Parliamentary questions

1892. Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to provide a list of AI pilot projects which have taken place in her Department within the past 12 months; the expenditure associated with those projects; and whether they are still ongoing, in tabular form. [74127/25]

1893. Deputy Tom Brabazon asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality when the allocation of funding to support a pay deal for early years educators and managers will be announced; when representative bodies for this sector will receive notification of same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74233/25]

1894. Deputy Tom Brabazon asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department will consider bringing the early years sector under the remit of the Ombudsman for Children's Office [74234/25]

1895. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number on assessment of needs waiting lists by county in tabular form including how many are waiting more than 6 months; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74243/25]

1896. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether standards or service-level targets exist for her Department or bodies under the aegis of her Department, in responding to correspondence from members of local authorities; if compliance with such standards is monitored; the reasons for delays or failures to respond to correspondence from elected members; and…

1897. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality her plans to reform the national childcare scheme to cover children with complex medical needs who are deemed unsuitable for group childcare settings due to their circumstances; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74272/25]

1898. Deputy Aisling Dempsey asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality when the national policy of the rights of children living in informal kinship care will be published; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74295/25]

1899. Deputy Aisling Dempsey asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if all informal kinship care arrangements will be recognised in Ireland as they are internationally as a form of alternative care; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74296/25]

1900. Deputy Aisling Dempsey asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if all formal kinship carers are paid the same allowances as foster carers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74315/25]

1901. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the status of the proposal to enshrine discrimination on the basis of socio-economic status as a non-discrimination ground, as outlined in the general scheme of the Equality (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024; the next steps her Department is taking on this issue; and if she will make a statement on the matter…

1902. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether she has assessed the risk of serious unintended consequences arising from her reform proposals (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74367/25]

1903. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she is concerned that her proposed reforms will diminish the independence of guardians ad litem as they will be State employees, create potential conflicts of interest and reduce the ability of guardians to advocate freely for children (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74368/2…

1904. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she is concerned that her proposed reforms will result in children losing automatic access to legal representation through their GAL (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74369/25]

1905. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to provide further details of phase one of the early years action plan; if she will provide specific details regarding how the plan will assist childcare service providers tackle rising and immediate costs and administrative burdens; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74371/25]

1906. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department will recommend the inclusion of the early years sector on the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, critical skills list to address the immediate staffing, retention and recruitment pressures across the early years sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74372/25]

1907. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the reason little or no consultation with large full-time early years providers took place during the process of formulating phase one of the early years action plan, with just one large provider of only part-time services on the new childcare forum; her views on whether this lack of adequate consultation may have…

1908. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the longest period of time, in years, that any child has spent in State care since the establishment of Tusla in 2014; and to provide the year in which that duration was recorded, in aggregate form and without reference to any individual case. [74387/25]

1909. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children currently in State care who have remained continuously in care for more than 10 years, more than 15 years, and more than 18 years respectively; and to outline how these figures have changed in each year since 2015. [74388/25]

1910. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the statutory, regulatory, or administrative timeframes apply to permanency planning for children in long-term State care; and whether any mandatory escalation, review, or senior-level oversight is triggered once a child exceeds a defined duration in care. [74389/25]

1911. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department monitors compliance with permanency planning timelines within Tusla at a national level; if so, the performance indicators used; and how breaches of those timelines are addressed as a matter of governance and accountability. [74390/25]

1912. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department has considered the introduction of statutory maximum periods within which a permanency decision must be made for a child in State care, subject to exceptional judicial review; and if not, to outline the policy rationale for the absence of such limits. [74391/25]

1913. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality in respect of services funded by her Department, the governance and oversight arrangements that apply where internal investigations are carried out into the handling of cash or vouchers; the number of such investigations initiated between 2018 and 2024; whether each investigation resulted in a written report or assur…

1914. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she acknowledges that core funding provided to the early learning sector will not cover auto enrolment in the pension scheme from January 2026; if this additional cost will be included in core funding for the early learning sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74433/25]

1915. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the service plans for children with special needs from cradle to grave in Cavan and Monaghan; the schools for special needs respite services; adult day service; full time care; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74434/25]

1916. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if the services currently in place are adequate for people with special needs in both Cavan and Monaghan; if Cavan and Monaghan both have their own services in each county for each age group; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74435/25]