To be fair, there would have been no point in doing a review in the first year. It is important that we have the benefit of the experience of those who registered and went through the process. It is a three-year process. It is appropriate that at a midway point, before September 2027 and during 2026, the review will take place. There is no point in doing it without having the experience on the ground to inform it. As…
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.
Month by month
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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| Month | Contributions |
|---|---|
| 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 |
| November 2025 | 40 |
| 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
The Deputy should have no fears. I hear and see exactly what is going on. To be clear, this is a three-year process. It would be entirely inappropriate for any type of review to take place in the first year.
It would not allow the system to get itself up and running. It would not allow us to learn and gain from the benefit of the experience of those who go through the process. It is appropriate that it would take place in the second year. I have committed to that. I have articulated it clearly. It will take place in 2026. We will have the benefit of the first year of those who have gone through the process. We will have …
I thank the Deputy for raising this matter, which is of the deepest concern to everybody, both in the Government and across the House. All of us have been greatly saddened by recent cases that have been highlighted. On the questions that the Deputy raised, Tusla has completed its work on the well-being check. This will be overseen by a steering group, which will be entirely independent of Tusla. The purpose of the we…
The Deputy asked about my engagement with this. I have met with the chair of the independent steering group. It is important to say that this is independent of Tusla. It is important that the steering group be independent of Tusla. I have met with the chair and will do so again in advance of the commencement of phase 2 of the project. I have secured additional funding in the Estimates for next year to assist with the…
I absolutely do not in any way question Deputy Farrelly's sincerity. Equally, I have to say this is not "a knee-jerk reaction". This is an important body of work. There is concern around cases that would have closed during the Covid-19 pandemic, notwithstanding that it can be such a positive when a case is closed by Tusla. It can be a really positive outcome. I am very conscious that many cases are reopened again and…
In 2026, current expenditure for early learning and childcare will rise to €1.48 billion, representing a year-on-year increase of 9% or €125 million. This additional funding will deliver real and meaningful change to the lives of thousands of children and their families in 2026 as well as to early years educators, school-age childcare practitioners and providers. Some 105,250 children will be supported to access free…
I thank the Deputy. In terms of capital expenditure, for the early learning and childcare sector that will comprise €36 million in 2026, thereby allowing the Government to accelerate its work to ensure the supply of early learning and childcare meets demand. The year 2026 will see for the first time the acquisition of buildings to provide the infrastructure for State-led early learning and child care delivery, someth…
I thank the Deputy. On areas for the State-led public model, there is a forward planning unit in the Department, which is positive. It is specifically examining areas where there is demand but no service provision. I acknowledge that the Deputy has consistently raised issues in her area and the technicalities around the building blocks scheme, in particular for the cohort in Boyle. I am committed to a building blocks…
I thank the Deputy. As she may be aware, the family resource centre programme is expanding from 121 to 126 members this year. Funding for the expansion was secured by the Department in budget 2025 and I want to acknowledge in the Chamber the former Minister, Deputy Roderic O'Gorman, in that respect.
Regarding the expansion of the family resource centre programme, a comprehensive national application and assessment p…
I thank the Deputy. I know first-hand from the Deputy the benefits of Trim Family Resource Centre and the great work it does. She has spoken to me frequently about that. With the resources they have, more and more is being asked of family resource centres and they are constantly stepping up to the mark to deliver. The Deputy outlined the great variety and breadth of work that is being provided by Trim Family Resource…
As I said, it is a strong commitment from Government that we will increase the number of family resource centres. I am conscious of the need to improve the core funding that goes to the centres. I am very pleased that, in budget 2026, I am in a position to have secured funding that will ensure there will be an additional ten family resource centres. I am also in a position to say that I secured funding that will incr…
I thank the Deputy for raising these matters. As we said previously, they are matters that are of enormous concern to all of us in this House and, indeed, right across government and I would say right across society. I want to say sincerely that I am deeply saddened by the very tragic cases that have come to light, and I extend my own sympathy and thoughts and those of the Government to the families and loved ones of…
I appreciate all the points the Deputy raised. I do want to say that it is not just the setting up of the check and putting in place the independent steering group and all that. Engagement has also taken place with other Government Departments to explore opportunities for appropriate data sharing to establish where the children encompassed by this review are currently or recently known to the relevant State services …
I recognise that it is a whole-of-house determination to do right here and, where we can improve things and make things better, that we would absolutely do that. The first step for us, of course, is the well-being check in terms of specifically having eyes on children where cases were closed during Covid. I will be led by the steering group on the timeline for that. I will respect its independence in terms of that, b…
Again, that is a matter for the national review panel. Prior to anything being published, it will have to be with the permission of the Attorney General. It would have to go through all of that, so as soon as all the Attorney General's work is completed.
The Government is committed to ensuring access to affordable, quality early learning and care and school-age childcare, with an investment of €1.48 billion in the 2026 budget. This funding will allow the Department to build on recent progress in the gradual reduction of fees for parents while also supporting supply and the quality of provision. Budget 2026 enables core funding to continue to support fee control measu…
I concede that there are those that have left but, in the round, nationally, we have the highest level of providers choosing to be part of the core funding model, at almost 93%. We have never had it as high, notwithstanding, and I understand the challenges in the Deputy's area, that in certain areas people have chosen to opt out.
In terms of supports being provided in core funding, there has been an unprecedented in…
As the Deputy articulated, this is a commitment across the lifetime of Government in terms of the delivery of the €200 cost. We have maintained the fee freeze at 2021 levels. Those paying who were paying the highest costs at €295 are now paying less than €200 when the subsidies are included. There is more work to be done in that space. It will be over the lifetime of the Government that we will reach the target of th…
The 2001 planning guidelines for local authorities on early learning and childcare settings were issued under section 28 of the Planning and Development Act 2000. The guidelines are intended to ensure a consistent approach to the treatment of planning applications in respect to the land use planning aspects of early learning and childcare provision. The 2001 guidelines have contributed to the creation of supply in re…
I appreciate how infuriating it is and I could identify them myself in various areas, where these specific buildings, which were committed to be early learning and childcare facilities have either had a price placed on them that is far beyond what anybody could pay or the design of the building, on occasion, sometimes is not even appropriate. It is there in name as an early learning and childcare facility but in real…
I do not disagree with the Deputies. I am conscious this is a logjam and a challenge that should not be there in the first instance. I have always been of the view that where you have housing, you need to have early learning and childcare facilities. You need to have schools. You need to have, as the Deputy said, community developed around it. There are too many stumbling blocks and it has been made far too easy for …
Improving access to quality and affordable early learning and childcare is a key priority of the Government. Overall, early learning and childcare capacity is increasing. Data from the annual early years sector profile in 2024 shows the estimated number of enrolments has increased by 19% in the previous two years. However, it appears that demand for early learning and childcare remains higher than available supply in…
To be quite honest with the Deputy, I am not sure where the two years is coming out of. I am speaking on the programme for Government for this Government. The Deputy is aware it was this Government that put into the programme for Government the commitment to deliver State-led facilities - not the last Government, this one. As this Government has been in place for less than nine months, I am at a loss to understand he…
Let us be clear: when it was first conceived, the forward planning unit had absolutely nothing to do with the State-led model. The State-led model is an innovation of this Government, which is in place less than nine months. The Deputy is conflating two things that have nothing to do with each other. Let us have absolute clarity about that in terms of the timeline the Deputy is talking about. The Government is commit…