I thank the Deputy. The Minister, Deputy Foley, has asked me to take the Deputy's Topical Issue on her behalf. She has asked me to thank Deputy Lawless for raising this important issue. It was lovely to hear the Deputy speak of Ros na Réaltóg Forest Preschool and explain exactly what it was about. It sounds like it has a lovely ethos, as well as a fantastic service.
As I am sure the Deputy is aware, the Department o…
TDs / Emer Higgins
Emer Higgins
Minister of State at the Department of Children, Disability and Equality
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
2
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
93,167
words spoken in the chamber
93,162 as a minister, 5 as a TD
399
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
From the Dáil chamber only: committee meetings are not in this archive.
What they ask about
The subject headings the Oireachtas filed their questions under.
No questions on record.
Who they ask
The departments their questions were addressed to.
Month by month
Low months are usually recesses, when the Dáil does not sit. The archive runs to 22 October 2026.
Questions asked 2 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 218 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| January 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 0 | 5 |
| March 2025 | 0 | 3 |
| April 2025 | 2 | 22 |
| May 2025 | 0 | 5 |
| June 2025 | 0 | 11 |
| July 2025 | 0 | 5 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 0 | 12 |
| October 2025 | 0 | 2 |
| November 2025 | 0 | 4 |
| December 2025 | 0 | 49 |
| January 2026 | 0 | 6 |
| February 2026 | 0 | 14 |
| March 2026 | 0 | 7 |
| April 2026 | 0 | 26 |
| May 2026 | 0 | 1 |
| June 2026 | 0 | 16 |
| July 2026 | 0 | 8 |
| August 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 0 | 16 |
| October 2026 | 0 | 6 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 156 contributions in the regular slots, such as Leaders' Questions and Priority Questions. Speech from the chair is not counted.
Asked about similar topics
Not enough questions on record to compare.
Party, constituency and offices
- constituency Dublin Mid-West 29 November 2024 to now
- party Fine Gael 29 November 2024 to now
- office Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform 29 January 2025 to 4 June 2025
- office Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation 5 June 2025 to 18 November 2025
- office Minister of State at the Department of Children, Disability and Equality 19 November 2025 to now
I can certainly put down the script that was provided by the Minister, Deputy Foley, but it is important that the Minister's response on this be put on the record of the Dáil and provided to the Deputy. I thought it would be helpful to provide that to him, but it is no problem if he does not want that.
Tusla and the childcare committee engaging is where the nub of this is. That needs to continue. The Deputy mentione…
I thank Deputy Doherty for raising this issue. I am taking this Topical Issue on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Norma Foley.
At the outset, I welcome the Deputy's welcome in regard to the community childcare facilities. I congratulate his constituents in Raphoe Community Playgroup. I hope this marks progress for them.
In relation to Ardara Community Childcare, I understand that this plays an important role in the c…
I thank the Deputy. He has been very specific in his ask. He asked that the State-led community childcare scheme be extended and that is the intention of Government. He has also asked that Ardara be considered in the next round. I cannot pre-empt what the decision may be on applications but what I can say is that those applications come from county and city childcare committees. The fact that Donegal county childcare…
I thank all the Deputies who contributed to this debate. I welcome the clear commitment expressed on all sides of the House to supporting mothers, babies and families. I particularly acknowledge Deputy Sherlock's advocacy, the work by Deputies Clarke and Barry Ward at the committee of which they are members, and Deputy O'Gorman's work in this area. I especially thank and welcome all the guests who are here for today'…
I welcome the opportunity to speak on budget 2027. Across my constituency of Dublin Mid-West, I hear about the pressures families face every day, whether it is heating their homes, filling their cars, paying for childcare or simply keeping on top of bills. People are working hard, they are raising their families and they are doing their best to get ahead. They rightly expect the Government to recognise those pressure…
Tá fáilte rompu.
As Minister of State with responsibility for disability, I am pleased to conclude this Second Stage debate on the Disability (Amendment) Bill 2026. I thank all Deputies for their contributions and their insights, which the Minister, Norma Foley, and I will reflect on as this legislation moves through the next Stage. I also want to take this opportunity to respond to some of the points that have been…
I move:
That the Bill be referred to the Select Committee on Disability Matters pursuant to Standing Orders 103(2)(b) and 188(1).
I thank the Deputy for his question. I know my office followed up with his office to fully understand where he is coming from on this. I understand he wants an update on the autism assessment and intervention pathways protocol as well as assessment of need, AON, waiting lists.
