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 introduce such a requirem…
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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8,676 questions match, newest first.
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 will make a stateme…
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 monitored at Departmental le…
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 recruitment references, suit…
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 constraints; and if she w…
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 limits and proportio…
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, whether she will pu…
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 issues raised. [138…
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, to state how she i…
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, contractual revision, or fundi…
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 decisions. [14832/2…
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 she will make a state…
247. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to provide a breakdown of the amount of money paid to each agency the HSE used in 2025 to hire agency staff across all public residential facilities for children with disabilities, and adults with disabilities in 2025; the total number of staff used in 2025, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13357/26]
248. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality her views on the adequacy of existing supports for single mothers in the weeks and months after giving birth; if any review of the State support structures can be considered; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12938/26]
249. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will consider providing for a nominated support person (details supplied) leave in lieu of paternity leave in situations whereby the father of a child is not supportive to the mother; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12940/26]
250. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality her views of the adequacy of support services available to single mothers compared with two-parent families, particularly during pregnancy and the early months of their child's life; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12942/26]
251. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the supports available to an existing childcare provider looking to upgrade their outdoor facilities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12964/26]
252. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the reason support services provided to foster carers by an organisation (details supplied) located in Fethard has been terminated by Tusla without any consultation with the stakeholders; if she will insist that the services be continued while all concerned are consulted; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13022/26]
253. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the funding allocated to NGOs by her Department in 2025; the funding allocated to NGOs by agencies and bodies under the remit of her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13077/26]
254. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the way she intends to guarantee the independence of guardians ad litem under the new guardian ad litem national service, given that both Tusla and the new service will report to the same Minister; if she will outline the safeguards that will be put in place to ensure that advocacy for children in court proceedings is not restricted; an…