1612. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department or Tusla, are aware of any legal challenges being brought before the Workplace Relations Commission by staff members in relation to the impact that the current restructuring of special care services will have on their roles; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60087/25]
Topics / Care Services
A subject heading for parliamentary questionsCare Services
272 questions from 83 TDs, between 22 January 2025 and 22 October 2026.
272
questions
267 written, 5 oral
83
TDs have asked
10
parties and groups
Independents counted together
4
departments asked
Questions per month
The record holds no questions for August, when the Dáil does not sit.
Jan 2025Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions |
|---|---|
| January 2025 | 9 |
| February 2025 | 15 |
| March 2025 | 7 |
| April 2025 | 16 |
| May 2025 | 21 |
| June 2025 | 8 |
| July 2025 | 24 |
| August 2025 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 17 |
| October 2025 | 20 |
| November 2025 | 19 |
| December 2025 | 8 |
| January 2026 | 3 |
| February 2026 | 6 |
| March 2026 | 4 |
| April 2026 | 33 |
| May 2026 | 25 |
| June 2026 | 21 |
| July 2026 | 5 |
| August 2026 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 1 |
| October 2026 | 10 |
Who asks, by party
The party each TD belonged to on the day, in alphabetical order. Parties differ a lot in size, and members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them, so this shows who raised it, not how much a party cares about it.
The TDs who asked most
Members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them. Each question counts once.
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26
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24
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12
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12
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11
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9
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7
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7
Asked of
Debated under the same heading
Debates whose official heading is exactly these words.
The questions
1613. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of staff members in special care centres who have applied for transfers since the commencement of the restructuring process; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60088/25]
1614. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of staff members in special care centres who are currently engaged in the grievance procedure as a result of concerns regarding the impact of the restructuring process on their roles or conditions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60089/25]
1615. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of staff members across all grades that Tusla has managed to directly recruit since the launch of its recruitment campaign associated with the new structures of special care services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60090/25]
1616. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if Tusla has received feedback from a trade union (details supplied) in relation to its members’ views on the restructuring proposals for special care services; and if so, to outline the nature of this feedback; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60091/25]
1617. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether Tusla has increased special care bed capacity since the commencement of its restructuring plan; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60092/25]
1618. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if the “dedicated retention team,” referenced in previous correspondence, has met with special care employees regarding their concerns about the Tusla restructuring process; and if so, to provide details of when such meetings took place; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60093/25]
1619. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether Tusla, or her Department, has developed an organisational risk management plan in special care centres to address the potential loss of staff member, particularly at senior management, management and social care leader levels, arising from the restructuring; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60094/25]
1620. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether Tusla, or her Department, has a contingency plan in place to maintain or increase special care bed capacity, as outlined in recent budget commitments, in light of the risk of staff departures associated with the restructuring process; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60095/25]
1621. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality in relation to overseas recruitment costings previously cited at €337,650 for special care centre employees, if she will confirm the specific timeframe to which this cost applies, given that the overseas recruits commenced in the summer, and that this figure therefore appears to cover approximately four months rather than an annua…
210. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health to provide an update on implementation of each of the recommendations from the Report of the Strategic Workforce Advisory Group on Home Carers and Nursing Home Health Care Assistants, in tabular form. [57571/25]
211. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health the reason the minutes of the Strategic Workforce Advisory Group on Home Carers and Nursing Home Health Care Assistants implementation group have not been published since July 2024 (details supplied); the number of times this group has met since July 2024; if this group is still in existence; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57572/25]
765. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she is aware that only 15 of the 26 High Court-directed special care beds in the State are currently operational due to ongoing staffing shortages; the steps being taken to ensure full capacity is restored; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54701/25]
766. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the rationale for the proposed restructuring of Tusla’s special care services of a facility (details supplied); whether a full consultation with staff and their representative union took place; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54702/25]
767. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she has considered the impact of the proposed restructuring on the regulatory responsibilities of persons in charge; if HIQA has been consulted regarding the potential implications for the registration of special care centres (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54703/25]
768. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if an updated job specification has been issued for new and revised roles under the proposed restructuring of facilities (details supplied); if not, when these documents will be provided to staff; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54704/25]
769. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if an equality or risk assessment has been undertaken on the proposed restructuring of Tusla’s special care services, given widespread staff concerns that the changes could result in centre closures (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54705/25]
770. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will address concerns that the proposed amalgamation of the social care leader and social care worker grades into a single “special care worker” grade will erode the supervisory and support structures essential for safe service delivery in special care centres (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matte…
772. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will clarify whether Tusla’s previous “agency incentive scheme” was approved by her Department; the cost implications of this scheme; the safeguards now in place to prevent pay disparities between agency and directly employed staff (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54708/25]
773. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will provide details of any proposals submitted by Tusla to increase the “special care allowance” to improve recruitment and retention; whether her Department supports these measures; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54709/25]
774. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to outline the engagement that has taken place between her Department, Tusla, and a union (details supplied) to address ongoing staff retention issues in special care; if she will ensure that the restructuring plan is paused pending meaningful consultation with affected staff; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54710/…
775. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to explain the reason for the decision by her Department not to approve the proposed increase in the “special care allowance” for staff working in Tusla’s special care centres (details supplied); if she will reconsider this decision given the acute staffing crisis and associated High Court implications; and if she will make a state…
311. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if the neurorehabilitation centre in Bray, Co. Wicklow is now fully operational; if not, when it is expected to become fully operational; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54497/25]
512. Deputy Ann Graves asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the care package available to a person (details supplied) as his mother is elderly and wants to ensure he can be cared for long into the future; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53020/25]
513. Deputy Ann Graves asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the care package available to a person (details supplied) as his mother is elderly and wants to ensure he can be cared for long in to the future.; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53020/25]