Results 181-200 of 1,016,648 for in 'Dáil debates' OR (speaker:Tom Kitt OR speaker:Paul Donnelly OR speaker:Jennifer Whitmore) in 'Committee meetings'

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Early Childhood Care and Education (30 Apr 2024)

Ruairi Ó Murchú: Could I get a bit more detail? I think we all welcome any moves as regards AIMS, and I really like the idea of targeted supports, but the problem is that we are all aware of desperate sets of circumstances. We all know that we need to see full wraparound family supports and full interventions. In an awful lot of cases we deal with issues where kids have been left in the most chaotic of...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services (30 Apr 2024)

David Stanton: Again, I congratulate the Minister on the work but it strikes me it is taking an awfully long time. It could be another two years, maybe longer, before we see this in place. I asked the Minister if he would establish an interim board in order that it would be up and running and ready to go, rather than establishing a board which would then have to spend more time getting to know the brief....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services (30 Apr 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy. I could speak at length about the various things we have done in the early years sector. When I became Minister, my priorities were cutting the cost of childcare for parents, ensuring childcare professionals are better paid and improving the sustainability of childcare providers. We have done a significant amount in all three of those areas, while recognising there are...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services (30 Apr 2024)

Pádraig O'Sullivan: Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire. Anois, tógaimid ceist Uimh. 88, arís in ainm an Teachta Bruton ach á thógáil ag an Teachta Stanton.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services (30 Apr 2024)

Childcare Services

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services (30 Apr 2024)

Richard Bruton: 88. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will provide an update on the unmet need for childcare places, the uptake of the new capital scheme which he has published and his future plans for the sector. [19053/24]

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services (30 Apr 2024)

David Stanton: This question relates to what the Minister just said and asks him to provide an update on the unmet need for childcare places, the uptake of the new capital scheme which he has published and his future plans for that sector. It has to do with housing estates being built around the country but no childcare places being provided in those estates. In some instances, parents are not able to go...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services (30 Apr 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy. Ensuring high-quality early learning and childcare is affordable and accessible is a policy priority. The range of data available to my Department indicates that supply of early learning and childcare is increasing but I also recognise there are parts of the country where there are real capacity challenges. The latest early years sector profile survey showed that,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services (30 Apr 2024)

David Stanton: I thank the Minister for his response and congratulate him on the work that is going on there. If I am correct, the current schemes only support expansions, not startups. If somebody wants to start from scratch and build a childcare facility, is there any support for that? Has the Minister asked the local childcare committees to conduct an assessment of local need? If not, will he do so...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services (30 Apr 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I raise very similar concerns to the issues raised by Deputy Stanton. In the case of the naíonra in Tramore, it applied for that previous loan. It needed significant capital investment to maintain what has been an outstanding service for the past 30 years. Similarly, we see the number of housing estates cropping up all across the city and in Tramore. We are already at capacity within...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services (30 Apr 2024)

Thomas Gould: I spoke to the Minister last week regarding the Before 5 childcare facility in Churchfield. It had a preschool, after-school care, a crèche and adult education. It had everything and was in a DEIS area in the heart of Churchfield and Gurranabraher. It has closed down but €364,000 will get it open. That would get hundreds of kids into childcare in our community but we cannot...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services (30 Apr 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputies very much. I have a lot to address in one minute. Deputies Ó Cathasaigh and Gould raised the issue of the Before 5 centre and indeed the Tánaiste has raised it with me as well. As I explained to the Deputies, right now our capital funding schemes are for expansions. The situation with the Before 5 centre is where we have an existing service that needs...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Disability Services (30 Apr 2024)

Anne Rabbitte: I thank the Deputy for giving me the opportunity to update the House on the four children’s disability network teams, CDNTs, in County Meath. Network 2, where the HSE is the lead agency, covers Kells, Oldcastle and north Meath, while network 6, also led by the HSE, covers Athboy, Dunboyne, Enfield, Summerhill and Trim. Enable Ireland is the lead agency for network 4, covering...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Disability Services (30 Apr 2024)

Darren O'Rourke: It is difficult capture all the details and I would appreciate getting the tables. I asked the same question a year ago. Similar to the picture across the State, there is a significant vacancy rate. Whatever about posts being allocated, 36% were vacant, which is more than one in three. CDNT2, which covers a large urban area, had 49% vacancy. I recognise that funding is provided for posts...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Disability Services (30 Apr 2024)

Anne Rabbitte: Every figure I read out relates to filled positions. They are 248 posts that were filled over the past four years. The staff in whole-time equivalents is at 70% in County Meath. CHO 8 covers many counties, but in the Deputy's county it covers those four teams. That is the up-to-date situation with filled positions as we speak. Let us be clear; there is still a vacancy rate of 30%. I am...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Disability Services (30 Apr 2024)

Darren O'Rourke: I thank the Minister of State and I look forward to getting those figures. It is the exact same paragraph as I had from last year on the significant recruitment challenges. Will the Minister of State speak to the issue of recruitment and retention? She may be checking figures. While I do not want to put her on the spot, they are a long way off what I have here. If she has clarification...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Disability Services (30 Apr 2024)

Anne Rabbitte: Let me be very clear. The wording here is "Notwithstanding those challenges, staffing numbers across the four CDNTs now sits at 70.3 whole-time equivalents". It is not a percentage but whole-time equivalents. Are we training enough staff? In the past 12 months, I have set up a workforce planning group that I chair. All the lead agencies are part of it, along with the Department of...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services (30 Apr 2024)

Childcare Services

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services (30 Apr 2024)

Richard Bruton: 87. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will outline the work carried out to date on the establishment of the childcare development agency; and if he will set out the milestones remaining to its full establishment. [19054/24]

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services (30 Apr 2024)

Pádraig O'Sullivan: We move on to Question No. 87 in the name of Deputy Bruton but being taken by Deputy Stanton.