Questions

2351. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the training or guidance being provided to assessment officers and multidisciplinary teams to ensure that complex presentations, including masking and twice-exceptionality, are recognised under the revised assessment of need framework; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23701/26]

2352. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality her plans regarding a review of the implementation of the revised assessment of need framework to ensure that no cohort of children is excluded from identification due to the streamlining of assessment processes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23702/26]

2353. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to provide a breakdown of all taskforces that fall under her remit; the dates on which they have met since their inception; the membership of each taskforce; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23731/26]

2354. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of persons on waiting lists for long-term residential care in County Roscommon and County Galway, including the number of cases where there is only one parent living, and where the parents carers are over the age of 66 years-of-age. [23753/26]

2355. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of housing units that exist for long-term residential care for persons with a disability/intellectual disability in County Roscommon and County Galway. [23754/26]

2356. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality her plans to initiate a new employment regulation order process in the second half of 2026; to provide the accompanying sum of monies in 2026 for a future round of pay improvements for staff working in the early years, childcare and pre-school sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23757/26]

2357. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the progress made regarding the commitment in the Programme for Government to plan the development of State-led facilities in tandem with the school building programme, including Irish medium naíonraí; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23771/26]

2358. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the work that has been done with schools to host before and after-school care; to examine start-up supports for groups involved in after school activities; to detail the schools where progress has been made in this regard; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23772/26]

2359. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the way in which an area (details supplied) can take advantage of the capital investment her Department has provided to build or purchase State-owned childcare facilities to create additional capacity in areas where unmet need exists. [23773/26]

2360. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she has considered suggestions from a campaign (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23778/26]

2361. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department has conducted any direct audit, review, or independent verification of governance, risk management, or financial controls in respect of privately operated residential placements funded by the Exchequer since 2020; and if so, to provide the dates, scope, and findings of each such audit or review [23814/26]

2362. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to detail any instances since 2020 where Exchequer funding to privately operated residential providers was reduced, suspended, or terminated on the basis of governance, compliance, or regulatory failures; and to specify the nature of the failures identified and the actions taken. [23815/26]

2363. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether a single, unified governance assurance framework exists at Department level covering all privately operated residential placements funded through Tusla or the HSE; and if not, the steps being taken to establish such a framework [23816/26]

2364. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department maintains a central risk register in respect of privately operated residential placements funded by the Exchequer; and to outline the escalation procedures in place where governance, safeguarding, or financial risks are identified. [23817/26]

2365. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to set out the specific criteria applied at Department level to determine whether privately operated residential providers meet the governance, compliance, and financial standards required for continued Exchequer funding; and whether these criteria are formally documented and applied consistently across all providers. [23818/26]

2366. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if the recently revised assessment of need framework limits or reduces access to cognitive assessment for children, including in cases where intellectual disability is not suspected; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23937/26]

2367. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if the revised assessment of need framework ensures that children with uneven developmental profiles, including children with high ability alongside additional needs such as autism, ADHD, or dyslexia, are appropriately identified within the system; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23938/26]

2368. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether the Department has conducted an impact assessment on how the revised model may affect the identification of children whose needs may be masked by high cognitive ability or compensatory functioning; the safeguards that will be put in place to prevent the under-identification of such children; and if she will make a statement on th…

2369. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if access to cognitive or psychological assessment remains available where there is evidence of significant intra-individual discrepancy, asynchronous development, or unexplained underachievement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23940/26]

2370. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether consideration has been given to the potential for increased reliance on private assessments arising from any restriction in public access to cognitive assessment, and the implications this may have for equitable access to services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23941/26]

2371. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the training or guidance being provided to assessment officers and multidisciplinary teams to ensure that complex presentations are recognised under the revised model; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23942/26]

2372. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if the Department intends to review the implementation of the revised assessment of need framework to ensure that no cohort of children is excluded from identification due to the streamlining of assessment processes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23943/26]

2373. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will consider extending statutory paternity leave beyond the current two-week entitlement, in light of evidence showing the benefits of longer, dedicated paternity leave for child development, maternal recovery and gender equality; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23971/26]

2374. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department has conducted any assessment comparing Ireland’s two-week statutory paternity leave entitlement with more extensive paternity or partner leave provisions in other EU countries; and if she plans to bring forward proposals to align Ireland more closely with international norms. [23972/26]

2375. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the current uptake rates of both paternity leave and parent’s leave, and whether her Department has identified any barriers, financial or otherwise, that prevent fathers or partners from availing fully of their entitlements; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23973/26]