Parliamentary questions

788. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the total cost of the national childcare scheme universal subsidy, by year from 2020 to date in 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51732/25]

789. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the estimated cost of granting every recipient the maximum rate of subsidy available under the national childcare scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51733/25]

790. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children at early intervention stage who started in a primary school ASD class in the Mid-West in September 2025; if this number can be classified by each of the Mid-West Children's Disability Network Teams (CDNT) or area; the number of the children in each CDNT or area who require speech and language s…

791. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 1857 of 8 September 2025, if she will clarify information provided (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51845/25]

792. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to outline the role, work programme, KPIs and reporting schedule of the Special Advocate for Survivors; the funding provided to survivor-facing advocacy bodies since 2023, broken down by organisation, posts funded, and outputs delivered; the number and qualifications of advocates specifically recruited to support su…

793. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the core funding levels of support per hour to childcare providers; the payments for specific additional elements delivered, which will apply for the coming school year; the level of increase in each case compared to last year; and the estimated number of providers and children served by those who have continued op…

794. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the maximum level of hourly support paid under the NCS in different age categories for those on lowest incomes, allowing the highest rate of payment; the rate for those at the highest level of income who still qualify for some premium over the universal rate; and the way in which the intermediate rate payable to a …

795. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the eligibility criteria for a child to participate in the free early childhood care and education scheme; and the hourly or weekly rate payable to providers that deliver service under the scheme. [51900/25]

796. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if the Access and Inclusion Mode (AIM) has been extended beyond ECCE years; the range of services which are available within ECCE under AIM; the range of services that are now on offer for other childcare settings; and the way in which the number of children served under each element of the programme has grown as a…

797. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she has received an update on the assessment of the administrative burden for providers of childcare services in complying with eligibility and record keeping under core funding and the national childcare scheme; the simplification proposals which she has implemented and those up for further consideration; and i…

798. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality her views on the merits of creating a grant scheme to support families with adult children, that have additional needs, to build garden dwellings that will allow their children to have independence while still being close to their support network; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51928/25]

799. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will consider removing the means test as a qualifying criteria for blind welfare allowance, in recognition of the additional financial burden experienced by persons who are blind or vision impaired; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51931/25]

800. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the amount of money spent by Tusla on private residential settings for children in 2023, 2024, and to date in 2025, with the corresponding entity receiving that money, in tabular form. [51950/25]

801. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of social workers employed by Tusla in 2019 to 2025, in tabular form. [51951/25]

802. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children in State care currently without an assigned social worker. [51952/25]

803. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if consideration will be given to restructuring the core funding model for childcare services with a view to providing additional funding to the scheme, to increase the cap on funding of €750,000 for larger childcare providers, to encourage them to remain in the scheme; and if she will make a statement on the m…

804. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if consideration will be given to restructuring the core funding model for childcare services with a view to removing the cap on funding for childcare providers, which has been reduced from €500,000 to €450,000; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51958/25]

805. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the plans to provide a person (details supplied) with long-term, full-time residential care; when the details will be conveyed to the persons family; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51994/25]

806. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the current centres that provide adult disability overnight respite services in County Monaghan; the number of places provided in each; the plans to increase capacity; the plans to establish new centres that provide adult disability overnight respite services in County Monaghan; and if she will make a statement on the…

807. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the current centres that provide adult disability overnight respite services in County Cavan, the number of places provided in each; the plans to increase; the plans to establish new centres that provide adult disability overnight respite services in County Cavan; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51996…

808. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will establish an emergency respite centre for persons with disabilities in County Monaghan to ensure that when emergency respite demands present regular respite users are not discommoded; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51997/25]

809. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will establish an emergency respite centre for persons with disabilities in County Cavan to ensure that when emergency respite demands present regular respite users are not discommoded; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51998/25]

810. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department allows for the backdating of payments under the national childcare scheme in cases where administrative errors occur; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52005/25]

811. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 1013 of 17 September 2025, to clarify an issue (details provided) regarding the building blocks extension grant; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52006/25]

812. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 12 of 23 September 2025, the number of persons waiting to access children's disability network team services in Cavan and Monaghan for a period of up to three months, three to six months, six to 12 months and greater than one year. [52058/25]