Questions

498. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality for an update on an application (details supplied) under the building blocks extension grant; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [66580/26]

499. Deputy Daniel Ennis asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the consultation that took place before the introduction of the revised AIM funding and payment arrangements, including the linking of AIM payments to national childcare scheme approvals; and the stakeholders that were consulted in this process. [66708/26]

500. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the approved staffing complement for each children’s disability network team; the number of sanctioned, filled and vacant whole-time equivalent posts in each team, broken down by discipline and grade; the number of children currently waiting for services in each team, by service type and time waiting; the average and median waiting t…

501. Deputy Paula Butterly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children currently attending children’s disability network teams in County Louth; the number awaiting access to occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, psychology and physiotherapy services respectively; the average waiting time for each service; the number of children with an assigned key worker; and if she w…

502. Deputy Paula Butterly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the role of occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, psychologists and physiotherapists working within Children's Disability Network Teams; the proportion of clinician time allocated to direct therapeutic intervention, assessment and administrative duties respectively; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6…

503. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to confirm that consideration will be given to increasing paid paternity benefit and leave to eight weeks; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [66623/26]

504. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality when the next round of funding under the building blocks capital programme will be announced. [66995/26]

505. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the staff vacancy rate for children’s disability network teams in CHO7 as of 31 August 2026, in tabular form. [67082/26]

506. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the potential to provide co-located state led early years provision at the location of a planned school (details supplied). [67188/26]

507. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality in respect of safeguarding referrals or notifications relating to people in disability services, the number recorded under each category of safeguarding concern used by the HSE, including physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological abuse, financial abuse, neglect, discriminatory abuse, institutional abuse, self-neglect and any other cate…

508. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the consideration that has been given to the impact of pay differentials between Section 38 and Section 39 disability service employees and equivalent HSE staff on the recruitment and retention of nursing and care staff; the measures are being taken to address any such recruitment barriers; and if she will make a statement on the matt…

509. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the specific measures being taken to support an organisation (details supplied) in recruiting and retaining appropriately qualified nursing, social care and support staff for a facility on Valentia Island, given the ongoing difficulties in filling staffing rosters; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [67164/26]

510. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will respond to concerns raised by the HSE that, even if additional funding for staffing at a location (details supplied) were approved, there can be no guarantee that sufficient nursing and care staff can be recruited and retained to safely meet assessed needs on an ongoing basis; the action she is taking to address this issue…

511. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality is there any update on the ratifying of the second optional protocol of the UNCRC. [67217/26]

512. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality If she will consider the salient points raised in correspondence (details supplied) regarding a Kildare based childcare provider who is considering exiting the service. [67032/26]

513. Deputy Ann Graves asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to consider increasing paid paternity leave from two to eight weeks, as Ireland currently lags far behind our European neighbours when it comes to supporting fathers in the early weeks of their child's life, with countries like Spain offering nineteen weeks, Finland offering over six months of shared leave, and Norway 15 weeks. [67008/26]

514. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the criteria used by the Government when deciding to establish a public inquiry into cases involving historical sexual abuse; whether this criteria is met in relation to an organisation (details supplied); and whether survivors of the organisation will be given the same opportunity for trust and accountability that has been afforded to v…

515. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Health the number of patients from County Mayo transferred from Mayo University Hospital to other hospitals due to bed capacity constraints in each of the past three years and to date in 2026; the hospitals to which patients were transferred; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [66335/26]

517. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Health the total number of people waiting for MRI scans, by county, by duration of wait, zero to three months, three to six months, six to 12 months, 12 months plus, by age that is 16 and under; 18 and under and 18 plus. [66300/26]

519. Deputy Joe Neville asked the Minister for Health if her Department will provide an update on the HSE EEPR review on Hip Dysplasia; and if she will provide a timeline on when it may be completed. [66340/26]

520. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Health the way in which oncology service provision at Naas General Hospital aligns with the objectives of the National Cancer Strategy 2017-2026 regarding integrated and patient-centred care delivered closer to home. [66352/26]

521. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Health the measures being taken to reduce recruitment delays at Naas General Hospital; and the average time taken from advertisement to appointment for nursing posts during the past three years. [66351/26]

522. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Health the measures being taken to reduce recruitment delays at Naas General Hospital; and the average time taken from advertisement to appointment for nursing posts during the past three years. [66350/26]

523. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Health if she will provide details of the current oncology nursing complement at Naas General Hospital; whether a dedicated oncology nurse coordinator post existed at the hospital; if that post has been discontinued, reconfigured or left vacant; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [66349/26]

524. Deputy George Lawlor asked the Minister for Health the number of children currently on the waiting list for speech and language therapy in CAMHS Wexford South, CAMHS Enniscorthy and North Wexford, in tabular form; and if she will make the statement on the matter. [66347/26]