The autism assessment and intervention protocol is being implemented by the HSE and it will be the preferred assessment route for autism. It …
I thank the Deputy and all members of the Oireachtas committee who were involved in the joint Oireachtas committee, JOC, report on this. As the Deputy is aware, a Bill proposing targeted amendment of the Disability Act went before Cabinet yesterday. The disability (amendment) Bill 2026 will introduce changes to make the AON process more efficient, consistent, fair and transparent while maintaining a person's statutor…
Yes.
We will.
The autism protocol was launched before the summer. Since then, HSE staff have been trained up in it so the anticipation is that this will be formally rolled out next month. We are waiting for a full update from the HSE in that regard, but I know a lot of work has gone into the training since then and the launch has put this into focus in terms of the specific figure the Deputy is looking for. The HSE reports that at…
I thank Deputy Quaide. I am aware the HSE has commissioned a national disability services needs analysis and the publication of this report is a matter for the HSE. The focus on my Department to identify the scale of unmet need is the work that is currently under way on the disability capacity review, which will go to 2040. This is an update to the disability capacity review 2032, a review of disability, social care …
The information that I have is that the HSE commissioned the report to conduct the national disability service needs analysis in the spring of this year. The HSE stated that the report was intended as a baseline planning exercise rather than a definitive assessment of future disability services requirements. It was designed to identify trends, pressures and areas requiring further examination rather than to provide a…
The HSE has decided not to publish it. This is its report and it is not for me to publish it. I will provide the Deputy's feedback to the HSE and I ask that he do the same. It is important to note that the HSE report was baseline to help inform current need and capital planning. What my the Minister, Deputy Foley, I and the team in the Department are doing is working to provide a disability capacity review to 2040 th…
There has been significant increase in demand for assessment of need, AON, in recent years, reflecting both the increase in population and the number of families exploring all options to access services for their child. Unfortunately, demand has outpaced the capacity of the system to respond, resulting in long waiting lists for children to receive their assessment of need.
The Disability Act sets out grounds under w…
We absolutely do care. That is why this week, at Cabinet, the Minister, Norma Foley, and I brought forward legislation in this regard. To be clear, the HSE has not contested applications to the Circuit Court. The figure that was provided to me today in response to the Deputy's question is for the HSE's own legal fees, as I have said. They do not include the legal spend of parties who bring claims against the HSE that…
Children are waiting too long, absolutely, and it is not good enough. What has got us here is the increase in demand. That is due partly to changing demographics, and that is a good thing, but it is also due to more awareness within families and among parents exercising their right. Parents - I am sure the Deputy is the same - do not want to know the why; they want to know what we are doing. The only way to fix this …
The Department and the HSE are working intensively to address delays in the provision of assessments of need to children and their families. There has been significant increase in demand for assessment of need in recent years. Applications have risen from 4,700 in 2020 to over 13,000 in 2025. That reflects both the increase in population and the number of families exploring all options to access services for their ch…
The information I have provided the Deputy is the Cavan and Monaghan figures combined. It shows that 634 applications were overdue for completion at the end of June this year. That is the figure up to the end of June. Of these, 543 were overdue for more than three months. That is the data the HSE has provided to me. Applications received in quarter 1 and quarter 2 this year for Cavan and Monaghan combined are 123. Th…
With all due respect to my predecessors and the Minister's, while the Deputy may have heard what plans were coming down the tracks, what he is hearing from us is what plans are happening, what changes are happening and what reforms we are delivering. This week the Minister, Deputy Foley, and I brought to Cabinet legislation that will make it more efficient, more effective and will provide standardised guidelines for …
I join the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste, the Minister for justice and many other Ministers in offering a sincere apology to the survivors of Bill Kenneally's abuse. Today, above all else, my thoughts are with the victims and survivors. Many of them are with us in the Gallery today. Thank you for being here. I can only imagine the strength it must take to sit in this Chamber and to hear one of the darkest chapters of your …
I ask the Deputy to relay my condolences to his constituent at this very difficult time. As Minister of State with responsibility for disability, we are doing a huge amount of work to increase residential and indeed respite placements across the country. Just this week, the HSE announced funding for alternative respite to take place through the summer months.
The Deputy's particular query about carers is something t…
I thank Deputy O'Donoghue for raising this issue and offering me the opportunity to respond on behalf of the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, Deputy Norma Foley. The Department is conscious that the cost of early learning and childcare and organised summer activities can present financial challenges for families, particularly those on lower incomes. Through a range of measures, the Government seeks to …