced with the substantial investment of Core Funding following the recommendations of the Expert Group, approved by Government, to first limit increases in fee rates. The Fee Increase Assessment process and the introduction of a fee cap are the first steps to further advance this system of fee management in line with the recommendations outlined in Partnership for...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (2 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: An Expert Group was convened in 2019 to review the funding model for early learning and childcare and make recommendations for a new funding model. The Expert Group engaged in a widespread programme of stakeholder consultation as part of this two year project, engaging with parents, providers, the workforce, and other stakeholders. In December 2021, Government adopted all 25...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (2 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: My Department funds a broad range of Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) schemes, including the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme, National Childcare Scheme (NCS), Access and Inclusion Model (AIM), Equal Start, and Core Funding. A range of supports are also provided to improve the quality of ELC and SAC services, through the Better Start National...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Public Inquiries (2 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: I wish to acknowledge the trauma associated with sexual abuse in childhood which continues into adulthood, affecting many aspects of a victim-survivor's life and the impact it has had on those victim-survivors. I am clear that all the recommendations in Dr. Geoffrey Shannon’s report should be complied with as soon as practicable by St. John Ambulance Ireland. My Department has been...