Parliamentary questions

224. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the vacancy rates for each of the twelve CORU-regulated health and social care professions in the public health service in each of the past five years, noting that the April 2025 CDNT Workforce Report recorded a 21% vacancy rate for health and social care professionals in Children's Disability Network Teams; th…

225. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will provide details on the current Children's Disability Network Team staffing ratio per 1,000 children in each area across Cork city and county; if she will confirm whether the staffing disparity between areas where parts of East Cork have fewer than 1.5 CDNT staff per 1,000 children compared to over 4…

226. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she is aware that the Cork-based HSE-funded voluntary organisation (details supplied) which supports more than 2,800 children and adults with intellectual disabilities and autism across Cork city and county, spent a combined total of €11.33 million on agency staff during 2024 and 2025; if she will outline th…

227. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she is aware that an analysis of all 71 HIQA inspection reports into Cork disability residential centres published in 2024 found that just two centres were fully compliant with regulations, with Cork centres overall assessed as 59% compliant, 26% substantially compliant, and 15% not compliant; if she will ou…

228. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will confirm the specific plans that are in place to address the HSE Roadmap for Service Improvement Q2 2025 projection that approximately 23,903 assessments of need could be due for completion by the end of 2025, with 16,593 already overdue at the end of Quarter 2 2025; if she will outline whether suffi…

229. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will provide details on the number of senior health and social care professional whole-time equivalent posts allocated to deliver therapy services across special schools nationally; if she is aware that of the 136.3 senior HSCP whole-time equivalents allocated for onsite service provision across 82 speci…

230. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will confirm whether the Service Improvement Function of the National Children's Disability Services Team, which was responsible for working directly with individual Children's Disability Network Teams to drive service improvements, has been stepped down and its funding withdrawn; if so, when this decisi…

231. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will provide details on the number of the up to 6,500 clinical assessments funded through the Assessment of Need Targeted Waitlist Initiative under Budget 2026 have been delivered to date; the number of those assessments that have been allocated to families in the HSE South West region covering Cork and …

232. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children living in emergency accommodation or in homeless families' accommodation who are currently awaiting their first contact from a Children's Disability Network Team or awaiting an assessment of need; if she is aware that the number of homeless children in the State rose from 4,510 in January…

233. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of social workers recruited by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, in each of the past five years; if she is aware that Tusla's own Chief Executive has stated that at least 500 new social workers need to be recruited annually to keep pace with demand, while only 143 were appointed in 2024; the portio…

234. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the way in which the Health Service Executive is addressing the clear gap in service provision for adults with severe autism who transition out of children’s services, particularly in cases where families are left without adequate supports; if she accepts that the failure to provide appropriate residential or high-suppo…

235. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the date on which the last organisational capability review was carried out in respect of Tusla; if she will provide a schedule recommendations arising from the review; the number implemented to date; and the independent body that carried out the organisational capability review. [38101/26]

236. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality her plans to increase employment opportunities for people with disabilities. [38121/26]

237. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality her plans to increase employment opportunities for autistic people. [38122/26]

238. Deputy Aisling Dempsey asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to confirm the staffing of Trim CDNT; the number of positions; the number that are filled; and the number that are being actively recruited. [38135/26]

239. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the funding allocated to CDNTs in CHO 9 in 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38191/26]

240. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the funding allocated to CDNTs in CHO 9 per year from 2019 to 2025, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38193/26]

828. Deputy Paula Butterly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to respond to correspondence (details supplied) in relation to early years education; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37674/26]

829. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether Ireland supports the principle that investment in democracy, civic participation, equality, and independent media should form a strategic priority within the next EU Multiannual Financial Framework; whether the Government will advocate for an enhanced financial envelope for AgoraEU during negotiations at the Co…

830. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether Tusla maintains any centralised audit, review or quality assurance process relating to emergency child removals carried out under sections 12 and 13 of the Child Care Act 1991. [36688/26]

831. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of emergency child removal applications made under sections 12 and 13 of the Child Care Act 1991 in each year from 2020 to 2025, and the number granted, refused or withdrawn. [36689/26]

832. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether Tusla records or analyses complaints, adverse findings, judicial criticisms or legal challenges arising from emergency child removal decisions under sections 12 and 13 of the Child Care Act 1991. [36690/26]

833. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether Tusla has conducted any internal review of the governance, oversight, consistency or proportionality of emergency child removal practices under the Child Care Act 1991 since 2020. [36691/26]

834. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether any national policy, procedural framework or mandatory oversight mechanism exists governing decision-making thresholds for emergency child removals under sections 12 and 13 of the Child Care Act 1991. [36692/26]

835. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether consideration will now be given to including emergency child removal decisions within Tusla’s enterprise risk management or corporate governance framework following confirmation that no such consideration has previously taken place. [36693/26]