Questions

979. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if the core funding model for childcare is under review to reflect the number of childcare centres withdrawing from the model; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34685/26]

980. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the position regarding any mechanism in place that seeks to bring childcare facilities that have left the core funding model back into this scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34686/26]

981. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the position regarding any mechanism in place that seeks to bring childcare facilities that have never signed up to the core funding model into this scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34687/26]

982. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will provide a list of all capital projects, including early years, childcare and disability infrastructure projects, delivered under the remit of her Department, and bodies under its aegis, which have been completed on time and within budget in Cork North-West in each of the past five years, in tabular form; and if she will …

983. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to provide an update on increasing respite for parents of a person (details supplied) with a view securing a supported residential placement following a transition period. [34754/26]

984. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of single-occupancy residential placements for people with an intellectual disability, neurodevelopmental condition or acquired brain injury provided by the HSE, Section 38 organisations, Section 39 organisations and private for-profit companies in each of the years 2023, 2024 and 2025, broken down by provider type and health …

985. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the total cost per annum of single-occupancy residential placements for people with an intellectual disability, neurodevelopmental condition or acquired brain injury provided by the HSE, Section 38 organisations, Section 39 organisations and private for-profit companies in each of the years 2023, 2024 and 2025, broken down by provider ty…

986. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the procedures and inter agency protocols in place between Tusla, the Department of Education and Youth and school authorities in circumstances where allegations of abuse in a school setting (details supplied) have been assessed by Tusla as founded; the safeguards in place to ensure relevant child protection concerns are appropriately…

987. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to consider the purchase of a building in Kilcock, County Kildare (details supplied) under the new €135 million programme of State-led early learning and childcare services; if she will provide a schedule of sites that she has already purchased and/or leased under the scheme to date and if she will indicate whether lease or purchase o…

988. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to provide figures for the funding allocated to a person (details supplied) in 2025 and for 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34824/26]

989. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will provide an update on the development of child and youth impact assessments, including the pilot planned for her Department during the second half of 2025, a timeline for adoption across all Government departments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34833/26]

990. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether she considers it fair or reasonable that under the current Core Funding banding system, a childcare service falling marginally into a higher band (for example, by a matter of minutes) results in parents being charged significantly higher weekly fees, despite no additional childcare being provided; and if she will review the ban…

991. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will provide a direct response on whether she believes it is equitable that families can face substantial additional costs (in excess of €50 per week) due solely to an arbitrary banding cut off in contracted hours, rather than actual childcare provision; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34942/26]

992. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of childcare providers currently classified within each Core Funding band; the number of families impacted by band threshold differences; and whether her Department has conducted any assessment of the financial impact on families whose childcare hours fall just above a band cutoff. [34943/26]

993. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether any review has been undertaken of the Core Funding banding system to identify potential cliff-edge effects at band thresholds; and if she will consider introducing a tapered or pro-rata system to prevent significant cost increases arising from minimal differences in hours. [34944/26]

994. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department has examined cases where a difference of minutes in weekly childcare hours results in substantially higher fees (for example, approximately €59 per week), amounting to over €1,000 annually for families; and whether she considers this an unintended flaw in the scheme design. [34945/26]

995. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether she considers the outcome whereby parents are charged significantly more due to marginal differences in contracted childcare hours to be fair; and to outline any steps she will take to address such issues. [34946/26]

996. Deputy Joe Neville asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will provide a list of all capital projects, including early years, childcare and disability infrastructure projects, delivered under the remit of her Department, and bodies under its aegis, which have been completed on time and within budget in Kildare in each of the past five years, in tabular form; and if she will make a statem…

997. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her attention has been drawn to the lack of childcare services currently available in the Clifden area, County Galway; if she has considered the potential of establishing a community crèche in the Clifden area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35034/26]

998. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to examine the poll by child care providers (details supplied) and answer the concerns raised; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35058/26]

999. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the basis on which the current levy arising from public expenditure overruns is being calculated and applied to her Department’s Vote; whether any categories of expenditure, including pay, pensions or staffing-related costs, are exempt from the levy within her Department; and if she will provide a breakdown of the areas against which th…

1000. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality when Ireland will implement the European Union Disability Card Directive; the steps currently being taken by her Department towards its transposition; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35162/26]

1001. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if equine therapy facilities will be developed at the HSE’s Toghermore campus in Tuam, County Galway; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35205/26]

1002. Deputy John Clendennen asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the funding streams available to support the establishment of a new Family Resource Centre, including capital and operational supports; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35289/26]

1003. Deputy John Clendennen asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of referrals for family support services in County Offaly in each of the past five years; the current waiting times for such supports in the Midlands region; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35290/26]