Parliamentary questions

637. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth for the number of children aged zero to 18 in each of the integrated healthcare areas (IHA) by individual area, awaiting first-time intervention in all areas of early intervention; the number on the public list; the number on the children's disability network team list in each IHA; and the lengt…

638. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the reason an eight-year-old child (details supplied) is facing an 18-month wait for an initial speech and language assessment; the immediate steps that will be taken to address the excessive waiting times for children requiring essential developmental support; if the child will be given urge…

639. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of children and young persons on waiting lists for an assessment of needs, by CHO and LHO, age category and time waiting, in tabular form. [13336/25]

640. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of persons on a waiting list for speech and language therapy by CHO and LHO, age category and time waiting, in tabular form. [13337/25]

641. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of children on the waiting list for speech and language therapy by CHO and LHO, age category and time waiting, in tabular form. [13338/25]

642. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of persons on a waiting list for initial contact from a CDNT, by CHO and LHO, age category and time waiting, in tabular form. [13339/25]

643. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of persons the waiting list for home care packages, by CHO and LHO, in tabular form. [13341/25]

644. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the supports to be provided to alleviate the financial and administrative burden the regulatory notice for school age services, issued on the 7 February 2025, places on service providers, especially school based school-aged childcare services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [133…

645. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if she is aware that children who start school at 4 years-of-age are permitted to attend in the 1:12 ratio, whereas children who may be 5.5 years-of-age who have not started school will not be permitted to attend at all without an early learning and care registration and a 1:8 ratio; if she will…

646. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if she will report on her visit to London for St. Patrick's Day; the meetings she attended, the issues that were discussed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13401/25]

647. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if she will report on the visit of the Minister of State with responsibility for Disability to Japan for St. Patrick's Day; the meetings she attended, the issues that were discussed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13402/25]

648. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if flexibility can be applied to parents claiming the national childcare scheme but wish to pick children up early from childcare on a regular basis and are suffering a loss due to this; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13427/25]

649. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the timeline to ratify the second optional protocol of the UNCRC; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13430/25]

650. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the supports offered for upgrading and maintenance of playground facilities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13437/25]

651. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the steps her Department plans to take to implement the recommendations of the report into pregnancy loss PLACES Research Report, published in January 2024; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13450/25]

652. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the timeline for the publication of the next National Strategy for Women and Girls; if this timeline has been brought forward; if there will be adequate time for consultation on the next strategy; if her Department has considered an innovate title for the new strategy; and if she will make a s…

653. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the percentage of community childcare services as a proportion of the total number of childcare services in each local authority area, in tabular form. [13452/25]

654. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the percentage of full day care community childcare services as a proportion of the total number of full day care childcare services in each local authority area, in tabular form. [13453/25]

655. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the percentage of the building blocks grant that has gone to private services versus community service in each year it has been available; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13454/25]

656. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to outline all efforts to advertise the mother and baby institutions payment scheme to date, in what countries beyond the UK, the budget committed to such efforts, the nature of such advertisements, that is, via social media, radio, print media, dissemination of information via Irish cultura…

657. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to outline specific efforts to advertise the mother and baby institutions payment scheme in the United States, in what States and or cities, the budget committed to such efforts, and the nature of all such advertisements that is, social media, radio, print media, dissemination of information…

658. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will instruct the Adoption Authority of Ireland to contact all registrants on the national adoption contact preference register, since its inception in 2005, to provide information about the mother and baby institutions payment scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1…

659. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if she will permit the extension of a sponsored claim through the national childcare scheme for two children (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13526/25]

660. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to detail the total expenditure on public procurement by her Department and its agencies, including spending on goods, services and works acquired through public procurement processes, in each of the past five years, in tabular form. [13550/25]

661. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to provide a list of regulatory, appeal or other bodies, either funded by or under the remit of her Department, which are quasi-judicial in nature. [13585/25]