There have been significant developments in entitlements for parents of working families in recent years. The combined durations of maternity, paternity and parent's leave and benefit now equate to 46 weeks of paid leave for a two-parent family, supplemented by an entitlement to 16 weeks of unpaid maternity leave and 26 weeks of unpaid parental leave per parent.
Under the Parent’s Leave and Benefit Act 2019, working…
TDs / Norma Foley
Norma Foley
Minister for Children, Disability and Equality
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
0
questions asked
Members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them
119,703
words spoken in the chamber
119,703 as a minister, 0 as a TD
413
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
From the Dáil chamber only: committee meetings are not in this archive.
Members of the Government answer parliamentary questions rather than ask them, so this page lists none of theirs.
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Low months are usually recesses, when the Dáil does not sit. The archive runs to 22 October 2026.
Contributions to debates 341 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
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|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 |
| January 2025 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 27 |
| March 2025 | 5 |
| April 2025 | 37 |
| May 2025 | 11 |
| June 2025 | 20 |
| July 2025 | 1 |
| August 2025 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 33 |
| October 2025 | 2 |
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| December 2025 | 26 |
| January 2026 | 1 |
| February 2026 | 31 |
| March 2026 | 2 |
| April 2026 | 31 |
| May 2026 | 0 |
| June 2026 | 35 |
| July 2026 | 1 |
| August 2026 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 27 |
| October 2026 | 11 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 296 contributions in the regular slots, such as Leaders' Questions and Priority Questions. Speech from the chair is not counted.
Party, constituency and offices
- constituency Kerry 29 November 2024 to now
- party Fianna Fáil 29 November 2024 to now
- office Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth 23 January 2025 to 1 May 2025
- office Minister for Children, Disability and Equality 2 May 2025 to now
Programme for Government - Securing Ireland's Future commits to examining the extension of parent's leave and benefit and additional flexibilities. The first action plan under the new national strategy for women and girls, published in August, includes measures to support working families in balancing work and family responsibilities, including extending parent's leave. The Department is taking forward work to implem…
While I appreciate what the Deputy has said about the nine weeks, it is important to reiterate that up to 46 weeks of paid leave is available to two-parent families. The programme for Government contains a commitment to examining the extension of parent's leave and benefit and other flexibilities, as does the national strategy for women and girls. My Department is in the very early stages of looking at that. There wi…
I thank the Deputy. I announced €135 million in capital investment in buildings for high-quality, accessible State-led early learning and childcare up to 2030. This is a ground-breaking initiative for Government and it began this year. Capital funding will be used to acquire and fit out the buildings, depending on requirements. The State-led initiative will provide thousands of places up to 2030, with the funding pro…
To be clear, proposals to the city or county childcare committees are not all from providers. They can be from anyone. Deputy Wall will appreciate that there has to be some form of a process and the first line of the process has been identified to be the local on-the-ground mechanism of the county and childcare committees. It is free to anybody to make a proposal. In the first instance, this year we are looking at pr…
I suggest, as I have already outlined, that the first line of contact is the local city and county childcare committees. That is the process. I would be surprised at this point if Deputy Wall has not engaged with them because I know he is very active on the ground and I imagine he has already engaged with them. If he has not, that is the first line of contact. Whatever proposal Deputy Wall has, it should go to them f…
The March 2025 pay funding agreement for workers in community and voluntary health and social care organisations, whom Deputy Cooney has referenced, represents a significant investment in the sector and provides certainty for workers and their employers on the application of future pay adjustments in the public sector. The agreement was negotiated between Government Departments and unions, with the involvement of rel…
I reiterate that the agreements reached in recent years, including the 9.25% increase and the 8% increase in 2023, are a 17.25% increase over a three-and-a-half year period. This is significant. As always, the Government's priority is to protect vital services for those who rely on them while ensuring sustainable employment for the dedicated workers who provide quality supports and services. The phased increases reco…
I reiterate that this is and has been recognised by all concerned, including the workers the Deputy referred to, as a landmark step by Government that ensures these workers will be automatically included for any general round increases in any future public sector pay agreements. That is very significant in the first instance. In the second instance, regarding the specific issues raised by the Deputy, an exercise is c…
I recognise the Deputy's sterling work in a personal capacity as Chair of the children and equality committee, her leadership in that respect and her personal commitment to the issues in relation to early years in childcare. The view shared by the committee that the Deputy chairs excellently, and across Government, is that we should improve access to quality and affordable early learning and childcare opportunities.
