Parliamentary questions

409. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality his plans to protect children from a parent who abuses the other; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62402/25]

410. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will provide details of the recruitment of new community neuro rehabilitation teams in Dublin; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62557/25]

411. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if Tusla compiles statistics on the number of deaf children the agency engages with each year; the number of deaf parents it engages with each year; if not, the reason; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62314/25]

412. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the extent to which Tusla parent support services and family support services are made accessible to parents who are deaf; if ISL interpretation is provided when deaf parents access Tusla programmes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62315/25]

413. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will consider creating a national working group to review the way in which deaf families are identified and supported by Tusla, comprised by deaf professionals, advocacy organisations, representatives from the Department of Children, Disability and Equality and representatives of Tusla; and if she will mak…

414. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the schemes available to an organisation (details supplied) to fund the building of their early childhood and family centre; how they can apply for this; if she will engage with the project; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62356/25]

415. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No.1506 of 4 November 2025, the expected timeframe for the introduction of the fee increase assessment type exercise referred to in the reply; if she will confirm when this assessment will open to providers participating in the Core Funding programme; and if she will make a statement …

416. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 808 of 30 September 2025, her plans to provide additional funds to the Interim Children’s Respite Centre for Monaghan to facilitate the provision and retention of emergency respite services in the county; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62440/25]

417. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the provisions which have been made to ensure that agencies, organisations and charities funded by her Department will meet their obligations under the new AE scheme. [62470/25]

418. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality for a breakdown of every agency, not-for-profit organisation, charity or service provider directly funded by her Department; and the details of each specific directly funded post in each body. [62475/25]

419. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality when the parents and families of adults with special needs and profound disabilities will get the respite in County Kerry; her views on whether the number of respite beds available to Kerry families is unacceptable and falls far short of what is required; the steps being taken to address this urgent matter; and if …

420. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the findings of data collected by her Department on awareness levels following the national campaign to promote understanding of the Convention and its Second Optional Protocol, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62552/25]

421. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the way in which the awareness campaign undertaken in line with Article 42 of the Convention and the Second Optional Protocol was structured to ensure both adults and children were informed of their rights and the obligations arising under the Convention; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62553/25]

422. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will provide an update on the State's preparations for ratification of the Second Optional Protocol before the end of 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62554/25]

423. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the availability of psychotherapy services to children in care, in particular to reference access to child art psychotherapy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62612/25]

424. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the measures in place to support childcare facilities in transitioning to using renewable sources of energy. [62613/25]

425. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of vacant and derelict buildings in County Mayo owned by her Department that are vacant or rented, by the region/towns location of the buildings, in tabular form. [62665/25]

79. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the reasons her Department accredits for the lengthy waiting lists for assessment of needs; the progress being made in developing legislation in this area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61490/25]

80. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will comment on the survey findings by a representative organisation (details supplied) which showed that 80% of childminder services will close; and the actions her Department is taking to address the issue. [61743/25]

81. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she is aware of concerns raised by childminders as to the future of their childminding service, and the impact that childminders leaving the sector would have given the already severe lack of childcare capacity; if she will meet with an organisation (details supplied) which represents childminders; and if she wil…

82. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will provide an update on her engagements with Tusla regarding well-being checks of closed cases; if she has received a progress report or interim report from the agency; and if she will set out the allocated additional resources she has provided Tusla to enhance its capacity to complete the work in a timely …

83. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to outline the measures announced in budget 2026 for the early years sector, including the 2,300 places to be created via extensions to schools and community centres; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61736/25]

84. Deputy Aisling Dempsey asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to outline the Government’s commitment to family resource centres; for an update on the work done by family resource centres across the country; and the potential for establishing more family resource centres. [61878/25]

85. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the engagement there has been with Tusla regarding child protection issues highlighted recently in the public domain (details supplied); the plans in place for a fit-for-purpose child protection system; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61509/25]

86. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the position regarding developments towards reaching the commitment to reducing childcare costs to €200 per child, per month, in the context of a number of childcare providers pulling out of the core funding scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [59969/25]