547. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the projected number of children who will be waiting longer than six months for an assessment of need by the end of 2025; the steps she is taking to ensure compliance with the statutory timeline; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49838/25]
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 Ken O'Flynn .
711 questions match, newest first.
548. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the expected date by which the proposed private panel for autism and disability assessments will be operational; the criteria that will be applied in selecting providers; and the measures in place to ensure assessments meet the same standards as those carried out by the HSE. [49839/25]
549. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the additional funding allocated in 2025 to address the waiting list for assessments of need; if this funding is being provided from new resources or by reallocation from existing services; and the estimated number of additional assessments that will be delivered by the private panel in its first year of operation. [49840/25]
550. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the measures being put in place to ensure equitable access to autism and disability assessments under the private panel across all HSE regions, including rural and disadvantaged areas; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49841/25]
551. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the reporting requirements that will apply to providers under the new private panel for assessments; if she will publish quarterly data on the number of assessments completed, average waiting times, and regional breakdowns; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49842/25]
1023. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she accepts the Ombudsman for Children's finding that the National Review Panel is "not a powerful vehicle" and "disrespectful to families" in its handling of cases such as the disappearance of a child in Donabate now presumed dead; and if she will commit to establishing a fully independent statutory body with powers to investigate, …
1024. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will review the statutory basis, powers, and independence of the National Review Panel, in light of the Ombudsman for Children’s statement that it is “not a powerful vehicle” and “disrespectful to families”; and if she will consider reforms to allow the publication of reports in full. [47985/25]
1025. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of child welfare and protection cases closed by Tusla due to Covid-19 restrictions between 2020 and 2022; and if she will outline the methodology and timelines for the current “well-being checks” being carried out on those cases. [47986/25]
1026. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of cases reviewed by Tusla’s National Review Panel in each of the past five years; the average time taken to complete such reviews; and the percentage of recommendations implemented. [47987/25]
1027. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will consider establishing an independent statutory body, separate from Tusla, with authority to investigate and publish reports on serious child protection failures. [47988/25]
1028. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will consider commissioning an independent inquiry into the handling of the Donabate case, given the Ombudsman’s concerns about the adequacy of existing review mechanisms. [47992/25]
1054. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will bring forward legislation to establish a statutory independent review mechanism for cases involving the death or suspected death of a child known to Tusla; if she will provide, for each year since 2019, the number of closed social work cases subsequently reopened; and if she will provide the number of Section 12 emergency ca…
1055. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will set out the Department’s current procedures for data quality assurance of Tusla case management systems; if she will confirm the number of incidents since 2020 in which incorrect or missing data delayed an intervention; and if she will publish the audit schedule for Tusla’s National Child Care Information System for 2025. [4…
1058. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the date Tusla first became aware of fraud convictions regarding persons connected to a service provider (details supplied); whether this information was known prior to contract awards or payment from October 2018 to December 2023; if so, the dates and records of that knowledge; and if not, the reason therefor. [48143/25]
1059. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the payments by Tusla to a service provider (details supplied) from 2018 to 2023, by year, in tabular form; the date Tusla ceased all engagement; and whether a recovery process has been initiated to recoup public monies following the convictions, including the legal basis and quantum sought. [48144/25]
1060. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the full due-diligence checklist applied by Tusla before initial engagement with a service provider (details supplied) including criminal records, national vetting bureau vetting, beneficial ownership checks, CRO directorship checks, and reference verification for directors and key personnel, indicating which checks were completed, the …
1061. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to publish Tusla’s internal compliance reviews, audits and investigation reports into a service provider (details supplied); the dates of initiation and completion; and if she will place unredacted or appropriately redacted copies in the Oireachtas Library, stating any statutory ground relied upon for non-disclosure if refused. [48146/2…
1062. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children placed with a service provider (details supplied) from 2018 to 2023, by year; whether retrospective individual risk assessments were completed for each child once falsified vetting and references were identified; the dates completed; and the number of guardians and guardians ad litem formally notified. [48147/25]
1063. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if any Tusla officials responsible for approving, monitoring or paying a service provider (details supplied) faced disciplinary action, performance management or referral to a regulator; and the actions taken, dates, and outcomes. [48148/25]
1064. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if all special emergency arrangement providers have undergone a post-case audit since April 2023; the number audited and the number found non-compliant; the categories of non-compliance; and the sanctions or contract terminations applied. [48149/25]
1883. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to provide a weekly progress update and schedule of expected milestones for the forensic excavation of the Tuam mother and baby home site; and the psychological and communication supports that are being provided to affected families. [44819/25]
1892. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will provide an updated national breakdown of average monthly childcare costs, by county; her views on recent reports that these now exceed average mortgage repayments in many areas; if she considers this compatible with the Government’s stated objective of supporting working families; and if she will outline any plans for furthe…
1894. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will initiate an independent operational and financial review of Tusla in light of its reported €68 million budget overrun and a 30% year-on-year increase in demand for services; and if she will outline how her Department intends to ensure continuity of support for vulnerable children and families during this period of fiscal str…
1895. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if Budget 2026 will include targeted investment to reduce childcare costs, given recent reports showing that average childcare payments now exceed mortgage repayments in most urban areas; and the projected fiscal cost of implementing a universal childcare cap or subsidy model. [44937/25]
1897. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to confirm Tusla’s projected budget overrun for 2025; to provide a breakdown of the reported €67.8million overspend across core service categories, such as separated children seeking international protection, fostering, residential care, and legal representation; and to state whether she intends to appoint an independent external review…