…
Just to be clear, significant work is under way to encourage more childminders into the registration process. A review is under way in terms of how that is working and what we could do differently in future, including what further supports we could provide or whatever the case might be. I am very pleased to have brought that review forward to give us a clearer line of sight of what we need to do to get more of the ch…
I reiterate that the process is an open one. It is open to anyone to get involved and to engage in the process. We would absolutely welcome existing childminders, including those who are registered and those who are not registered, all of them, coming forward to share their thoughts and views on what might be done to support it better going forward. I again reiterate that we hope in the coming weeks to make the annou…
Reply not given on the floor of the House
The Department of Children, Disability and Equality continues to engage with the HSE, to expand and develop residential services for people with disabilities. Engagement is also ongoing to improve the process for service users and families to access these residential services.
HSE Louth Meath disability services advises that it is fully committed to supporting the expansion…
I thank the Deputies for bringing forward this Private Members' motion.
My Government colleagues and I are acutely aware of the challenges raised in the motion. At the outset, I sincerely recognise the work of all those who continue to advocate for and support people with disabilities and their families.
On the formation of this Government, the Taoiseach and Tánaiste were clear that a singular priority was to be gi…
I move amendment No 1:
To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following:
"welcomes the significant prioritisation by the Government of measures designed to:
— reduce out-of-pocket costs of early learning and childcare for families;
— better align the supply of State-subsidised early learning and childcare with demand; and
— increase the pay and improve the working conditions of Early Years E…
A Leas-Cheann Comhairle, ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil leat as ucht an deis seo a thabhairt dom. I welcome the opportunity to speak to the House on Pride. It is a time of celebration, a time of reflection and a time of renewed commitment. Pride is not merely a festival; it is a living reminder of courage, resistance and the enduring pursuit of dignity for LGBTIQ+ people. It acts as a reminder of the work sti…
I wish Deputy Ennis well in his new position as spokesperson for his party on all matters to do with children. I acknowledge his predecessor, Deputy Farrelly, who gave 110% to his spokesmanship. I wish him well in his new appointment. I think he is in transport now, is he?
I wish him well regardless of where he has moved to. Anyway, I welcome Deputy Ennis.
In relation to the question he has asked, I have always been clear in communicating that the €200-per-month programme for Government commitment is to be achieved over the lifetime of this Government. Shaping the Future: Early Years Action Plan, Phase 1 Report, published last December, sets out measures to achieve key programme for G…
In the interests of clarity, we must be clear that after any election there is a negotiation with various parties to make up a Government. As part of that, a programme for Government is written down and committed to. Those are the plans which will be committed to over the lifetime of the Government. I was involved in the writing of the programme for Government. When that was being done, the commitment was clear. This…
I look forward to working with the Deputy at the committee. Just to be clear, 25% of families are already on the €50 per week or are paying less than that. I absolutely accept that there is much more work to do. In recent weeks, we have introduced the fee caps. The full cost for families availing of just less than 50 hours' service - this is the full day service that the vast majority of parents are availing of - is …
I appreciate the Deputy's interest in this matter. She has advocated very strongly in respect of it. I can confirm that €135 million is being made available between 2026 and 2030 for the State-led early learning and childcare capital programme to facilitate the provision high-quality and accessible early learning and childcare. The process begins this year, with investment in buildings in what is a groundbreaking ini…
I agree entirely in terms of what we are seeking to achieve in early years. It is equality of opportunity for children in the first instance. That is probably the most important element, but it is much more as well. It is also equality of opportunity for women in many respects in order to allow them, as the Deputy outlined, to go out and take up other opportunities should they choose to do so.
I want to comment on w…
I acknowledge the Deputy's advocacy on an ongoing basis. I get that from Deputy Martin Daly, from councillors and from everybody across the system. They are very well situated to advocate. I get it from my Fine Gael colleagues as well. We are very conscious of the fact that State-led is one element while Building Blocks is another. If we can pour more into both or, indeed, other initiatives, we are happy to do so.
I…
I have raised the matter with the Minister for Health. Indeed, I have forwarded the Deputy's question to her for her attention because it is a matter that is more directly within her remit. The Department of Children, Disability and Equality does not determine the use of buildings when it is not involved in funding them. The design of buildings and the designation of space within them, including for the purposes of e…
To be fair to the Minister for Health, this has just been brought to her attention. She is going to look into it, she has a copy of the Deputy's question and I have no doubt she will revert. We would have to examine whether this the norm in hospitals across the country. Only the Minister for Health can confirm that.
I have to say that the guidelines themselves actually refer to within "the vicinity". I am not saying…