Parliamentary questions

530. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to provide an update on the payment of a building blocks improvement scheme 2023 grant for a creche (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13640/26]

531. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to provide the latest figures for the number of children currently awaiting an assessment of need, per RHA, in tabular form, at the end of January 2026. [13727/26]

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 Ch…

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…

534. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department maintains a centralised register or consolidated database of governance, safeguarding, compliance or regulatory concerns relating to private companies delivering care services funded in whole or in part by the State; if not, whether she will establish such a register in the interests of transpar…

535. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the total annual Exchequer funding paid to privately operated children’s residential centres in each year since 2020; and whether she has conducted or commissioned any risk assessment examining whether the scale of private provision presents governance, safeguarding, or systemic oversight risks [13748/26]

536. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children currently in State care who have been in care for more than two years, more than five years, and more than ten years; whether her Department sets any national policy targets, benchmarks, or key performance indicators in respect of time-to-permanency for children in care; and if she will make a s…

537. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department has issued any written guidance, circulars, or policy directions to Tusla concerning the maximum duration a child may remain in voluntary care under section 4 of the Child Care Act 1991; whether any statutory or administrative time thresholds apply requiring escalation or court review after a de…

538. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether any mandatory senior management review, independent permanency review, or Department-level reporting requirement is automatically triggered once a child exceeds a defined duration in State care, including two years or more; if so, the details of the relevant policy framework; and if not, whether she will intro…

539. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality what proportion of children currently in long-term foster care are subject to adoption orders, enhanced guardianship, special guardianship, or other permanent legal arrangements; whether her Department requires formal consideration of adoption or guardianship once a child exceeds a defined duration in care; and if she…

540. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department compiles or publishes data on the average and median duration of time spent in State care before permanency is secured; whether such data is reported to her on a periodic basis; and if she will outline the governance and oversight mechanisms through which time-to-permanency outcomes are monitore…

541. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department accepts that the Children First Act 2015 and Children First National Guidance do not provide an express statutory basis for early years services to share serious staff-conduct safeguarding information between employers where the conduct falls short of a criminal threshold, including for recruitm…

542. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department has conducted, commissioned or received any legal, policy, or regulatory review since 2020 on “lawful information-sharing” in the early years sector for safeguarding concerns relating to adults working with children, including analysis of data protection, employment law and fair procedures const…

543. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department has considered establishing a statutory safeguarding-disclosure scheme for early years services, including (a) a defined threshold for disclosure based on risk to children, (b) independent assessment prior to any adverse finding, (c) notice to the staff member, (d) an appeal mechanism, (e) time …

544. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality what guidance her Department has issued to early years services on the recording, retention, and sharing of staff-related safeguarding concerns that do not meet the mandated reporting threshold, including guidance on risk assessments, internal investigations, and reference requests; and if no such guidance has issued,…

545. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department has engaged with Tusla, the Data Protection Commission, and representative bodies for early learning and childcare providers on the practical barriers to safeguarding information-sharing about staff conduct across early years settings; and if she will provide the dates of engagement and the key …

546. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the amount of money being spent by Tusla each year on special emergency arrangements between 2023 to 2025; the total number of children in special emergency arrangements per year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13915/26]

547. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department plans to deliver a State-run childcare facility in the Tulla-Kilkishen area of County Clare, given it has a rapidly increasing population and a dearth of facilities at present; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13957/26]

548. Deputy George Lawlor asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of adults in County Wexford with an intellectual disability; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13964/26]

549. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to provide an update on the initiatives and legislative change under way to deal with the backlog in the assessment of needs (AON) list; the way these will impact on reducing the waiting lists for AONs and provide greater access to the necessary therapies; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13211/26]

550. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether she is formally notified, either directly or through structured reporting arrangements, of substantiated governance or safeguarding failures identified by Tusla in early years services that receive public funding; if so, to outline the reporting mechanism, frequency and thresholds for notification; and, if not…

551. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of occasions since 1 January 2020 on which substantiated governance or safeguarding failures in publicly funded early years services have been escalated to her Department at senior official level; the categories of concern involved; and whether any resulted in policy review, regulatory amendment, contractua…

552. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to set out the formal governance interface between her Department and Tusla in respect of oversight of early years services, including whether a structured compliance reporting template exists, whether trend analysis is conducted centrally, and whether aggregated safeguarding data informs policy development or funding…

245. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality her plans to develop a Traveller employment, enterprise and employment strategy with targets, accountability and protections for those who identify openly as members of the Travelling community; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13237/26]

246. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will urgently review the case of a person (details supplied) who has recently transitioned from children’s disability services upon reaching the age of 18 and is currently without access to respite supports; the steps being taken to ensure appropriate adult respite provision is identified in this case; and if s…