Parliamentary questions

719. Deputy Joe Neville asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department will provide a child (details supplied) with an urgent assessment of needs given the family has been waiting for multiple years. [57312/25]

314. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to address concerns in relation to the need for parental leave entitlements to be extended in the case of multiple births in the same pregnancy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56395/25]

315. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the nature of refurbishment works that were carried out at Oberstown detention campus in 2024 and to date in 2025; and if each capital works project have been completed, in tabular form. [56070/25]

316. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if all vacancies within CDNTs in CHO7 in 2024 and to date in 2025 due to maternity leave have been backfilled; and if not, the vacancies which remained unfilled, in tabular form. [56071/25]

317. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will examine the feasibility of introducing a national scheme, similar to the mobility scheme in the United Kingdom, that would allow parents or carers of children with complex medical needs to utilise a payment such as the domiciliary care allowance towards the cost of obtaining a wheelchair-accessible or d…

318. Deputy Joe Cooney asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the plans her Department has to progressively reduce the cost of early learning and childcare to €200 per month per child during the lifetime of the Government; the proposed timeline for the roll-out of this plan; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56098/25]

319. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality of the additional 35,000 children anticipated to be supported in 2026 by the national childcare scheme, the portion which results from changes to our population size and demographic composition; the portion which results from new measures in Budget 2026 to shrink the number of children on waiting lists; the associa…

320. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the first and full-year cost, in terms of additional core funding required, to deliver on the €295 per week maximum fee cap for childcare that was introduced by Government; and if a separate funding stream that is not core funding is being employed to specify same. [56110/25]

321. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the amount of funding allocated to her Department in Budget 2026 for the purpose of reducing the maximum fee cap from its current level of €295 per week. [56111/25]

322. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the amount that will go specifically towards family resource centres; the rationale for this decision; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56127/25]

323. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children in Kildare on a waiting list for childcare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56132/25]

324. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the first and full-year cost, in terms of additional core funding required, to deliver on the €295 per week maximum fee cap for childcare that was introduced by Government; and if a separate funding stream that is not core funding is being employed, to specify same. [56135/25]

325. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the amount of funding allocated to her Department in Budget 2026 for the purpose of reducing the maximum fee cap from its current level of €295 per week. [56136/25]

326. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the total number of times the Child and Family Agency have applied to the courts for orders to remove children where it has been deemed by the agency that there is a serious risk to their health or welfare that cannot be managed within the family setting; the total number of times such orders have been granted; the to…

327. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality her views on concerns around the privatization of childcare providers in Fingal (details supplied) and initiatives her Department is taking increase the amount of publicly owned childcare services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56303/25]

328. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the EU funding opportunities that will be open for application for schemes under her Department and at agencies under her aegis in the next six months and in the next 12 months; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56443/25]

269. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will review the case of a student (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55530/25]

270. Deputy George Lawlor asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will intervene, with the HSE, to ensure that funds are immediately released for the Wexford Strengthening Children's Disability Services project, which was formally approved by the HSE with a commitment that the initial payment would be processed in October (details supplied); and if she will make a statement…

271. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department is using agentic AI in the delivery of its services or operations; if it is considering the use of agentic AI, and in what contexts; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55691/25]

272. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to provide a breakdown of the proportion of the €620 million in additional current funding for Disability under Programme An Equal and Inclusive Society, that will be used to provide for public sector pay and increases and pay costs under the Section 39 WRC agreement respectively; the proportion that is for additional r…

273. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children on CDNT waiting lists in Kerry, broken down by team and by length of time, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55809/25]

274. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of vacancies that exist in CDNTs in County Kerry, by CDNT region, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55811/25]

275. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to provide details on the NCS evaluation; to outline how parents, educators and representative organisations can make contributions to the evaluation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55874/25]

276. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she has received funding in Budget 2026 for a parent and toddler grant initiative in 2026 through the county and city childcare committees; if she can give an indication of when in 2026 the call for this grant might be made; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55902/25]

277. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if support can be provided to prevent the closure of a creche (details supplied); if she will engage with the creche owners; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55911/25]