1014. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will clarify whether the National LGBTIQ+ Inclusion Strategy can override or qualify statutory child protection obligations; her views on the primacy of safeguarding duties in all publicly funded services involving infants; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [64329/26]
Topics / Child Protection
A subject heading for parliamentary questionsChild Protection
217 questions from 38 TDs, between 5 February 2025 and 16 September 2026.
217
questions
212 written, 5 oral
38
TDs have asked
9
parties and groups
Independents counted together
10
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 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 4 |
| March 2025 | 2 |
| April 2025 | 5 |
| May 2025 | 4 |
| June 2025 | 0 |
| July 2025 | 6 |
| August 2025 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 23 |
| October 2025 | 8 |
| November 2025 | 29 |
| December 2025 | 29 |
| January 2026 | 1 |
| February 2026 | 33 |
| March 2026 | 7 |
| April 2026 | 0 |
| May 2026 | 41 |
| June 2026 | 9 |
| July 2026 | 12 |
| August 2026 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 4 |
| October 2026 | 0 |
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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117
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14
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10
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8
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7
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6
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6
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4
Asked of
Debated under the same heading
Debates whose official heading is exactly these words.
The questions
1043. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether Children First provides specific national guidance on the sex of adults supervising children in circumstances involving changing, showering, toileting or sleeping arrangements; whether it provides guidance where the sex of a supervising adult differs from their gender identity; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [65…
1044. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether organisations working with children are permitted to determine independently the sex or gender of adults considered suitable to supervise children in changing rooms, showers, toilets and sleeping accommodation; whether her Department monitors consistency in such safeguarding arrangements; and if she will make a statement on the …
1045. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether national child safeguarding guidance requires consideration of the sex of adults supervising children in settings involving changing, showering, toileting or sleeping arrangements; whether her Department has provided guidance on how such arrangements should operate where the sex of a supervising adult differs from their gender i…
287. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No. 693 of 30 June 2026, if she is satisfied that school policies and procedures are sufficient to ensure children are protected; the way in which she assesses the system of child protection at school is fit-for-purpose; if she has concerns about the capacity of the system elsewhere, for example in Tusla, An Garda…
656. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department has itself sought confirmation from Tusla as to whether any of any specific gaps are in fact recorded on the Corporate Risk Register, as distinct from restating who bears responsibility for maintaining that register. [52828/26]
657. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department Oversight Agreement with Tusla provides any mechanism by which her Department is made aware of the contents of the Corporate Risk Register; or whether her Department has no visibility of it whatsoever. [52829/26]
658. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality given that three separate and substantively different governance gaps have now been put to her Department and met with the same non-substantive reply, whether she accepts that her Department is currently unable to state whether any of these matters are being treated as risks by Tusla at all. [52830/26]
662. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality further to Parliamentary Questions Nos.1606 and 1614 of 9 June 2026, (details supplied), to confirm whether a defined threshold or escalation trigger exists for repeated placement breakdowns, and, if so, the threshold; whether the 328 figure, or equivalent data on repeat placements, is reported through any national governance, risk regis…
663. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the total number of individual child protection and welfare referrals received by Tusla, regarding school employees, broken down by primary school and post-primary school, for each of the years 2023, 2024, 2025 and to date in 2026. [53033/26]
664. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of individual child protection and welfare referrals received that were classified as mandated reports; and the number classified as non-mandated referrals. [53034/26]
665. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number and percentage of individual child protection and welfare referrals received determined by Tusla at screening stage to not meet the threshold. [53035/26]
666. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of unique children the individual child protection and welfare referrals received relate to, broken down by primary school and post-primary school. [53036/26]
667. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the total number of formal appeals to Tusla; and the percentage of those appeals that were successful or resulted in a decision reversal. [53037/26]
188. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the key measures taken in child protection services since January 2025; her priorities for same for the rest of 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51939/26]
20. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration his views on the prevalence of childhood exploitation into crime; and his plans to address this issue. [49884/26]
693. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she is aware of “huge concern” reported by the Gardaí in relation to Tusla’s handling of a case (details supplied) in County Meath; if the handling of this case has been reviewed by Tusla and independently; the findings of the review; the actions that have been taken arising from it; and if she will make a statement on the matter.…
703. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the protocols that exist to ensure concerns are reported to child protection services where appropriate; the number of cases involving minors presenting for such services in each of the past six years. [49230/26]
54. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she has considered the role of housing insecurity on child welfare; the additional supports she is proposing to improve child welfare in precarious housing situations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47497/26]
91. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the measures being advanced to support the continued recruitment of foster carers given their essential role in delivering family-based care for children in need of protection; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47387/26]
1569. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether any system currently exists for the ongoing monitoring of individuals working with children after Garda vetting has been completed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42148/26]
1570. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether Garda vetting is considered by her Department to be a sufficient standalone safeguarding measure for individuals working with children; the additional safeguards that exist to assess ongoing suitability once an individual is employed within the sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42150/26]
1571. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether Tusla or any State body maintains oversight where safeguarding concerns identified within one early years setting may be relevant to a person subsequently seeking employment in another setting; the way in which children are protected in circumstances where concerns may not follow an individual between employers; and if she wi…
1650. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department has assessed the impact of review delays on child protection learning and service improvement. [43235/26]
1720. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of child protection referrals classified as re-referrals in each year from 2020 to 2025, nationally and by Tusla service area; the percentage of total referrals represented by re-referrals in each year; and whether Tusla has undertaken any analysis of the relationship between re-referrals and subsequent adverse child protecti…