Results 841-860 of 20,818 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Childcare Services (8 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 2023/24 shows that the estimated number of enrolments increased by approximately 19% from the 2021/22 programme year. Core Funding application data shows that...

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

Norma Foley: My Department operates a funding process for Support Organisations (formerly National Voluntary Childcare Organisations). Funding through this process is available to non-governmental organisations and not-for-profit organisations with special interests and expertise in the Early Learning and Care (ELC), School Age Childcare (SAC) and Childminding sector. The funding process offers...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Mother and Baby Homes (8 Jul 2025)

Norma Foley: The Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme opened for applications in March 2024. The Scheme acknowledges circumstances experienced while resident in a Mother and Baby Institution and the associated conditions, shame and stigma endured over a period of time. Whilst financial payments and health supports are available to eligible individuals through the Scheme, it is beyond the scope of...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Childcare Services (8 Jul 2025)

Norma Foley: Both the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme and the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) are currently available to parents regardless of whether or not the early learning and childcare service their child is attending is participating in Core Funding. These schemes have made a significant impact on improving affordability of early learning and childcare for families. The...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Childcare Services (8 Jul 2025)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 742 and 748 together. The correspondence mentioned was received in my Department on 02/07/2025 and was shared with Pobal who administer the scheme on our behalf. Pobal will be in contact shortly with Ms. Jackson in regard to her application. Pobal and Better Start engage directly with service providers in regard to applications, providing advice and...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: EU Directives (8 Jul 2025)

Norma Foley: The Directives on Standards for Equality Bodies set minimum requirements for the effective and independent operation of Equality Bodies in a number of key areas, in order to allow them to carry out their work more effectively in all Member States and to ensure a more uniform application of EU equal treatment law. The Directives provide that the Commission shall, by means of an implementing...

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

Norma Foley: I firmly believe the level of pay for early years educators and school-age childcare practitioners should reflect the value of their work for children, families, society and the economy. The State is not the employer and therefore does not set the pay or conditions for employees in either early learning and care (ELC) or school-age childcare (SAC) services. However, there is now,...

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

Norma Foley: My Department is aware through Pobal who administer the scheme on behalf of my Department, that some providers have been experiencing a delay in processing level 7 applications. The timeline for processing applications is currently under review between officials in my Department and Pobal. As scheme administrators, Pobal and Better Start engage directly with service providers in regard to...

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

Norma Foley: The backdating of AIM level 7 supports to a service provider are currently under review between officials in my Department and Pobal who administer the scheme on our behalf. As scheme administrators, Pobal and Better Start engage directly with service providers in regard to applications, providing advice and assistance as needed. A key objective of the ongoing review is to learn from provider...

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

Norma Foley: Ensuring access to early learning and childcare is a key priority of Government. Capital funding has been made available to my Department under the National Development Plan. In 2025, €25m has been made available to deliver additional capacity under the Building Blocks Extension Grant Scheme. The scheme is focused on supporting the creation of additional full day care places for...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Equality Issues (3 Jul 2025)

Norma Foley: I wish to acknowledge the challenges faced by couples pursuing surrogacy arrangements and reaffirm Government's commitment to recognising and supporting Irish families in all their diversity. The Programme for Government 2025 - Securing Ireland's Future commits to introducing paid surrogacy leave and my officials are examining this commitment. They are also engaging with officials from...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Early Childhood Care and Education (3 Jul 2025)

Norma Foley: Currently my Department does not collect data on waiting times for access to the ECCE Programme or scheme specific data on waiting lists and vacant places. However, in relation to capacity Pobal compiles data, on behalf of my Department, on waiting lists and vacant places from Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) providers through the Annual Early Years Sector...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Mother and Baby Homes (3 Jul 2025)

Norma Foley: I am very conscious of the pain caused by the death of children who were resident in the former Mother and Baby institution at Sean Ross Abbey. The investigation of burial arrangements in Mother and Baby institutions, including the former institution at Sean Ross Abbey, was an important part of the work of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes. At the request of the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Mother and Baby Homes (3 Jul 2025)

Norma Foley: The Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme acknowledges circumstances experienced while resident in a Mother and Baby Institution and the associated conditions, shame and stigma endured over a period of time. Using time spent as the deciding factor, is intended to support a non-adversarial approach which avoids the need for applicants to have to bring forward evidence or prove abuse or...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Detention Centres (3 Jul 2025)

Norma Foley: I am concerned that the question asked repeats assertions made about recent incidents at Oberstown which were put into the public domain without consultation or verification and which contain significant factual inaccuracies. I would like to correct these inaccuracies and provide important context while being mindful of the sensitivities of the individuals involved. Oberstown operates a...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Detention Centres (3 Jul 2025)

Norma Foley: Oberstown Children Detention Campus is the State’s sole detention centre for children. The maximum occupancy in Oberstown is set by the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality by way of a certificate made under the Children Act 2001. This certificate is currently set at 46 (40 boys and 6 girls). Places can be used to accommodate both children on detention orders and children...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Childcare Services (3 Jul 2025)

Norma Foley: Many families avail of the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) as a way to reduce the cost of their early learning and childcare. For this reason, the Scheme is designed to be flexible in acknowledgement that childcare needs vary widely across families. As such, NCS subsidies are awarded as an hourly rate, along with a maximum number of weekly hours that the subsidy will be paid for i.e. 45...

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

Norma Foley: A response will be provided directly to the Deputy in the coming days.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Mother and Baby Homes (3 Jul 2025)

Norma Foley: The Deputy has asked about funding relationships between the State and Sean Ross Abbey between 1950 and 1980. The Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes made significant findings in relation to what happened to vulnerable women and children in Mother and Baby and County Home Institutions. Throughout its inquiry, the Commission relied on the testimony of hundreds of...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Childcare Services (3 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 2023/24 shows that the estimated number of enrolments increased by approximately 19% from the 2021/22 programme year. Core Funding application data shows that...