Results 921-940 of 20,818 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Departmental Projects (24 Jun 2025)

Norma Foley: In 2023, my Department piloted the Little Baby Bundle. Almost 500 expectant families who were attending the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin and University Hospital Waterford received the Baby Bundle, and provided feedback to the Department on their experiences as part of a commissioned evaluation of the pilot. My Department commissioned an independent evaluation of the pilot in order to gather...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Childcare Services (24 Jun 2025)

Norma Foley: Ensuring access to early learning and childcare is a key priority of Government. There has been a significant expansion of provision in recent years and a 19% increase in children enrolled in services between 2022 and 2024. We are continuing to support the sustainability and expansion of the sector through ongoing development and resourcing of Core Funding which has given rise to a...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Departmental Expenditure (24 Jun 2025)

Norma Foley: Capital funding that has been allocated to the early learning and childcare sector under the National Development Plan (NDP) has enabled significant investment in early learning and childcare. In 2025, €25m in voted expenditure was made available for the Building Blocks Extension Grant Scheme. This will allow existing Core Funding Partner Services extend their existing premises or...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Departmental Staff (24 Jun 2025)

Norma Foley: While my Department employees staff as ICT specialists and Statisticians, it does not employ anyone in the role as ‘ICT data specialist’.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Departmental Strategies (24 Jun 2025)

Norma Foley: My Department leads on cross-government policy to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. The Programme for Government commits my Department to publish and implement an updated National Strategy for Women and Girls. My Department is currently working to fulfil that commitment. A stakeholder consultation was completed at the end of 2024. This consultation...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Departmental Administrative Arrangements (24 Jun 2025)

Norma Foley: Work is well advanced on the Programme for Government commitment to reduce the administrative burden on providers. On 19 September 2023, plans to develop an Action Plan for Administrative and Regulatory Simplification for the Early Learning and Childcare Sector were announced, supported by a Working Group comprising representatives from the Department, Pobal and the City / County Childcare...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Childcare Qualifications (24 Jun 2025)

Norma Foley: The National Action Plan for Childminding 2021-2028, launched in 2021, set out a pathway for the extension of registration to childminders. A key objective of the National Action Plan for Childminding is to enable parents who use childminders to benefit from State subsidies through the National Childcare Scheme. As a result of the commencement of the relevant parts of the Child Care...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Departmental Administrative Arrangements (24 Jun 2025)

Norma Foley: The National Action Plan for Childminding 2021-2028, launched in April 2021, set out a pathway for the extension of registration to childminders. A key objective of the National Action Plan for Childminding is to enable parents who use childminders to benefit from State subsidies through the National Childcare Scheme. As a result of the commencement of the relevant parts of the Child Care...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Departmental Websites (24 Jun 2025)

Norma Foley: My Department continues to implement ‘Nurturing Skills: The Workforce Plan for Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare, 2022-2028’. Nurturing Skills sets out plans to raise the profile of careers in the sector and establish role profiles, career pathways, qualification requirements, and associated policy mechanisms, along with leadership development opportunities,...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Irish Language (24 Jun 2025)

Norma Foley: It is intended that a National Plan on Irish language provision in Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School-Age Childcare (SAC) will be published later in 2025. The development of the national plan is a commitment in the 5-Year Action Plan for the Irish Language. The national plan is expected to support the delivery of two commitments in First 5: the Whole-of-Government Strategy for Babies,...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Children in Care (24 Jun 2025)

Norma Foley: As this relates to information held by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, the question has been referred to the Agency for direct reply to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Childcare Services (24 Jun 2025)

Norma Foley: This is a matter for my cabinet colleague, the Minister for Health.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Childcare Services (24 Jun 2025)

Norma Foley: Early learning and care (ELC) and school aged childcare (SAC) services are provided by private enterprises, either privately owned or operated by community organisations. As such, it is at the discretion of each provider when they will open their service. Improving access to quality and affordable Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare is a key priority of Government. Early...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Legislative Programme (24 Jun 2025)

Norma Foley: In November 2024, Government approved the publication of the General Scheme of the Equality (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill, which includes a number of legislative provisions arising from the review of the Equality Acts. At the same time, approval was granted, in principle, for the introduction of a new equality ground of socio-economic disadvantage in Ireland’s equality legislation,...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (19 Jun 2025)

Norma Foley: The information required to give an accurate figure on the number of families on enhanced subsidies that were negatively affected by the fee adjustment process in 2024 is not currently available to my Department. 1145 applications to the Fee Increase Assessment process were received by the Department, of which 898 (78.48%) were granted permission to increase at least one fee up to an...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child and Family Agency (19 Jun 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, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Schools Building Projects (19 Jun 2025)

Norma Foley: The Building Blocks Extension Grant Scheme was launched last year and closed for applications in January. There were four strands to the scheme: Community Construction, Community Extension, Community Purchasing and Private Extension. A total of 78 applications were received. The applications came from a variety of locations across the country. All applications received were appraised...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Schools Building Projects (19 Jun 2025)

Norma Foley: The Building Blocks Extension Grant Scheme was launched last year and closed for applications in January. There were four strands to the scheme: Community Construction, Community Extension, Community Purchasing and Private Extension. A total of 78 applications were received. The applications came from a variety of locations across the country. All applications received were appraised...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Residential Institutions (19 Jun 2025)

Norma Foley: The National Centre for Research and Remembrance, to be located in Sean MacDermott Street, Dublin 1, will comprise a museum and exhibition space, a research centre and repository of records related to institutional trauma in the 20th century, and a garden space for reflection and remembrance. This Centre will honour equally all those who spent time in Industrial Schools, Magdalen Laundries,...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (19 Jun 2025)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 376, 377, 378 and 379 together. Detailed data on planning and land use, including requests for change of use from planning permission previously granted, are not held by my Department. I am advised that the information requested is also not compiled by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. In general, the operation of the planning...