Parliamentary questions

24. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality for a report on the Bia Blasta lunch scheme for pre-school children in disadvantaged areas; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49990/25]

25. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department holds any statistics on the average cost of childcare in each of the past ten years; and the steps her Department is taking to reduce the cost of childcare. [49649/25]

26. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 95 of 17 June 2025, for an update on efforts to secure further contributions from the religious organisations associated with the mother and baby institutions payment scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49952/25]

27. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the CDNTs with the longest average waiting times for first contact commencement of therapy; the actions being taken to address these geographic inequities, particularly for children in rural and under-served areas; whether targeted measures such as mobile clinics, cross-team redeployment, or temporary therapy panels ar…

28. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the action her Department is taking to address the lack of childcare places in County Louth. [50190/25]

29. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the steps she is taking to ensure that there are no more deaths of children who have been under the care of Tusla; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50114/25]

30. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the steps that will be taken in Budget 2026 to advance a public model of childcare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50106/25]

31. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the proportion of early learning and care and school-age childcare services that have signed up for the fourth year of core funding to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50094/25]

32. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the actions planned to ensure childcare providers participate in the core funding scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50193/25]

33. Deputy Keira Keogh asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality for an update on the measures currently being taken in her Department to reduce the costs of childcare for families; the supports for providers to ensure they can maintain both quality and sustainability; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50207/25]

34. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the steps she is taking to address the increased challenges for staff of Oberstown youth detention centre in County Dublin to ensure the safety of those detained there and the staff working there; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35136/25]

35. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the progress to date in reducing waiting lists for children with additional needs accessing therapies in Cavan and Monaghan; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50219/25]

36. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children currently overdue an assessment of needs in Cork; and the number of private assessments that have been funded in Cork in the past 12 months. [50224/25]

37. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the plans and indicative timeline for the establishment of a community neuro-rehabilitation team to support patients with neurological conditions in north Dublin, as committed to in the Programme for Government; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34989/25]

38. Deputy Martin Daly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children in Roscommon currently awaiting an assessment of needs under the Disability Act 2025; the number of those waiting more than three months; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50143/25]

39. Deputy Aisling Dempsey asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality her plans to progressively reduce the cost of childcare to €200 per month per child. [50127/25]

40. Deputy Tony McCormack asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the current waiting times for children in County Offaly to access assessments of need and therapeutic supports through the children’s disability network teams; the actions being taken to ensure compliance with statutory assessment timelines; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50109/25]

41. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the steps being taken to ensure that early childhood care and education providers are adequately resourced and supported to fully include children with additional needs; if additional funding, staff training, and inclusion supports are being provided to meet the commitments set out in the Joint Oireachtas Committee's 2…

42. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality her plans to eradicate child poverty. [50210/25]

43. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the position regarding the gradual reduction of childcare costs, as committed to in the Programme for Government; the steps she has taken to progress this policy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49129/25]

44. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the actions she is taking on foot of the Ombudsman for Children's child death report to ensure that a comprehensive and appropriate child death review mechanism is established; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50198/25]

45. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the details of actions underway to reduce waiting lists for assessment of needs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49955/25]

46. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the measures being taken to expand on the number of community based childcare providers for County Cork; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50194/25]

47. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the action she is taking to alleviate childcare costs for parents forced to rely on childcare services that have withdrawn from the core funding scheme due to a lack of alternative options in their area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50115/25]

48. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will outline her plans for the development of a childcare action plan to address the current childcare crisis in the country. [50026/25]