Results 1-20 of 19,958 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Care Services (2 Jul 2025)

Norma Foley: As this relates to operational information held by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, the question has been referred to the Agency for direct reply to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Childcare Services (2 Jul 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...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Childcare Services (2 Jul 2025)

Norma Foley: The fee caps I announced recently will only apply to Partner Services who sign up to Core Funding year 4. Programme year 4 begins in September, and any service signed up to Core Funding from September onwards will have to reduce their fees to meet the fee caps if they are currently charging higher fees. For information, my Department has a list of all Core Funding Partner Services which is...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Departmental Reviews (2 Jul 2025)

Norma Foley: The Implementation Plan 2023-25 under First 5 (the Whole-of-Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families) commits to the development of comprehensive regulations for school-age childcare services, with a milestone objective of drafting regulations by the end of 2025. The Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years Services) (Registration of School Age Services) Regulations 2018...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Childcare Services (2 Jul 2025)

Norma Foley: The Programme for Government commits for the first time to public provision of early learning and childcare through State-led facilities adding capacity in areas where unmet need exists. State ownership of facilities is a very substantial and significant development and offers the potential to influence the nature and volume of provision available and to ensure better alignment with...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Childcare Services (2 Jul 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, Disability and Equality: Departmental Strategies (2 Jul 2025)

Norma Foley: The Programme for Government, Securing Ireland's Future, commits my Department to publish and implement an updated National Strategy for Women and Girls. My Department is currently working to fulfil that commitment. A stakeholder consultation was completed at the end of 2024. This included a series of in-person consultations with representations from across civil society as well as an online...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Equality Issues (2 Jul 2025)

Norma Foley: The Government has taken a range of actions to reduce the gender pay gap which was 9.6% in 2022 according to the latest Structure of Earnings Survey. The Gender Pay Gap Information Act 2021 introduced the legislative basis for gender pay gap reporting in Ireland. The Act requires organisations to report on their hourly gender pay gap across a range of metrics. Employers must also publish a...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Detention Centres (2 Jul 2025)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 218 and 219 together. Oberstown is certified to ISO standard 45001 for Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems. This assures that the campus is operating to the highest health and safety standards. Compliance with this standard is reviewed annually and recertified every three years, most recent recertification was in January 2025. Any...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Detention Centres (2 Jul 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). Places can be used to accommodate both children on detention orders and children...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Rights of the Child (2 Jul 2025)

Norma Foley: The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) is an international human rights agreement which sets out the rights of children and young people under the age of 18. The articles of the UNCRC are wide-ranging and cover a number of areas including health, housing, social security, education, leisure and play, child protection and welfare, criminal justice, international...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Family Resource Centres (2 Jul 2025)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy may know, applications for FRC Programme membership were open from 1st May to 30th May 2025. Funding secured as part of Budget 2025 will allow for membership of the Programme to increase from 121 members to 126 members in 2025, in line with a Government commitment to expand the Programme. Tusla, as the body responsible for the day-to-day administration of the FRC Programme,...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Care Services (1 Jul 2025)

Norma Foley: As this relates to operational information held by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, the question has been referred to the Agency for direct reply to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Departmental Projects (1 Jul 2025)

Norma Foley: A final draft of the commissioned Report on a Systematic Review to Examine Definitions, Interventions, Indicators and Risk Factors of Institutional, Organisational and Organised Child Abuse, Including Trafficking and Exploitation of Children and Young People has been received in my Department for final consideration and observations. As the Deputy is aware, this literature review is part...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Swimming Pools (1 Jul 2025)

Norma Foley: As this relates to operational information held by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, the question has been referred to the Agency for direct reply to the Deputy.

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

Norma Foley: Improving access to quality and affordable Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare is a key priority of Government. I am grateful for the insights of the childcare needs analysis report and the work carried out by the Boyle Family Resource Centre in providing this report. My officials are considering its contents to understand the analysis and insights it provides. Demand...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Equality Issues (1 Jul 2025)

Norma Foley: In November 2024, Government approved the publication of the General Scheme of the Equality (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill, which includes a number of legislative provisions arising from the review of the Equality Acts. At the same time, approval was granted, in principle, for the introduction of a new equality ground of socioeconomic disadvantage in Ireland’s equality legislation,...

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

Norma Foley: Core Funding was introduced in September 2022. The Scheme is designed to improve affordability for parents through the introduction of fee management and contractual requirements on providers to offer the National Childcare Scheme and/or the ECCE programme. The Scheme aims to improve quality through better pay and conditions for the workforce by supporting agreement on Employment...

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

Norma Foley: Participation in Core Funding is optional but it remains open to all registered providers subject to their agreement to the terms and conditions of the funding. According to recent data provided by Pobal, in their role as scheme administrator, a total of 4,437 services contracted (as of 23 June), to Core Funding, to date, with applications still open. Please see table below, which gives...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Childcare Services (1 Jul 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. There is high participation rates among services, with 92% of providers participating in year 3 of the scheme. It is a matter for providers to decide whether they wish to sign up to...