Results 41-60 of 1,022,485 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:Ciarán Cuffe OR speaker:David Stanton OR speaker:Charlie McConalogue)
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services (30 Apr 2024)
Bríd Smith: 91. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to outline his plans to increase childcare places; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19265/24]
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services (30 Apr 2024)
Bríd Smith: What are the Minister's general plans for increasing childcare places? Will he make a statement on the matter?
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services (30 Apr 2024)
Roderic O'Gorman: I touched on the matter already in answering Deputy Stanton's question. My Department is progressing a range of actions to ensure the supply of early learning and childcare provision meets demand. Work in this area is being led by a new supply management unit I established earlier this year in my Department. A key part of the supply management unit’s remit is to develop a...
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services (30 Apr 2024)
Bríd Smith: It would be lovely to hear the exact figures for the number of places that the Minister plans to increase by. It sounds like he has a plan, but to me and to all childminding organisations, it is complex and cumbersome. The Minister will be aware that in the Dublin area, almost 60% of providers have reported that they have severe waiting lists for childcare places. After housing, it is...
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services (30 Apr 2024)
Roderic O'Gorman: When I started in this role, costs for parents, lack of pay for staff and sustainability for providers were the big challenges. We have managed to do a significant amount in those three areas. Now capacity is the big challenge and I recognise that. We have a plan. A dedicated unit in my Department is looking at the national situation and putting in place the various measures to support...
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services (30 Apr 2024)
Bríd Smith: I am aware of all the problems individual childcare centres have in increasing capacity and keeping going. I am also aware of how poorly paid and treated many childcare workers are, albeit that improvements are taking place. The last woman who contacted me about this prompted me to ask the question. She was stressed out of her mind about the fact that she could not get a place for her...
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services (30 Apr 2024)
Pádraig O'Sullivan: I support what has been said. The Minister said that 3% growth is envisaged. Is that for this year and going forward annually or does he envisage it will grow at a greater pace? Will the Minister provide in tabular form later the number of childcare services that have been established, especially in my constituency? I would appreciate it. To allow me to compare, will he include the...
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services (30 Apr 2024)
Roderic O'Gorman: First, to Deputy Smith, there is a real sense of urgency on the issue of capacity. It is now the big challenge. The big challenge has moved from affordability because we and I, as Minister, acted over a number of budgets to deal with that issue and we have made significant progress. We have a plan. We have capital funding and engagement with other Departments on removing the mechanisms....
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services (30 Apr 2024)
Childcare Services
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services (30 Apr 2024)
Bríd Smith: 92. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will establish a publicly owned childcare service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19266/24]
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services (30 Apr 2024)
Bríd Smith: I hope this will expand on the conversation we have just had. Will the Minister and his Department establish a national, publicly-run, funded and owned childcare service?
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services (30 Apr 2024)
Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy. Reform of the early learning and childcare sector is included in the programme for Government, bringing together the best of community and private provision and the development of a new funding model to ensure an affordable, accessible, sustainable and high-quality sector. 9 o’clock To address pressures on parents, providers and professionals, I have always...
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Early Childhood Care and Education (30 Apr 2024)
Roderic O'Gorman: One statistic that always strikes me is that Traveller children are 10% less likely to take up the free two-year ECCE scheme than children from the settled community. Those kids on day one of junior infants are immediately at an educational disadvantage and they are trying to catch up from day one. We are targeting those early years, but that also includes school-age childcare. It is to...
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Parental Leave (30 Apr 2024)
Parental Leave
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Parental Leave (30 Apr 2024)
Cathal Crowe: 90. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the measures he has taken since the Government came to office to ensure family leave entitlements have been expanded, to ensure new parents have been supported and to build new entitlements to work-life balance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19136/24]
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Parental Leave (30 Apr 2024)
Brian Leddin: 114. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if there is a plan to expand to all employees the entitlements to flexible working and remote working contained in the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19218/24]
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Parental Leave (30 Apr 2024)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I am also asking this question on behalf of Deputy Leddin. There has been huge progress in the amount of family leave that is available and things like work-life balance, in particular working from home. I think of the difference between when I had my first young fella versus my third. I had three days leave for the first. By the time it rolled around to the third fella, it was two weeks'...
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Parental Leave (30 Apr 2024)
Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 90 and 114 together. There have been significant developments in the entitlements to different forms of family leave for working families in recent years. The Government committed in the programme for Government 2020 to supporting parents, including by extending paid leave to allow them to spend more time with their children during their earliest years....
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Parental Leave (30 Apr 2024)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh: There is a lot there that I welcome, but what the Minister has said on deferred leave is important. The Irish Cancer Society has been in touch with me and several other Members of the House to get that point across. That is something we would certainly like to see. The domestic violence leave is a superb piece of work and I congratulate the Minister on it. Neither the Minister not I are...
- Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Parental Leave (30 Apr 2024)
Roderic O'Gorman: As the Deputy says, the Leave Our Leave campaign from the Irish Cancer Society is concerned with where a woman experiences cancer or a serious illness during her maternity leave and loses the leave while she is recovering. That is something I want to legislate for and I am looking to bring forward proposals on that. The point on the take-up of paternity leave and parents' leave is...