225. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department has assessed the level of awareness and understanding among parents regarding which childcare providers are participating in the core funding scheme, given the confusion reported by some families about fee structures and eligibility; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40191/25]
Parliamentary questions
Questions
TDs ask ministers questions to get answers on the record, most of them in writing. Here is every one asked in the 34th Dáil, by the department it went to and the subject heading it was filed under. How questions work
Browse the questions
Showing questions asked by Barry Heneghan .
181 questions match, newest first.
136. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 208 of 2 July 2025, if she is aware of concerns from childcare providers about how complex and difficult the Core Funding Scheme can be to use; if she will review the scheme to make it more workable and accessible for providers of all sizes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38038/2…
137. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 208 of 2 July 2025, if the upcoming review of the National Childcare Subsidy will look at how the scheme works for families using part-time or flexible childcare; if she will address concerns that the current setup may penalise parents who want to spend more time with their children; and if she wi…
138. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 208 of 2 July 2025, if she will consider short-term supports for working parents of children under one year old, given the current shortage of childcare places for infants; if she will look at options such as extended paid maternity leave or extended parental leave; and if she will make a statemen…
208. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the immediate and long-term measures being taken to address the severe shortage of childcare places; how the Government is planning to reform the national childcare scheme to better support working families and promote flexible working arrangements; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36311/25]
637. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will provide an update on her Department’s consideration of including socioeconomic background as a ground for discrimination under the Equality Acts; if she will outline the policy basis informing this review and the expected timeline for any proposed changes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35384/25]
130. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will outline the role of her Department in monitoring and supporting the implementation of the national disability strategy across Government; and how progress is being tracked to ensure real outcomes for people with disabilities. [30320/25]
713. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of WTE clinical nurse specialist based at Coolock children's disability network team in 2024 and to-date in 2025, in tabular form. [32337/25]
725. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the measures being taken to deal with the significant increase in the number of children living in poverty, as outlined in the findings of the Child Poverty Monitor Report; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32552/25]
726. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if the forthcoming national disability strategy will include specific actions and measurable targets to address the extra living costs faced by disabled individuals, as identified in the Cost of Disability in Ireland report; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32553/25]
498. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if the State intends to ratify the Second Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (Details Supplied) before the summer recess or before the end of 2025, given that Ireland remains one of only 20 countries worldwide yet to ratify the protocol; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28563/25]
354. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the measures being taken to promote greater flexibility in crèche drop-off policies, in view of concerns that rigid enforcement of arrival times, such as refusing entry for minor delays despite prior communication places undue pressure on working parents and fails to accommodate the realities of family life; and if she will make a sta…
334. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the percentage of staff in her Department working from home for at least two days per week, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26548/25]
762. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality how the higher effective poverty rates among people with disabilities are being incorporated into national disability inclusion strategies; and whether she will initiate a cross-departmental task force to address the cost for people living with a disability. [25629/25]
763. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department has assessed Ireland's obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in light of the economic disadvantage experienced by disabled people; and whether she plans measures to improve compliance. [25630/25]
764. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality what steps are being taken to formally recognise the cost of disability in Government policy; and whether she will lead on developing a published Government action plan listing reforms to address extra living costs for disabled individuals. [25631/25]
765. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will commission or support ongoing research and data collection on disability and poverty; and whether she will ensure that such evidence informs policy by reporting regularly to the Oireachtas on indicators like the disability poverty gap. [25632/25]
162. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if he will take steps to ensure the EU missing children hotline number (116000) is displayed prominently and widely across key public locations (details supplied) given the recent report by Missing Children Europe which highlights the public’s lack of awareness of this critical service; the annual funding provided by the State to supp…
338. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth when meaningful progress will be made on the childcare cost commitments made by all major parties during the 2024 general election, particularly regarding the promised reduction to a cap of €50 per week; and the specific steps being taken to honour these commitments and provide relief to families facing high childc…
153. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if she will provide an update on the provision of respite services for children with disabilities in the Dublin Bay North constituency; the number of families availing of respite; and whether any increase in respite capacity is planned for 2025. [20994/25]
1837. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if her Department will examine issues related to the lack of flexibility in the national childcare scheme, particularly in cases where parents such as teachers are charged additional fees for childcare services they do not use or require; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19319/25]
1879. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if she will provide a breakdown, by Department or office, of the percentage of employees who have disclosed a disability for the past ten years, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20205/25]
1950. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the actions that will be taken to address the lack of access to a community neurorehabilitation team for people living with neurological conditions in Dublin; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10188/25]
792. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if she will commit funding in Budget 2026 to establish a community neurorehabilitation team for the north Dublin area (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17642/25]
264. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth her plans to deal the lack of childcare spaces in Dublin Bay north; to provide the number of childcare facilities in Dublin Bay north; the projected need for childcare spaces from 2025 to 2030; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16264/25]