Childcare Qualifications

85. Deputy Catherine Callaghan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the progress being made to develop and ‘Earn and Learn’ apprenticeship model enabling childcare staff to gain qualifications and advance their careers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47402/26]

803. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of childminders who have completed the pre-registration course through the county and city childcare committees to date in 2026, by month, in tabular form. [45827/26]

804. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of childminders who have completed the children first course as part of the childminding registration process to date in 2026, by month, in tabular form. [45828/26]

369. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if consideration can be given that, when a childcare worker has received Garda vetting within the valid three-year period, that vetting can be transferred to a new childcare service; if the childcare worker moves job, rather than having to submit a brand new vetting application for the new employment; and if he…

492. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether any analysis has been conducted on market concentration within private residential childcare provision; and if so, whether any risks relating to provider dependency or limited competition have been identified. [29304/26]

493. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether the State has a strategic plan to reduce reliance on private residential childcare placements through expansion of public provision; and the timeline for such measures. [29305/26]

856. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of childminders who have completed the pre-registration course through the county and city childcare committees. [14211/26]

857. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of childminders who have completed the children first course as part of the childminding registration process. [14212/26]

540. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of Tusla registered childminders, by county, in 2020 to 2024, by year. [49798/25]

322. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will outline the professional qualifications and disciplines required under HSE contracts for individuals conducting autism assessments; and if these requirements include the involvement of psychologists, psychiatrists, speech and language therapists and occupational therapists. [49388/25]

323. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if all contracted companies are using professionals who meet the qualification standards set out in HSE contracts for autism assessments; and if she will provide details of the oversight mechanisms in place to ensure compliance with these standards. [49390/25]

324. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if any concerns or complaints have been raised regarding the qualifications or practices of professionals employed by any private provider contracted to conduct autism assessments; and if so, the nature of these concerns and the actions taken by the HSE. [49391/25]

325. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will publish the compliance and monitoring framework used by the HSE to ensure that contracted providers adhere to clinical standards and multidisciplinary assessment protocols in autism diagnostics. [49392/25]

644. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of early years students on degree courses (NFQ Level 7 and above) who attended work placements in early years settings in 2023 and 2024; the number of new early years graduates (NFQ Level 7 and above) who began working in early years settings in 2023 and 2024; and if she will make a statement on the matter.…

733. Deputy Maeve O'Connell asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality for an update on her Department's plans to ensure all childminders are registered by 2027. [34385/25]

134. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the requirements for childminders when they are registering with Tusla; if she will outline the details of the review which is underway in relation to these requirements; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33067/25]

750. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the reason a fully qualified special needs assistant (level 7) must gain a qualification (details supplied); if there could be any flexibility given the recruitment and retention crisis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25257/25]

153. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if she will provide an update on the action that has been undertaken in furtherance of the stated commitment in the Programme for Government to introduce an ‘earn and learn’ apprenticeship model enabling childcare staff to gain qualifications and advance their careers; and if she will make a sta…

161. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth how her Department intends to implement the 'earn and learn' apprenticeship model outlined in the Programme for Government; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7635/25]

857. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the reason the BTEC Higher National Diploma Level 5 course in early childhood education and care at North West Regional College Derry, which was recognised as a Level 7 qualification, was changed to a Level 6 qualification; the reason students currently on the course were not exempted…

517. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if any consideration is being given to changing the FETAC Level 5 requirement for childcare/early years education/ECCE staff in certain circumstances to alleviate the recruitment and retention crisis in the sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3965/25]

518. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if any consideration is being given to changing the FETAC Level 5 requirement for childcare/early years education/ECCE staff in certain circumstances to alleviate the recruitment and retention crisis in the sector, with specific reference to Irish-language centres/naíonraí and the particular ch…