Results 1,021-1,040 of 20,818 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Guardians Ad Litem (17 Jun 2025)

Norma Foley: The Department is working to establish the new GAL service in line with legislation. Following analysis the Department is formulating a proposal on the potential pay and resourcing model for the Guardian ad litem Service for submission to DPENDR for approval and sanction The potential alignment of the Guardian ad litem role to a paygrade within the Civil Service will consider existing...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (17 Jun 2025)

Norma Foley: At present there are 6 childminders operating with a National Childcare Scheme contract in County Cork. The Childcare Support Act 2018, which provides a statutory basis for the National Childcare Scheme, specifies that only Tusla-registered providers are eligible to participate in the Scheme. The limitation of public funding schemes to Tusla-registered childcare providers helps to ensure...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: School Admissions (17 Jun 2025)

Norma Foley: The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme provides free universal pre-school to children in the eligible age range however ECCE is not a mandatory programme. ECCE is provided by private enterprises, either privately owned or operated by community organisations. Services are contracted with my Department to provide ECCE at no cost to the parent and subject to the programme's...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Data (17 Jun 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 between...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Websites (17 Jun 2025)

Norma Foley: I thank the Deputy for his question. Below, in tabular form, is the information requested. 11-30 June 2024 Jul-24 Aug-24 Sep-24 Oct 24 Nov-24 Dec-24 Jan-25 Feb-25 Mar-25 Apr-25 May-25 1-11 June 2025 0 10 20 69 174 89 199 432 ...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Same-sex Marriage (17 Jun 2025)

Norma Foley: Since the landmark passage of the Marriage Equality Referendum in 2015, important legislative and policy progress in the area of LGBTIQ+ rights and equality has continued. The Government has implemented two related Strategies, namely the LGBTI+ National Youth Strategy (2018-2020) and the National LGBTI+ Inclusion Strategy (2019-2021). In 2018, Ireland was the first country in the world to...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child Poverty (17 Jun 2025)

Norma Foley: I welcome the Child Poverty Monitor for 2025 developed by the Children’s Rights Alliance, which analyses and reports on child poverty in Ireland focussing on thematic areas across Government including early years, education, food poverty, income inadequacy, family support and alternative care, and play and recreation. Child poverty requires a cross government response and I am...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (17 Jun 2025)

Norma Foley: Improving access to quality and affordable Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare is a key priority of Government. The early learning and childcare sector has expanded significantly in recent years; enrollments increased by 19% between 2022 and 2024 and registrations of new services have increased. This is particularly the case with school age childcare services with 261 new...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Contracts (17 Jun 2025)

Norma Foley: I thank the Deputy for her question. Below, in tabular form, is the information requested. Year Supplier Amount 2024 Drury € 58,030.61 2024 Hanover € €9,840 Please note that the above figures relate to contracts managed directly by the Department of...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Programmes (17 Jun 2025)

Norma Foley: This is not a matter for my department.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Staff (17 Jun 2025)

Norma Foley: The number of staff by grade in the Equality, Youth and Participation Division in my Department is shown in the table below. Figures correct as of end May 2025. Grade Number of staff Assistant Secretary 1 Principal Officer 6 Assistant Principal 18 Administrative Officer 10 ...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Judicial Reviews (17 Jun 2025)

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

Committee on Children and Equality: Priority Issues Facing the Department: Minister for Children, Disability and Equality (12 Jun 2025)

Norma Foley: I am pleased to be here. As this is, as the Cathaoirleach said, our first engagement, I look forward to working with members of the committee, the Cathaoirleach and the committee staff. I appreciate the manner in which many members have engaged with me on a personal basis and through the briefings we have provided in the Department. I look forward to the years ahead. I will begin by...

Committee on Children and Equality: Priority Issues Facing the Department: Minister for Children, Disability and Equality (12 Jun 2025)

Norma Foley: I thank the Deputy very much. I appreciate his comments at the outset as well. I acknowledge his personal interest and experience in this area. Specifically with regard to issues of consistent poverty, it is an absolute agenda by Government to decrease the numbers of children experiencing poverty. It is for that reason there is within the Department of the Taoiseach a unit dedicated to...

Committee on Children and Equality: Priority Issues Facing the Department: Minister for Children, Disability and Equality (12 Jun 2025)

Norma Foley: On children in IPAS accommodation, there is a unit in the service that is dedicated to child welfare. On special emergency arrangements, I note that staff working there are vetted and qualified. A compliance unit has been set up in respect of those special emergency arrangements. The children are visited every week. I appreciate the Deputy's bona fides. We absolutely do have a duty of...

Committee on Children and Equality: Priority Issues Facing the Department: Minister for Children, Disability and Equality (12 Jun 2025)

Norma Foley: I appreciate the Deputy's perspective and experience, which are important. On mental health support for children, I acknowledge that significant improvements are under way, although it is a long journey. For the first time, we are introducing pilot supports in our primary schools. Counselling supports will be made available there. We have begun that journey and I hope to see it rolled out...

Committee on Children and Equality: Priority Issues Facing the Department: Minister for Children, Disability and Equality (12 Jun 2025)

Norma Foley: Regarding the national development plan, there is intensive engagement including bilaterals with the Minister. I have met with the Minister, as have officials in the Department. There is considerable engagement around this. We have an ambitious programme. It is reflected in the programme for Government. That is across all levels and supporting many aspects of childcare. The Deputy...

Committee on Children and Equality: Priority Issues Facing the Department: Minister for Children, Disability and Equality (12 Jun 2025)

Norma Foley: On average, families have seen a 50% reduction in charges. There were further reductions last week and we have given a commitment that over the lifetime of the Government it will reduce to €200. There has been significant support offered to parents, alongside supports for providers and, going forward, hopefully, to the workers. We cannot do everything by magic overnight but that is...

Committee on Children and Equality: Priority Issues Facing the Department: Minister for Children, Disability and Equality (12 Jun 2025)

Norma Foley: I thank the Senator. I want to be entirely supportive of foster care. It is the right solution for children. As I said earlier, 87.2% of children in care are in the foster care system and I want to see even more than that in it because I think it is the right environment for them. Distinct to that, the Senator talked about the aftercare. It is, as she said, tied to education. I am...

Committee on Children and Equality: Priority Issues Facing the Department: Minister for Children, Disability and Equality (12 Jun 2025)

Norma Foley: -----if it would be in school buildings or whatever. In some instances, that may be the case, and it might be an outside provider coming in to do whatever in the school building. Last year, we launched within the schools a system whereby if they are in a position to give over any element of their property, anything they make out of it they hold themselves. The principle of schools being...