Questions

1251. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his views on whether the Tusla Child and Family Agency has not being compliant with EU public procurement law and Irish public procurement guidelines with regard to money being spent by it on the purchase of services for children and for adults in need who are under their care; and if he will make a statement on the m…

1252. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will give a narrative statement showing whether all public service contracts providing care for children and separately adults with needs in Tusla’s care have been compliant with public procurement laws since 1 January 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1465/25]

1253. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the date, and number of, contracts awarded to provide care for children and adults with needs, respectively, for Tusla; the value of each contract; the identity of the persons the contracts were awarded to as if complying with EU law; if he will he take measures to insist that Tusla and its officials comply with the d…

1254. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of WTE clinical psychologist based in the children's disability network team based in north Kildare in 2023 and 2024, in tabular form. [1470/25]

1255. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth when payment will issue to a person (details supplied) who made an application under the mother and baby institutions payment scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1511/25]

1256. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the regulations that are in place for after school clubs for child to childcare worker ratio; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1523/25]

1257. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the lessons that have been learnt by his Department and Tusla from protected disclosure in relation to an organisation (details supplied) and the subsequent decision not to use the organisation anymore; and the measures that will be taken to avoid a similar situation arising in future. [1544/25]

1258. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will review the national childcare scheme (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1551/25]

1259. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will review the current rules regarding registered childminders, who use their own home, having the facility to use someone on their approved emergency contact list in case of a medical appointment, and so on; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1560/25]

1260. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if his Department and agencies under the aegis of his Department have policies on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) within the Department and those agencies; whether training has been provided to staff on the use of AI; if his Department has used AI, including large language models, in the preparation of legi…

1261. Deputy Natasha Newsome Drennan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the status of an appeal by a person (details supplied) for redress through the mother and baby institutions payment scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1593/25]

1262. Deputy Natasha Newsome Drennan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the status of an appeal by a person (details supplied) for redress through the mother and baby institutions payment scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1594/25]

1263. Deputy Natasha Newsome Drennan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of people in total still awaiting a decision on their application to the mother and baby home's institutions payment scheme; the number of people waiting for an appeal decision; the number of decisions pending; the number of people that have applied to the scheme since its inception; and if he …

1264. Deputy Natasha Newsome Drennan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the amount of money in total paid out to date on successful applications to the mother and baby institutions payment scheme; the reasons for declining applications; the length of time on average appeals are taking, including the longest appeal time to date, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement…

1265. Deputy Natasha Newsome Drennan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth whether he has had discussions with the survivor's advocate (details supplied) on the possible expansion of the mother and baby institutions payment scheme to other institutions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1597/25]

1266. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of foster parents and the number of children in foster care in the State in each of the years 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024, in tabular form. [1599/25]

1267. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of Tusla foster link workers employed in each of the years 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024; the average number of foster families and children assigned to each foster link worker; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1600/25]

1268. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the measures taken to address cybersecurity by section 38 and section 39 organisations funded by his Department; the types of funding provided by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1601/25]

1269. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if his attention has been drawn to a letter to the editor of a national newspaper regarding assessment of need applications (details supplied); if so, his views on same; if he will engage with the HSE in relation to this short timeframe for response; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1623/25]

1270. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth for an update on the intended launch of a capital fund for childcare providers [1644/25]

1271. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will reconsider the decision to move the women and children currently staying at a location (details supplied) to a new location; if not, whether he will outline the specific measures that will be put in place to ensure they obtain accommodation as close as possible to their current location; and if he will mak…

1272. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if an issue (details supplied) will be addressed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1647/25]

1273. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the reasons for the large gender pay gap in services and sales employment identified in the latest Eurostat structure of earnings survey; and the measures that will be taken to address same. [1650/25]

1274. Deputy Danny Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the funding or grants available for the establishment of an after-school programme for primary school children in county Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1653/25]

1275. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if the beneficiaries of temporary protection contract his Department has with a hotel (details supplied) will be extended to allow the Ukrainian residents to remain living there; if not, the steps his Department is taking to source accommodation in the locality for these persons; and if he will make a statement on th…