Questions

327. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she is aware of the case of a person (details supplied); if she is aware of the complications surrounding the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015 in circumstances like this; if she will intervene in this case to help the individual involved; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50987/25]

563. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she plans to allocate funding in Budget 2026 for a team for north Dublin in line with the Programme for Government Commitment to complete the nationwide rollout of community neurorehabilitation teams; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50138/25]

1863. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality when she will publish the findings and recommendations of the Advisory Group on Administrative and Regulatory Simplification for the Early Years Sector, which met during 2023 and 2024; to outline the actions that have been or will be taken on foot of the group’s work to reduce the administrative burden on providers; and if she wil…

1920. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will reverse the new ECCE compliance requirement, introduced on 10 June 2025, obliging providers to store children’s PPSN details for one year considering the PPSN's are not required once a child is registered in The Hive, and the requirement increases the risk of unnecessary data breaches; and if she will make a statement …

2008. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to provide a list of early years and school age childcare services that have withdrawn from the core funding scheme; the number and percentage of services that have signed up to the scheme to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47083/25]

2451. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality given the Government’s commitment to expanding affordable and accessible early education and school age childcare, if she will outline the role her Department is playing in coordinating with the National Development Plan to ensure the delivery of public childcare facilities as part of strategic housing developments on publicly own…

2452. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will provide an update of any planned or ongoing review of core funding for the early childhood education and care sector; whether the review will address concerns regarding sustainability, staffing costs and capacity pressures; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43116/25]

134. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality in light of the ongoing delays in the provision of assessments of need and therapeutic supports, and the well-documented crisis in the disability sector, if he will consider establishing a dedicated purchase or reimbursement fund to support families who have been forced to pay privately for assessments and interventions due to prol…

135. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if he will outline the measures being taken to address the inconsistency and disruption in therapy services experienced by young people with disabilities when they turn 18 (details supplied); the plans in place to ensure continuity of care and a seamless transition between child and adult therapy services; and if she will make a st…

752. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if there are any plans to expand funding streams for activities for adults in nursing homes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37939/25]

957. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will provide details on the percentage of early years providers accessing the Government’s core funding scheme that pay an hourly educator rate of €15 or above; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23476/25]

1801. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will provide details of the average rates of pay for each grade or role within the early childhood education and care sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18791/25]

1932. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if she is aware of the growing frustration among a union (details supplied) and early years educators due to the lack of progress on the new employment regulation order; if she has engaged with the employer representatives on the Joint Labour Committee to stress the urgency of concluding this process; the actio…

1935. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the reason an eight-year-old child (details supplied) is still facing an 18-month wait for an initial speech and language assessment; the immediate steps that will be taken to address the excessive waiting times for children requiring essential developmental support; if the child will be given urgent access to …

175. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if she will outline the Government's plan to introduce a maximum fee of €200 for early childhood and education places; how her Department intends to manage this fee reduction; and what measures will be in place to support providers to implement this while maintaining quality and ensuring affordability for parent…

638. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the reason an eight-year-old child (details supplied) is facing an 18-month wait for an initial speech and language assessment; the immediate steps that will be taken to address the excessive waiting times for children requiring essential developmental support; if the child will be given urgent access to speech …

669. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the percentage level of staffing in each Children’s Disability Network Team (CDNT) in Fingal; the average wait time, in months, for a first appointment for a child referred to each CDNT at the current staffing level in Fingal; and the estimated average wait time, in months, for a first appointment for a child re…

1330. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth for an update on the continuation of the accommodation recognition payment (ARP) for Ukrainian refugees; whether the scheme is to continue; if not, what will happen to persons currently accommodated under the ARP, considering the payment is due to be discontinued on 31 March 2025, but may be renewed upon review…

613. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the measures her Department is taking to ensure that there are enough early childhood education and care and school age childcare spaces made available to parents of children in Fingal west given the rising demand caused by rapid population growth; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9330/25]

352. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of providers currently accessing the Core funding steam for early childhood and education services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8731/25]

893. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth for an update on the continuation of the accommodation recognition payment (ARP) for Ukrainian refugees (details supplied); whether the scheme is to continue; if not, what will happen to persons are currently accommodated under the ARP; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2956/25]