Questions

1005. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether a standardised national reporting framework now exists for expenditure on private residential childcare placements. [39856/26]

1006. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether Tusla has identified risks arising from inconsistent historical expenditure categorisation relating to private residential childcare services. [39857/26]

1007. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether any formal national workforce-risk threshold exists concerning vacancy levels within Children's Disability Network Teams. [39858/26]

1008. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether any Departmental assessment has been undertaken examining the relationship between Children’s Disability Network Team staffing vacancies and delayed therapeutic intervention. [39859/26]

1009. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether the forthcoming June 2026 Children’s Disability Network Team workforce review will be published in full. [39860/26]

1010. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she has received all outstanding reports from the previous special rapporteur on child protection; when these reports will be published; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39861/26]

1011. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether Tusla records expenditure on private residential childcare placements on a provider-by-provider basis internally, notwithstanding the format used in published annual financial statements. [39862/26]

1012. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether she will provide the ten private residential childcare placement providers that received the highest level of Tusla expenditure in 2024, together with the total amount paid to each provider. [39863/26]

1013. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the total amount spent by Tusla on private residential childcare placements in each of the past ten years. [39864/26]

1014. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the percentage increase in Tusla expenditure on private residential childcare placements between 2020 and 2025. [39865/26]

1015. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether Tusla applies national pricing ceilings, benchmark rates, or value-for-money assessments when procuring private residential childcare placements. [39866/26]

1016. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether Tusla conducts comparative cost analysis between State-operated and privately operated residential childcare placements. [39867/26]

1017. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether Tusla records average weekly costs per child by private residential childcare provider. [39868/26]

1018. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether Tusla has identified any risks associated with market concentration or dependency on a small number of private residential childcare providers. [39869/26]

1019. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether Tusla publishes or intends to publish a central register of private residential childcare providers receiving public funding, including annual payments received. [39870/26]

1020. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children in County Tipperary waiting for assessment of need, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, psychology and physiotherapy through children’s disability services; the average waiting time for each service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39931/26]

1021. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the actions her Department is taking to address significant delays in the assessment of needs process (details supplied); the measures being taken to ensure timely assessments and prevent children from being left without essential educational and developmental supports; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39941/26]

1022. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the position regarding the equine therapy facilities that will be developed at the HSE’s Toghermore campus in Tuam, County Galway; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39943/26]

1023. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her attention has been drawn to childcare capacity shortages in Causeway, County Kerry; the measures being taken to increase childcare places in the area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39952/26]

1024. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the supports available to childcare providers in County Kerry experiencing staffing shortages; the measures being taken to improve recruitment and retention in the sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39953/26]

1025. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the measures being taken to support parents unable to return to work due to a lack of childcare places; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39954/26]

1026. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if a child (details supplied) can have an extra year on the ECCE programme before starting primary school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39955/26]

1027. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to outline the progress, the plan and the timescale for reducing costs for childcare for parents; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39958/26]

1028. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether foster carers qualify for the Christmas bonus. [39964/26]

1029. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the rationale for funding cuts to the issue of foetal alcohol syndrome this year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40044/26]