Questions

460. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether any national policy guidance approved, noted or overseen by her Department requires Tusla to apply disability-informed assessment protocols, reasonable accommodation standards, or specialist procedural safeguards when child protection proceedings involve a parent with a diagnosed autism spectrum condition or intellectual disabili…

461. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether she has, at any time since 2013, issued a general policy direction under section 8 of the Child and Family Agency Act 2013 in relation to evidential standards, proportionality assessment, or quality assurance in emergency child removal cases; and whether she is considering issuing such a direction [15827/26]

462. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the total Exchequer expenditure in each of the years 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025 on placements purchased from privately operated children’s residential centres; the proportion this represented of total residential care expenditure in each year.; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15841/26]

463. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department maintains a formal risk register entry relating to reliance on privately operated children’s residential centres; if so, the risk categorisation and mitigation measures identified; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15842/26]

464. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether the Oversight Agreement or Performance Framework between her Department and Tusla requires the formal notification to the Department of governance, safeguarding or regulatory compliance concerns relating to privately operated children’s residential providers funded by the State; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15…

465. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department maintains or receives a consolidated annual report aggregating safeguarding, compliance, or regulatory concerns relating to privately operated children’s residential centres funded in whole or in part by the Exchequer; and if not, whether she intends to establish such a reporting mechanism in the interests of gover…

466. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the contractual governance, audit, and performance reporting requirements are imposed at Departmental policy level on Tusla in respect of its procurement and funding of privately operated residential care providers; and whether these requirements have been reviewed since 2020. [15845/26]

845. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department formally reviewed the 2023 University College Dublin report on sexual exploitation risks for children in residential and emergency care; the status of its recommendations (including how many were accepted, implemented or remain outstanding); the policy or regulatory changes which have been made in response; whether…

888. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department has prepared a formal implementation plan, action tracker, or recommendation matrix in response to the 2023 University College Dublin report entitled “Protecting Against Predators: A Scoping Study on the Sexual Exploitation of Children and Young People in Ireland”; if so, the date on which it was approved; whether …

889. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to provide a numbered breakdown of each recommendation contained in the 2023 University College Dublin report on sexual exploitation risks in residential and emergency care; to state, in respect of each recommendation, whether it has been accepted in full, accepted in principle, rejected, or remains under consideration; the implementatio…

890. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether a formal cross-departmental or inter-agency oversight group was established to coordinate the State response to the 2023 University College Dublin report; if so, the date of establishment, its chairing authority, the Departments and agencies represented, the number of meetings held to date, and whether minutes or progress reports…

891. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether compliance with any policy or procedural changes arising from the 2023 University College Dublin report is subject to formal monitoring or audit; whether such monitoring forms part of a centrally approved governance framework within her Department; and to outline the performance indicators or reporting mechanisms used to assess i…

892. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department or Tusla maintains a data architecture capable of linking duration of time spent in State care with post-18 outcomes including housing stability, educational attainment, employment status and engagement with aftercare services; whether such linkage is currently operational; and if not, whether the absence of such l…

893. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether a unique identifier or integrated administrative dataset exists that would permit longitudinal tracking of care leavers across Departments and agencies; if not, whether legislative or policy changes are under consideration to enable such integration; and the timeline for any such proposal. [14722/26]

894. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department intends to publish an annual outcomes dashboard for young people leaving State care, including cohort-based analysis by length of time spent in care; and if not, the reason such reporting is not currently provided. [14723/26]

497. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether the current statutory framework governing Garda vetting requires mandatory re-vetting at defined intervals for individuals working in regulated child-care or early years settings; if so, to specify the legislative provision underpinning such requirement; and if not, whether legislative amendment has been considered [13461/26]

517. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department receives, on an annual or periodic basis, aggregated statistical reports from Tusla on the number of emergency child removal applications made under Section 13 of the Child Care Act 1991; whether such reports include age breakdowns, including children under one year of age; and if she will make a statement on the m…

518. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether she requires Tusla, under any governance framework agreed with her Department, to report on the outcomes of emergency child removal proceedings, including rates of reunification, care orders, guardianship or adoption; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13614/26]

519. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department requires Tusla to conduct internal audit, quality assurance review, or evidential compliance review of emergency child removal applications; whether summary findings of such reviews are reported to her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13615/26]

520. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department has sought or received any data from Tusla in the past five years regarding emergency child removal applications in which material allegations were subsequently amended, withdrawn, or corrected during proceedings; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13616/26]

521. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether any national policy guidance, approved or noted by her Department, requires Tusla to apply additional procedural safeguards, specialist assessment protocols, or disability-informed practice standards when child protection proceedings involve a parent with a diagnosed autism spectrum condition or intellectual disability; and if sh…

522. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether she has issued, or is considering issuing, any general policy direction to Tusla under the Child and Family Agency Act 2013 in relation to evidential standards, proportionality thresholds, or quality assurance mechanisms in emergency child removal cases; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13618/26]

523. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether the Tusla Board is required to report to her Department on governance risks or systemic concerns arising from emergency child removal decisions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13619/26]

532. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether the figure of four governance or safeguarding concerns received since 2020, as referenced in correspondence to the Deputy, relates solely to concerns formally recorded by Tusla’s Alternative Care Inspection and Monitoring Service in respect of registered children’s residential centres under Part VIII of the Child Care Act 1991; a…

533. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department is formally notified when Tusla records governance or safeguarding concerns relating to privately operated residential centres; if so, the mechanism and timeframe for such notification; and what policy review, contractual oversight, or funding control measures are triggered at Departmental level following receipt o…