Questions

499. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the plans in place to improve the availability of Irish-medium training programs and qualifications for staff in Irish-language early childhood services, including the reinstatement of discontinued QQI modules and the development of Level 8 qualifications with parity to primary teachers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1…

500. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the details of additional funding and investment proposed for Irish-language preschools, including increases to annual grants, capital funding for buildings, and support for operational sustainability in rural and island areas; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13813/26]

501. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the actions being taken to upgrade infrastructure and facilities in Irish-language early childhood services to address limitations leading to waiting lists, including support for co-location with schools or community buildings; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13814/26]

502. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the measures her Department will implement to meet the growing demand for Irish-language preschools, particularly in Gaeltacht areas with long waiting lists; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13815/26]

503. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the proposals to improve pay rates and employment conditions for staff in Irish-language early childhood services, including the introduction of fixed salaries, language premiums, permanent contracts, and benefits such as maternity top-ups; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13816/26]

504. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the steps being taken to ensure the expansion and sustainability of Irish-language early childhood services outside Gaeltacht areas, including in areas such as County Offaly; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13817/26]

505. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the initiatives to enhance integration between Irish-language early childhood services and the broader education system, including collaborations with primary schools via programs like Mo Scéal and support for children with additional needs through schemes like AIM or Better Start; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13818/2…

506. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the details of strategic planning and future goals for Irish-language early childhood education, key performance indicators for growth, and efforts to preserve the Irish language through these services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13819/26]

913. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the progress she has made on implementing recommendations for disability support services; the specific improvements she has targeted for community-based facilities in County Offaly; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9186/26]

1505. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to outline the work carried out to date on the Government's commitment to "advance legislation to ban conversion therapy practices"; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58369/25]

1526. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality for an update on the working group established to look at institutional and organisational abuse, including its examination of the UCD SERP report; if any recommendations have been made by the group; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58884/25]

1590. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the reasons the company name of contractors who in 2024 were in receipt of approximately €1.5 million in payments for Special Emergency Accommodation has been redacted; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [59542/25]

687. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will address concerns raised by a person regarding the conduct of the Child and Family Agency (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56749/25]

718. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the details of all reports, including consultancy reports commissioned by her Department from 1 January 2024 to date in 2025, that could be categorised as not for external publication or marked for internal use only; the cost of each report; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57284/25]

314. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to address concerns in relation to the need for parental leave entitlements to be extended in the case of multiple births in the same pregnancy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56395/25]

326. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the total number of times the Child and Family Agency have applied to the courts for orders to remove children where it has been deemed by the agency that there is a serious risk to their health or welfare that cannot be managed within the family setting; the total number of times such orders have been granted; the total number rejected …

541. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the supports she is providing for family resource centres; if she will commit to delivering requests from the Family Resource Centre Forum which is calling for Budget 2026 to include €240,000 core funding for each of the 121 family resource centres, joint TUSLA-HSE investment in counselling services, dedicated capital funding for infrast…

773. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will support in Budget 2026 the raising of disability allowance, domiciliary care allowance, and carer’s allowance by at least €50 per week and introduce a permanent cost of disability payment; fund key priorities in the action plan for disability services 2024 to 2026, with a focus on personal assistance, independent living, and …

1097. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will assist a person with a genetic disorder to access sessions of physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48631/25]

1103. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to provide a list of all statutory instruments signed by her in 2024 and to date in 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48670/25]

629. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 1205 and 1206 of 22 January 2025, the status of the jointly commissioned literature review; if the research company has submitted its report for consideration as anticipated (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35250/25]

1158. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will provide an outline of engagements in her Ministerial diary and that of any Minister of State at her Department for the period 1 March 2025 to the week ending 28 March 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29156/25]

1195. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will assist in an urgent case involving an assessment of needs for a pre-school child (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29967/25]

524. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if the six month eligibility criteria under the mother-and-baby-home redress scheme will be reviewed; her views on excluding persons who may have been resident for a period five days short of the six month stay requirement is acceptable; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28480/25]

548. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if there are any proposals to review or potentially eliminate the six month residency timeframe with respect to persons seeking to access the mother and baby institutions payment scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27175/25]