Parliamentary questions

524. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department has issued any guidance, circulars, or policy instructions to Tusla concerning the monitoring or reporting of escalation activity for high-priority child protection cases; whether compliance with such guidance is reviewed at Departmental level; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11…

525. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department tracks outcomes for young people who exit State care at 18 after having spent more than 10 years continuously in care; what data is held on housing stability, education attainment, employment status, and engagement with aftercare services for this cohort; and if she will make a statement on the …

526. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether any internal or external review has been undertaken to assess outcomes for young people who spent the majority of their childhood in State care and subsequently aged out at 18 years-of-age; the findings of any such review; and if no review has taken place, the reason this has not been conducted. [11416/26]

527. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether she accepts that the absence of longitudinal data linking length of time in State care with post-18 outcomes limits effective evaluation of the State’s care and aftercare systems; whether her Department has identified this as a governance or accountability gap; and if she will outline any steps being taken to …

528. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the way in which the effectiveness of aftercare policy is evaluated for young people who have spent long periods in State care prior to turning 18; the assurance mechanisms which exist at Departmental level to assess whether aftercare supports are sufficient for this cohort; and if she will make a statement on the mat…

529. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department uses data on length of time spent in State care, including children who have been in care for more than 10 or 15 years, to inform aftercare planning and resource allocation; and if not, the reason such data is not used for this purpose. [11419/26]

530. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department has examined the absence of a statutory mechanism allowing early years providers to lawfully disclose and assess serious safeguarding concerns relating to staff conduct which does not meet the criminal threshold; whether she accepts that this represents a gap in the current safeguarding framewor…

531. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department has considered how a statutory safeguarding-disclosure framework for the early years sector could be designed to protect children while also ensuring fair procedures, independent assessment, appeal rights, and proportionality for staff;; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11462/26]

532. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether she is satisfied that the current statutory and policy framework governing safeguarding in Early Years services fully gives effect to the principles of Children First, particularly in circumstances where serious concerns arise outside the criminal justice threshold; and if she will make a statement on the matt…

533. Deputy Ann Graves asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of WTE psychologists, by grade posts filled at each CDNT within CHO9 as of 3 February 2026, in tabular form. [11482/26]

272. Deputy Joanna Byrne asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children in County Louth waiting for an assessment of need at the latest available point in 2024 and 2025; the number of assessments conducted in 2024 and year-to-date in 2026; and the number of applications received in those periods, in tabular form. [10597/26]

273. Deputy Joanna Byrne asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children waiting for Children’s Disability Network Team services in County Louth, at the latest available point in 2025, by team and service type, in tabular form. [10598/26]

274. Deputy Joanna Byrne asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of persons in County Louth waiting for disability services outside CDNTs, by service type, at the latest available point in 2025, in tabular form. [10599/26]

275. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she has engaged with the Minister for Finance during this Dáil term regarding the primary medical certificate scheme; if so, the substance of such engagements; if she has raised concerns with the HSE regarding tight application of guidelines; if she has sought a review of the scheme; and if she will make a stat…

276. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality when the current social worker vacancy in CDNT9 will be filled; the stage this is currently at; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10734/26]

277. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the status of the Programme for Government commitment to advance legislation to ban conversion practices; the timeline she is working towards; if she will commit to publishing the general scheme in 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10838/26]

278. Deputy Gillian Toole asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality when the multi-annual funding will be allocated, via the Health Service Executive, to section 38 and section 39 disability services providers, to enable forward planning of services to children and adults with disabilities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10908/26]

279. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children currently on a waiting list in County Kildare for early learning and childcare places; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11031/26]

280. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children on the waiting list for an assessment of need in County Kildare; the number waiting more than three, six and 12 months; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11032/26]

281. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children on CDNT waiting lists in Kildare, by team, by length of time, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11033/26]

902. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the percentage and number of women, who availed of their full entitlement of parents leave in each of the years 2020 to 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9595/26]

903. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the percentage and number of men that availed of their full entitlement of parents leave in each of the years 2020 to 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9596/26]

904. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the percentage and number of men that availed of their full entitlement of paternity leave in each of the years 2020 to 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9597/26]

905. Deputy David Maxwell asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of group homes and residential disability services operating in the Cavan–Monaghan area, by those catering primarily for people with intellectual disabilities; people with physical and/or sensory disabilities; the number of residents supported in each category; the service providers responsible for these …

906. Deputy David Maxwell asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to provide a breakdown, by county of HIQA-registered group homes by disability type, including intellectual, physical, sensory, and mixed-disability services, to ensure transparency and support evidence-based disability service planning. [9799/26]