Results 1,041-1,060 of 20,818 for speaker:Norma Foley

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, and as always I am delighted to balance things out by having somebody else from the Kingdom at any committee I attend. I am delighted to be here in the Senator's company. With regard to some of the points he has raised, the last one was around early years staff, funding, moneys and all of that. I have said it previously; the committee that makes the decision here 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 Deputy. I want to acknowledge that she has engaged with me on an ongoing basis, particularly in respect of her own constituency and I do accept the challenges that are there. It is the absolute vision, as the Deputy has referenced, of the programme for Government. I was honoured to be part of the negotiating team that wrote that up and I absolutely accept that while there is...

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

Norma Foley: I recognise that those who received support through building blocks experienced a very positive uplift. There has to be strict criteria regarding what providers will give in return for receiving funding. Some of the funding was quite significant at over €700,000 so there has to be an absolute guarantee that the providers will give that back for the benefit for which it was given in...

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

Norma Foley: I would have to say that the €25 million was what we had. It was what we achieved-----

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

Norma Foley: Where there is scope before year's end, I am confident that will be the case.

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

Norma Foley: There is a body of work being done on that. Specifically, we have made contact with the committee regarding some of the work that is to unfold on the general scheme of the equality Bill. I appreciate that the committee has contacted the Department to say that it has a full schedule in terms of prelegislative scrutiny here and asked that it be extended out. I also want to acknowledge that...

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

Norma Foley: Yes. It is for codification, or at least that is my understanding. Sorry, I do not want to lead the Deputy astray on this. We specifically named certain reforms. For example, there was something in the Seanad recently in terms of socioeconomic background being a source-----

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

Norma Foley: Okay.

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

Norma Foley: If I miss anything in the time available to me, the Deputy might come back to me on it. Regarding foster carers and the pension, there is a commitment in that regard in the programme for Government. Obviously, it is not within my gift to deliver but, rather, that of the Minister for Social Protection. However, there is an absolute commitment in this regard. I appreciate the Deputy's...

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

Norma Foley: I will begin with the first point the Deputy raised, which concerned foster carers. I 100% agree with her in this regard. I deliberately spoke about foster carers first because we want to do all we can to support those who are in the system to stay and to attract more into it. The Deputy is right that the programme for Government includes significant commitments regarding the pension, as...

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

Norma Foley: I have to tell the Deputy that it is one for the Minister for Education but I will give my tuppence worth. Unless there is an exact mirror of children in primary school and post-primary school, it is going to be a different cohort of children. There might be 20% or 50% of the children from primary school going to post-primary school but unless it is a 100% mirror, they are going to be very...

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 know this is of particular interest to her and she has raised it with me on an ongoing basis. She is right. I like the phrase that they are the engine room because it is true. Every single person who spoke here today has referenced the fact that we cannot achieve anything if we do not have the workers in place. The joint labour committee is independent and I...

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

Norma Foley: Reference was made previously to building blocks. I think it is a very good scheme because it provides additional places. A total of 1,500 additional places will be provided for under the recently announced building blocks scheme and there were 78 applications, of which 49 have gone through. I would like to see us do more in this space, although it is obviously contingent on the funding...

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

Norma Foley: I acknowledge there are a number of commitments in the programme for Government for foster carers and that includes the pension, as has already been referenced. It also includes back to school, and I have spoken directly with the Minister in that regard.

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

Norma Foley: With regard to the back to school clothing and footwear allowance, I think that should be provided for in the foster care environment. It should be an absolute priority. There has been ongoing engagement over and back with the Department previously and with the present Minister in that Department. I would like to see progress being made on it. It is in the gift of the Department of Social...

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 did not realise she came with all that experience in foster care and I want to acknowledge it. I want to say to her that I am very happy to sit down with her and hear, first-hand, her lived experience of it. Obviously, she is 100% right. I personally believe that the foster care setting is the right setting. The rate is at 87.2% of all children in care. I would...

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

Norma Foley: I thank the Cathaoirleach. In terms of access to childcare, that is one of the key issues that have been identified over the past while and it is for that reason we are saying no one measure will solve this. In regard to the public model the Cathaoirleach referenced, we now have the forward planning unit within the Department looking at areas where there is very clear and specific need,...

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

Norma Foley: As the Cathaoirleach referenced the UK, I acknowledge the great work of Liam Conlan, MP. I have met him in London and here as well. He is really driving this forward and I want to acknowledge that body of work. In terms of Tuam, I want to acknowledge the great sensitivity that has been shown here and I compliment the work of Daniel MacSweeney, the director of authorised intervention in...

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 quickly, in regard to the AON, the focus is to ensure parents and children themselves have faster access to therapy.

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

Norma Foley: That is the issue because it is not working as it stands, and that is the abiding guidance we are working under here. It is true to say, for example, that 30% of children can go through the entire very drawn-out process to be told at the end that they do not have a disability, but they have a need and the need has to be focused on at an earlier point. That is the motivation there. In...