907. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality for a list of early years and school age childcare services that have withdrawn from the core funding scheme; the number and percentage of services that have signed up to the scheme to date in 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62219/25]
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
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Showing questions asked by Robert O'Donoghue .
121 questions match, newest first.
1612. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department or Tusla, are aware of any legal challenges being brought before the Workplace Relations Commission by staff members in relation to the impact that the current restructuring of special care services will have on their roles; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60087/25]
1613. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of staff members in special care centres who have applied for transfers since the commencement of the restructuring process; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60088/25]
1614. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of staff members in special care centres who are currently engaged in the grievance procedure as a result of concerns regarding the impact of the restructuring process on their roles or conditions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60089/25]
1615. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of staff members across all grades that Tusla has managed to directly recruit since the launch of its recruitment campaign associated with the new structures of special care services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60090/25]
1616. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if Tusla has received feedback from a trade union (details supplied) in relation to its members’ views on the restructuring proposals for special care services; and if so, to outline the nature of this feedback; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60091/25]
1617. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether Tusla has increased special care bed capacity since the commencement of its restructuring plan; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60092/25]
1618. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if the “dedicated retention team,” referenced in previous correspondence, has met with special care employees regarding their concerns about the Tusla restructuring process; and if so, to provide details of when such meetings took place; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60093/25]
1619. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether Tusla, or her Department, has developed an organisational risk management plan in special care centres to address the potential loss of staff member, particularly at senior management, management and social care leader levels, arising from the restructuring; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60094/25]
1620. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether Tusla, or her Department, has a contingency plan in place to maintain or increase special care bed capacity, as outlined in recent budget commitments, in light of the risk of staff departures associated with the restructuring process; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60095/25]
1621. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality in relation to overseas recruitment costings previously cited at €337,650 for special care centre employees, if she will confirm the specific timeframe to which this cost applies, given that the overseas recruits commenced in the summer, and that this figure therefore appears to cover approximately four months rather than an annua…
144. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she is aware that an organisation (details supplied) has been in receipt of funding from the HSE since 2008, with the first allocation amounting to €32,068, and the same allocation of funding from the HSE has been ongoing for the past 17 years; the additional steps which are required to secure enhanced support for their vital wo…
765. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she is aware that only 15 of the 26 High Court-directed special care beds in the State are currently operational due to ongoing staffing shortages; the steps being taken to ensure full capacity is restored; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54701/25]
766. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the rationale for the proposed restructuring of Tusla’s special care services of a facility (details supplied); whether a full consultation with staff and their representative union took place; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54702/25]
767. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she has considered the impact of the proposed restructuring on the regulatory responsibilities of persons in charge; if HIQA has been consulted regarding the potential implications for the registration of special care centres (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54703/25]
768. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if an updated job specification has been issued for new and revised roles under the proposed restructuring of facilities (details supplied); if not, when these documents will be provided to staff; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54704/25]
769. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if an equality or risk assessment has been undertaken on the proposed restructuring of Tusla’s special care services, given widespread staff concerns that the changes could result in centre closures (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54705/25]
770. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will address concerns that the proposed amalgamation of the social care leader and social care worker grades into a single “special care worker” grade will erode the supervisory and support structures essential for safe service delivery in special care centres (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matte…
771. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to outline the outcome of Tusla’s recent overseas recruitment campaign for special care staff; the total cost of this initiative, including accommodation and relocation supports; whether it has delivered measurable improvements in staffing levels; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54707/25]
772. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will clarify whether Tusla’s previous “agency incentive scheme” was approved by her Department; the cost implications of this scheme; the safeguards now in place to prevent pay disparities between agency and directly employed staff (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54708/25]
773. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will provide details of any proposals submitted by Tusla to increase the “special care allowance” to improve recruitment and retention; whether her Department supports these measures; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54709/25]
774. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to outline the engagement that has taken place between her Department, Tusla, and a union (details supplied) to address ongoing staff retention issues in special care; if she will ensure that the restructuring plan is paused pending meaningful consultation with affected staff; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54710/…
775. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to explain the reason for the decision by her Department not to approve the proposed increase in the “special care allowance” for staff working in Tusla’s special care centres (details supplied); if she will reconsider this decision given the acute staffing crisis and associated High Court implications; and if she will make a state…
517. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she is aware of the difficulties in transitioning from paediatric disability services and adult disability services, particularly the lack of transition planning; if she has any plans to implement an automatic referral scheme for people transitioning from paediatric to adult disability services; if there are any plans to provide…
392. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will prioritise the provision of community based, not-for-profit early education and school age childcare services in public buildings, such as schools, over corporate, for-profit providers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52672/25]