Parliamentary questions

1062. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether Tusla records the number of reopened social work cases within specified timeframes following closure; whether these are monitored as indicators of case resolution or system performance; and if she will provide the relevant figures for each of the past five years. [40185/26]

1063. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether the Tusla Oversight Agreement explicitly includes provisions relating to repeat referrals, repeat interventions, emergency removals or reopened cases; and if she will provide copies or extracts of the relevant sections. [40186/26]

1064. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the extent to which repeat engagement with Tusla services, including re-referrals, repeat interventions, emergency removals and reopened social work cases, are monitored as key performance indicators, governance metrics or safeguarding indicators under the Tusla Oversight Agreement; whether any targets, thresholds …

1065. Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of respite hours provided to families in County Donegal in each of the years of 2024 and 2025; the planned level of capacity for 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40209/26]

1066. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether consideration has been given to the development of accessibility guidance or universal design standards for reverse vending machines and similar public service infrastructure to ensure independent access for persons with disabilities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40216/26]

1067. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will seek an earlier implementation of the new EU disability card, to ensure those unable to access a blue disability parking badge because they are mobile can access one and acknowledge their disability, especially those with autism who are a flight risk; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40…

1068. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the position regarding the implementation of the new EU disability card; the status of implementing this card; the person or body that is leading this work; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40222/26]

1069. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the status of the childminding registration system; the number of childminders registered to date nationally and in County Clare; if she will address concerns that compliance burdens are driving providers away from the sector; if she will consider pausing the mandatory 2027 registration deadline to allow for a pract…

1070. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of Tusla staff who have left their positions; and the number of Tusla staff currently out on sick leave to date in 2026, in tabular form. [40230/26]

1071. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the reason the chief social worker role within her Department no longer exists; if she will consider restoring this role given the huge challenges being faced by the State's care system, the reforms underway by Tusla and the concerns raised by same and given the importance of this role within her Department; and i…

1072. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the total number of social workers, social care workers employed by Tusla in each of the years 2024, 2025 and to date in 2026; and the number of special care workers employed by Tusla in 2026, in tabular form. [40232/26]

1073. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the total number of children to date in 2026 who have been allocated to a professional who is not a social worker, in tabular form. [40233/26]

1074. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of people who have commenced the special care training programme, the number of these who have completed the three months in-classroom; and the number who have completed the three month supervised work placement; the number who dropped out at any point; and the number of these who have been offered a pe…

1075. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the list of degrees held by persons who have commenced the Special Care Training Programme; the number of these people who came from overseas; the degrees the held, and the way in which these degrees are substantiated. [40235/26]

1076. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the checks that are carried out before security personnel are placed to work in special care units; the number of times a child has been restrained by security personnel; the way in which this is recorded; the person or body that governs their contact with children; and if she will make a statement on the matter. …

1077. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if any persons who entered special care to work as security personnel have since taken up a role as a special care worker. [40237/26]

1078. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will consider a unit in between residential care and special care to support children and young people as previously existed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40238/26]

1079. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number who have applied for the rolling recruitment campaign for social care workers within Tusla; and the number of these fully qualified. [40240/26]

1080. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will seek the powers of HIQA be extended to regulate and inspect private residential childcare services. [40241/26]

1081. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children currently living in residential care in HIQA-designated disability centres; the age profile of these children, broken down by age band, including those aged under 5 years, 5 to 11 years, 12 to 15 years and 16 to 17 years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40285/26]

1082. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children living in residential care in HIQA-designated disability centres who are placed within their county of origin; those living more than 50km and more than 100km from their family home, respectively, in tabular form. [40286/26]

1083. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children living in residential care in HIQA-designated disability centres at the end of 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025; the reasons identified by her Department or the HSE for any change in the number of these placements, in tabular form. [40287/26]

1084. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the average annual cost per child of a residential placement for children in HIQA-designated disability centres in 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025; the range of annual costs per child, including the lowest and highest-cost placements; the total expenditure on such placements in each year, in tabular form. [40288/26]

1085. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the reason children are being placed in residential care in HIQA-designated disability centres, including family crisis, absence of appropriate community supports, safeguarding concerns, complex behavioural support needs, lack of respite, or other reasons; if these reasons are formally recorded by the HSE, in tabular…

1086. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality further to Question No. 927 of 19 May 2026, if any assistance is available to the parent of the vulnerable child (details supplied) to obtain an available childcare placement given all options have been exhausted at this point, including contact with the local CCC and exploring the option of childminders with no suc…