Results 1,441-1,460 of 20,818 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (29 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: Tusla, the independent statutory regulator for early years services, including pre-school, childminding and school-age services, is responsible for maintaining the register of services under the Child Care Act 1991. The number of early years services registered with Tusla across the whole of Co. Dublin (including Dun Laoghaire Rathdown, Dublin City, Dublin South and Fingal) as at end of March...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Health Services Staff (29 Apr 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: Departmental Schemes (29 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: The Building Blocks Extension Grant Scheme is designed is to increase the number of full day places for 1–3-year-olds, pre-ECCE age range by existing Core Funding Partner Services. €25 million has been made available and it is anticipated to deliver a significant increase in places for this age cohort. The Building Blocks Extension Grant Scheme is offering the largest...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (29 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: My Department's Community Engagement Team (CET) was established in late 2023 to engage directly with elected representatives, local authorities, NGOs, Community Fora, local services, An Garda Síochána and other, in advance of opening accommodation centres for people seeking international protection. The purpose of the team is to improve the flow of information about new and...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Youth Services (29 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: I am not aware of plans to establish a youth Senator position, so cannot advise the Deputy on when one might be established. Nor can I comment on the content of the subject agenda for Dáil Committee meetings as decisions on agendas are matters for the Committees themselves. My Department has worked to increase engagement with young people in both houses of the Oireachtas. This...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (29 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: Since Core Funding was introduced, the effectiveness of the scheme in meeting these objectives has been subject to ongoing review and the scheme itself has evolved year on year. The introduction of Core Funding in 2022 brought a significant increase in investment for the sector, with €259 million of funding paid directly to services in year 1 of the scheme, of which €210.8...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (29 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: Thank you for your question, Deputy. A response will be provided directly to you in the coming days.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child Detention Centres (29 Apr 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). The table below shows the financial allocation to Oberstown for the years...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child Detention Centres (29 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: Oberstown Children Detention Campus is Ireland’s only national centre for the detention, care and education of young people under 18 years referred by the courts on detention or remand orders. Established under the Children Act 2001, Oberstown provides individualised care to young people through an integrated multi-professional approach that enables young people to address their...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (29 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: Ireland has seen a sharp increase in numbers of people applying for international protection over recent years. We provide accommodation for over 33,000 people today. Since 2021, when we provided 7,000 places, this demand-led system has had to grow by over 400%. In meeting our obligation to provide material reception conditions to people seeking international protection, the Department...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Ukraine War (29 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: According to the Department of Justice, the cumulative total number of persons granted temporary protection status on 1 January for the years 2023, 2024, and 2025 is outlined below. The number of Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) in DCEDIY state provided accommodation on 1 January for each of those years is also provided. The numbers are specific to those dates. Date...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Ukraine War (29 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: Since the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine in February 2022, my Department continues to work as part of the whole-of-Government response with a focus on providing access to emergency temporary accommodation to those fleeing the conflict who request it, in line with Government policy. This supports Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) to make longer term independent arrangements...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Mother and Baby Homes (29 Apr 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: Early Childhood Care and Education (29 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: Core Funding, which was introduced in 2022, is designed to improve affordability for parents through the introduction of fee management. It also supports the ability of providers to meet the additional costs resulting from the Employment Regulation Orders for Early Years Services, which came into effect in September 2022, as it provides increases in funding to early learning and...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (29 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: The Programme for Government outlines the commitment to ‘undertake a broad consultation and publish a detailed Action Plan to build an affordable, high-quality, accessible early childhood education and care system with State-led facilities adding capacity’. It goes on to state, ‘This plan will enhance parental choice through ongoing support for public, private and...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (29 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: As mentioned by the Deputy, the Programme for Government commits to reducing the cost of childcare to €200 per month per child and exploring options to cap childcare costs including costs for larger families. A number of existing Schemes would need to play a role to achieve these aims. The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme, which provides two years of pre-school...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child and Family Agency (29 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: In the timeframe available, it has not been possible to compile the information requested by the Deputy, My Department and I continue to assist Tusla in its work and I will forward the information to the Deputy as soon as it has been compiled.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (29 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: The level of pay for staff in the sector does not reflect the value of their work for children, families, society and the economy. As the State is not the employer of staff in the sector, neither I nor my Department can set their pay or determine working conditions. The Joint Labour Committee is the formal mechanism established by which employer and employee representatives can negotiate...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (29 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: As the State is not the employer of staff in early learning and childcare services, neither I nor my Department can set wage levels or determine working conditions. There is now a formal mechanism established in the independent Early Years Services Joint Labour Committee, where employer and employee representatives can negotiate terms and conditions of employment, including minimum pay...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Offices (10 Apr 2025)

Norma Foley: I am very conscious of the pain caused by the deaths of children who were resident in the former Mother and Baby institution in Bessborough. One of the most tragic aspects of what happened is the uncertainty regarding the burial place of many children who were resident there. The investigation of burial arrangements in Mother and Baby institutions, including Bessborough, was an important...