Results 161-180 of 19,404 for speaker:Norma Foley

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

Norma Foley: Core Funding, which was introduced in 2022, operates alongside all other early learning and childcare programmes and constitutes additional income to services on top of these programmes, and parental fees. The scheme is designed to meet the combined objectives of:Improved affordability for parents through the introduction of fee management andcontractual requirements on providers to offer...

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

Norma Foley: Core Funding is a successful scheme with a high uptake rate among providers. Currently, 93% or more than 4,400, providers have signed up for Core Funding for year 3 of the scheme (September 2024-August 2025), which has an allocation of €331 million. Up to now, services availing of Core Funding have not been allowed to raise their fees above what was charged to parents on 30 September...

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

Norma Foley: First 5, the whole-of-Government strategy for babies, young children and their families, recognises that the workforce is at the heart of high-quality early learning and care. The roles of the early years educator and school-age childcare practitioner are valuable ones and they play an important part in supporting children's development, learning and care. It is acknowledged that pay is...

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

Norma Foley: I am open to engagement on the important issues of the Bessborough site and the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme. I would be grateful if this group would submit further details to my office so that the request can be given the fullest consideration.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Programmes (1 Apr 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...

Seanad: Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022 (Section 4(2)) (Scheme Termination Date) Order 2025: Motion (27 Mar 2025)

Norma Foley: I thank the Members of Seanad Éireann for making time today to discuss this motion concerning the order I propose to make to extend the termination date of the financial contribution scheme for hosts of temporary protection beneficiaries from Ukraine, known as the accommodation recognition payment, ARP, scheme. The extension of the scheme is only item for consideration today. The...

Seanad: Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022 (Section 4(2)) (Scheme Termination Date) Order 2025: Motion (27 Mar 2025)

Norma Foley: I should have taken the opportunity at the outset to congratulate all Senators on their election and to wish them well. I thank them all for their contributions and for taking the time to carefully consider the motion to extend the ARP scheme. As provided for under the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022, the draft order has been laid before both Houses of the Oireachtas. It...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (27 Mar 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: International Protection (27 Mar 2025)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 352 and 353 together. 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: Early Childhood Care and Education (27 Mar 2025)

Norma Foley: Core Funding is a grant to providers designed to support quality, sustainability, and enhanced public management, with associated conditions in relation to fee control and cost transparency, incorporating funding for administration and to support the employment of graduate staff. The introduction of Core Funding in 2022 brought a significant increase in investment for the sector, with...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Correspondence (27 Mar 2025)

Norma Foley: The correspondence history to which you referred to was reviewed by officials in my Department on foot of your question this week. This correspondence was a notification from Kildare County Council to the Oireachtas email address of the former Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. The notification was in relation to planning matters at a site being used to...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Cybersecurity Policy (27 Mar 2025)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 356 and 359 together. ICT services are provided to the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) by the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO). The provision of ICT security is part of that service. DCEDIY ICT Staff engage closely with the OGCIO on the issue of cyber security, who in turn engage with...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child and Family Agency (27 Mar 2025)

Norma Foley: Special care units are secure, residential facilities for children in care aged between 11 and 17 years. They are detained under a High Court care order for a short-term period of stabilisation when their behaviour poses a real and substantial risk of harm to their life, health, safety, development or welfare. In line with Article 37 of the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child, such...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Special Educational Needs (27 Mar 2025)

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

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (27 Mar 2025)

Norma Foley: Core Funding, which was introduced in 2022, operates alongside all other early learning and childcare programmes and constitutes additional income to services on top of these programmes, and parental fees. The scheme is designed to meet the combined objectives of:Improved affordability for parents through the introduction of fee management andcontractual requirements on providers to offer...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (27 Mar 2025)

Norma Foley: The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme provides free universal pre-school to children in the eligible age range. The programme is provided for three hours per day, five days per week over 38 weeks per year. The programme year runs from the end of August to the following June in line with the primary school year. The following table outlines: the uptake for the ECCE...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: National Development Plan (27 Mar 2025)

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

Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022 (Section 4(2)) (Scheme Termination Date) Order 2025: Motion (26 Mar 2025)

Norma Foley: If Deputies agree in principle with the scheme being in place, they should vote in favour of the motion.

Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022 (Section 4(2)) (Scheme Termination Date) Order 2025: Motion (26 Mar 2025)

Norma Foley: I appreciate the contributions of all Deputies. I thank them for taking the time to carefully consider this motion to extend the ARP scheme. It would be remiss of me, however, if I did not mention in particular the former Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, and acknowledge his sterling work in this area and in the provision of care for Ukrainians. I wish to put that on the record. As provided...

Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022 (Section 4(2)) (Scheme Termination Date) Order 2025: Motion (26 Mar 2025)

Norma Foley: I move: That Dáil Éireann approves the following Order in draft: Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022 (Section 4(2)) (Scheme Termination Date) Order 2025, a copy of which was laid in draft form before Dáil Éireann on the 6th March, 2025. I thank the Members of Dáil Éireann for making time today to discuss this motion concerning the order I...