Results 1,281-1,300 of 20,818 for speaker:Norma Foley

Report of the Farrelly Commission: Statements (1 May 2025)

Norma Foley: I will send a text to make sure it is coming.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Schemes (1 May 2025)

Norma Foley: As the State does not employ staff in Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare services, neither I nor my Department set wage levels or determine working conditions for staff in the sector. Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare services are private businesses and their policies on operating hours and staffing are a matter for the service provider. As such, the decision...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (1 May 2025)

Norma Foley: The Programme for Government commits to reducing the cost of early learning and childcare to €200 per month per child. This will build on significant progress in affordability that has already been made through a number of existing Schemes. The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme, which provides two years of pre-school without charge, enjoys participation rates of...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Tax Reliefs (1 May 2025)

Norma Foley: Childminders who provide childminding services in their own home may claim Childcare Services Relief each year, provided that they do not receive more than €15,000 income per annum from the childminding activity. The position regarding tax relief available to parents who engage the services of childminders who are not currently registered with Tusla is a matter for the Minister for...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (1 May 2025)

Norma Foley: The Child Care (Amendment) Act 2024 was enacted in July 2024 and part commenced at the end of September 2024 with a focus on priority provisions mostly related to the regulation of childminding. One of the main purposes of this legislation is to provide enhanced enforcement powers to the Tusla Early Years Inspectorate and as such my Department is working closely with Tusla to determine an...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (1 May 2025)

Norma Foley: Pay is one of a number of issues impacting the early learning and care and school-age childcare workforce. As the State is not the employer of staff in the sector, neither I nor my Department can set wage levels or determine working conditions. There is however a formal mechanism established, in the independent Early Years Services Joint Labour Committee, where employer and employee...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Mother and Baby Homes (1 May 2025)

Norma Foley: The Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme provides payments and health benefits to people who spent time in any of the Mother and Baby or County Home Institutions that were identified by the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation as having a main function of providing sheltered and supervised ante and post-natal facilities to single mothers and their children. The...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Family Resource Centres (1 May 2025)

Norma Foley: I can inform the Deputy that my Department has not had any direct engagement with local stakeholders regarding the establishment of a Family Resource Centre in Dungarvan. Tusla, the Child and Family Agency is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the Family Resource Centre programme, and my Department has asked Tusla to advise as to any recent engagements it may have had. I will...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (1 May 2025)

Norma Foley: The Programme for Government commits to reducing the cost of early learning and childcare to €200 per month per child. This will build on significant progress in affordability that has already been made through a number of existing Schemes. The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme, which provides two years of pre-school without charge, enjoys participation rates of...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (30 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 151 and 152 together. Thank you for your questions, Deputy. A response will be provided directly to you in the coming days.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Qualifications (30 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: My Department is currently implementing Nurturing Skills, the workforce plan for the early learning and care and school age childcare sector. It aims to strengthen the ongoing process of professionalisation for those working in the sector and to raise the profile of careers in the sector. Aligned to the Programme for Government commitment to introduce an ‘Earn and Learn’...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Strategies (30 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that since approval of the National LGBTIQ+ Inclusion Strategy II 2024-2028 by the previous Government in October 2024, my officials have been working to finalise the first two-year Action Plan (2025-2026), to accompany the new Strategy. It is anticipated that the Strategy and Action Plan will be published shortly. As outlined in the 2025 Programme for...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Legislative Measures (30 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: The Programme for Government, ‘Securing Ireland’s Future’, contains a commitment to advance legislation to ban conversion practices. Given the complex and sensitive nature of the proposed legislation, my Department is carefully considering the key policy principles that will underpin the legislation to ensure that individuals are protected from harmful conversion...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Youth Services (30 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: The UBU Your Place Your Space scheme (UBU) is DCEDIY's largest youth funding scheme, targeting marginalised and disadvantaged young people, including young Travellers, aged between 10-24. The scheme currently provides funding to 250 targeted youth services across 16 Education and Training Boards (ETBs), with the ETBs co-ordinating delivery of funding to the services in their local area. ...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Family Resource Centres (30 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that in the coming days Tusla, the Child and Family Agency will announce the opening of the application process for groups/organisations that wish to join the Family Resource Centre Programme. Membership of the Programme will increase from 121 members to 126 members in 2025, in line with a Government commitment to expand the Programme. I very much welcome...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Residential Institutions (30 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: The Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes made significant findings in relation to the failings of the State and religious organisations who ran Mother and Baby and County Home Institutions. The Government believes that all relevant parties have a collective responsibility to respond to Ireland's legacy in relation to these institutions and this includes bodies of Catholic...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Early Childhood Care and Education (29 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: I thank the Deputy. I acknowledge many early learning and childcare services report recruitment and retention challenges. In general, these challenges are not caused by insufficient supply of qualified staff, but by high levels of turnover. The most recent annual early years sector profile survey shows staff turnover is at 24.5%. It is estimated that one third of staff leaving services...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Early Childhood Care and Education (29 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: The key issue that has been identified across the sector with retention of staff is the financial rewards they get to do the work they do. These are professionals who deserve to be paid at the rate they should be paid. It is for that reason there is a ring-fenced €45 million being made available. I accept the independence of the joint labour committee but I am saying €45...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services (29 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: To be fair, the Deputy has put it very eloquently and succinctly. Access to childcare and early learning opportunities is hugely important, and the Government recognises that. As regards our commitment, the present building blocks extension scheme money is required to be spent in this calendar year, and the Department does not currently have any further funding available for additional...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Children in Care (29 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: Just to be clear, over the ten-year period that was part of the Deputy's question, there have been 221 admissions to care, as he has said and I have confirmed, out of a total of 11,183, where sexual abuse has been reported. These were admissions to care, and out of a total of 11,183 such admissions, there were 221 admissions to care where sexual abuse was reported. Regarding the figure,...