521. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the reason private supervised-access providers, including an organisation (details supplied), can continue to be used under court orders where a State agency has raised safeguarding concerns and ceased using the provider; the regulation and oversight that applies to such providers; whether courts are notified of safeguarding or vet…
Topics / Child Safety
A subject heading for parliamentary questionsChild Safety
37 questions from 9 TDs, between 25 March 2025 and 6 October 2026.
37
questions
37 written, 0 oral
9
TDs have asked
8
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 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 0 |
| March 2025 | 1 |
| April 2025 | 2 |
| May 2025 | 0 |
| June 2025 | 0 |
| July 2025 | 0 |
| August 2025 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 1 |
| October 2025 | 1 |
| November 2025 | 0 |
| December 2025 | 0 |
| January 2026 | 0 |
| February 2026 | 14 |
| March 2026 | 2 |
| April 2026 | 3 |
| May 2026 | 3 |
| June 2026 | 2 |
| July 2026 | 0 |
| August 2026 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 7 |
| October 2026 | 1 |
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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18
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8
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3
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2
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2
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1
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1
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1
Asked of
The questions
684. Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the supports, services and safeguarding measures that are currently available through the HSE for children who are considered at significant risk of wandering, absconding or becoming lost, including autistic children and those with intellectual disabilities; whether assistance is available for GPS tracking or other locating tec…
1051. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the statutory, regulatory and inspection frameworks governing privately operated or externally contracted residential care settings, including section 38 and section 39 commissioned placements; whether any regulatory, transparency or reporting exemptions apply to commercial providers compared with State-operated services; and the spe…
1053. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the statutory protections available to frontline social care professionals, advocates, and members of the public who raise child-safeguarding concerns in good faith involving public bodies or publicly funded services; whether her Department has identified any evidentiary or legal gaps in those protections where concerns relate to mul…
1054. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the details of whether any automated technical mechanism currently exists within Tusla's case management system to cross-reference children identified as exhibiting indicators of trafficking or exploitation with children reported missing from care; and if the Government intends to introduce such a statutory cross-referencing mechan…
1055. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether the Government has undertaken, or intends to undertake, an independent joint audit of the operational handover and follow-up arrangements between An Garda Síochána and Tusla following emergency child removals under section 12 of the Child Care Act 1991; and the statutory framework that exists to ensure joint inspection and c…
1056. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether consideration has been given to establishing an independent, cross-agency statutory oversight mechanism for cases where responsibility for the safeguarding, care, or welfare of a child crosses organisational boundaries between Tusla, the HSE, and An Garda Síochána; the mechanism currently that exist to examine the actions a…
1057. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the formal statutory or administrative mechanism that exists to ensure that children with complex co-occurring needs including severe intellectual disabilities, neurodivergence, or acute mental health crises are not left without an appropriate support plan where responsibility involves both Tusla under its welfare mandate and the H…
206. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will engage with the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs Migration on the way in which child safeguarding can be strengthened given the details of a case (details supplied) brought forward by a childcare provider; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44388/26]
1646. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether interim safeguarding recommendations are issued before completion of National Review Panel reviews where urgent risks are identified. [43231/26]
989. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the cross-border safeguarding mechanisms that are activated when a child in State care is reported missing and believed to have travelled to another jurisdiction [39580/26]
992. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if an exit or pre-departure safeguarding check is conducted where a child indicates an intention to leave the State. [39583/26]
1078. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will consider a unit in between residential care and special care to support children and young people as previously existed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40238/26]
417. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the way in which her Department accounts for situations where individuals subject to safeguarding concerns avoid accountability and continue working with children, including moving between settings without those concerns being identified or acted upon; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31677/26]
161. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the position regarding any engagement he has with the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality in relation to the delays in processing Garda vetting application for new hires in childminding facilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29104/26]
162. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration his views on the merits of creating a priority scheme under Garda vetting for new hires in childminding facilities; if this is something that is under review, if he will engage with the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality on this proposal to reflect the serious impact that processing delays are having on the childcare sector;…
1497. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality with reference to Operation Cosnaím, the number of formal notifications made by Tusla to the Garda National Protective Services Bureau regarding concerns of child trafficking and child sexual exploitation for children in State care in each of the past five years; and the number of these cases where a criminal investigation was subsequ…
228. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department maintains a consolidated Department-level governance and risk oversight framework in respect of privately operated children’s residential centres funded by the Exchequer; whether her Department receives structured, periodic reporting on safeguarding, compliance or regulatory concerns relating to such providers; and…
463. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department maintains a formal risk register entry relating to reliance on privately operated children’s residential centres; if so, the risk categorisation and mitigation measures identified; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15842/26]
518. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the provision of direct Exchequer funding by her Department to any non-statutory body is conditional upon the recipient maintaining a formally adopted safeguarding policy; a designated safeguarding officer; written mandatory reporting procedures in respect of safeguarding concerns; compliance with obligations under the Children First Act 2015 where applica…
519. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department maintains a central register or consolidated oversight framework identifying all non-statutory bodies in receipt of direct Exchequer funding; whether that register records safeguarding compliance status, including the existence of safeguarding policies, designated safeguarding officers and reporting procedures; whether her Department require…
518. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department sets national policy in relation to the prevention of children absconding from residential care and special emergency arrangements; whether sexual exploitation risk is a mandatory policy consideration within that framework; and when the policy was last reviewed. [11385/26]
519. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether she or her officials have received briefings, reports, or submissions since 2021 concerning links between absconding from care and sexual exploitation risk; the number of such briefings; and the actions taken following receipt. [11386/26]
520. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether she accepts that the absence of any national metric or reporting requirement for the escalation of high-priority unallocated child protection cases limits effective ministerial oversight; whether her Department has assessed the governance or child-protection risks arising from the fact that such escalations are not recorded or re…
521. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the assurance mechanisms that are in place within her Department to confirm that risk-escalation procedures for high-priority unallocated child protection cases result in timely allocation; whether any internal or external audit, review, or evaluation has been conducted of escalation outcomes in 2023 or 2024; and if not, the reason no su…