Parliamentary questions

2313. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if a targeted rural childcare investment strategy is being considered to address specific workforce retention and sustainability issues faced by providers in counties such as Kerry. [41371/25]

2314. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the reason children with autism spectrum disorder in County Kerry no longer receive the previously standard six-week block of speech and language therapy per year; and whether this level of support will be reinstated locally given the impact on early development. [41373/25]

2315. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she is aware of the significant delays in accessing SLT and OT services through children's disability network teams in Kerry, due to chronic understaffing and the use of limited-hour contracts; and the targeted actions being taken to address these staffing issues in the county. [41374/25]

2316. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the reason no permanent psychologist is currently assigned to CDNT teams in parts of Kerry, leaving schools and parents without professional behavioural support for children with autism; and if this will be addressed in the short term. [41375/25]

2317. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will consider implementing a national policy to review ASD diagnoses in key educational transition years, 1st, 2nd, and 6th class; and whether a pilot of such a policy could be introduced in Kerry. [41376/25]

2318. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the efforts being made to increase capacity at overnight respite centres serving Kerry families (details supplied); and whether additional funding and staffing will be provided this year. [41377/25]

2319. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will review the eligibility criteria of respite services, such as a service (details supplied), to ensure children with behavioural challenges are not excluded from accessing essential care. [41378/25]

2320. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the reason such a small proportion of families accessing disability services in Kerry are currently assigned key workers under the individual family support plan model; and the steps being taken to ensure equity of access across counties. [41384/25]

2321. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if funding will be made available for outdoor sensory regulation equipment, such as in-ground trampolines, in Kerry, particularly for older autistic children who currently lack access to age-appropriate sensory outlets. [41386/25]

2322. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 329 of 3 July 2025, to provide a further breakdown of the €42 million allocated in 2025, explaining how much was spent on each of the spending lines noted. [41393/25]

2323. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to introduce pay parity for early years and school age care graduates (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41411/25]

2324. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to urgently address the issues outlined by Childminding Ireland (details supplied) as the sector is on the brink of collapse; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41428/25]

2325. Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to provide an update on the availability of childcare places in Navan for September 2025; the number of available and waitlisted places; how this compares with demand; the steps being taken to expand capacity locally; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41453/25]

2326. Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of current staff vacancies across children's disability network teams in County Meath; the breakdown of these vacancies, by discipline; the typical waiting time for children awaiting CDNT support in County Meath; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41454/25]

2327. Deputy Catherine Ardagh asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will address the issue whereby recommendations from speech and language therapists who are registered with CORU, but operate privately and not directly under or on behalf of HSE services, are not accepted for accessing funding under AIM level 5; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41480/25]

2328. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if a second additional year of ECCE will be made available to a child (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41483/25]

2329. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if all external legal fees incurred by her Department, and by any bodies under its aegis, are charged at negotiated discounted rates; how fees are monitored for compliance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41497/25]

2330. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department conducts regular benchmarking, or market testing, to ensure that the rates paid for legal services, solicitors and barristers, represent value for money for the taxpayer; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41515/25]

2331. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to detail the procurement processes used when engaging external legal firms and barristers, including whether panels are used; how often these are refreshed; the criteria used for selection and performance review; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41533/25]

2332. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department has conducted any audits or reviews in the past five years on legal fee spend; if so, to publish the findings or summaries of those reviews; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41551/25]

2333. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the internal oversight that exists within her Department to monitor the scope, duration, and cost escalation of legal services once engaged; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41569/25]

2334. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department makes use of capped fee arrangements, fixed-fee briefs, success-based fee models or other such arrangements in its legal engagements; if not, the reason such options are not considered; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41587/25]

2335. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether any legal engagements have exceeded their initial estimated or approved cost in the past three years; if so, the number of such cases and total overrun; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41605/25]

2336. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children awaiting an assessment of needs in the CHO 7 area; the number of children waiting longer than 12 months; and the number of children waiting longer than 24 months. [41732/25]

2337. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children in the CHO 7 area currently waiting to access therapies by the CDNT, by category of therapy, in tabular form. [41733/25]