Written Answers Nos. 1-30
5. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the steps her Department is taking to tackle the rate of exploitation by criminal gangs of children in the State care system; if she will meet with an advocacy group (details supplied) which is working to reduce child trafficking in Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [71834/25]
View answerChildren in the care of the State are some of the most vulnerable individuals in our society. The Department and Tusla are committed to promoting safe and high-quality practice in all areas of alternative care, including in relation to protecting this vulnerable cohort from the risk of sexual exploitation and child trafficking.
The Child Sexual Exploitation Procedure was developed in 2021 to assist Tusla social workers, care workers in recognising indicators of child sexual exploitation, making appropriate referrals where such concerns exist and responding to cases where children may be at risk of sexual exploitation.
The procedure sets out the pathways for reporting concerns of child sexual exploitation to An Garda Síochána, for children who are in the care of Tusla, under Operation Cosnaím, and for children who reside in a community setting, through the local Garda District.
As part of “Operation Cosnaím” all concerns of suspected child trafficking and/or child sexual exploitation regarding a child who is in the care of Tusla, must be notified to a centralised point in the Garda National Protective Services Bureau.
Since early 2022, Tusla has partnered with MECPATHS, a non - profit organisation which focuses specifically on the issue of child trafficking in Ireland. This collaboration is intended to raise awareness and provide frontline staff across Tusla services with training on Child Trafficking in Ireland, thus increasing the agency’s capacity to respond to this evolving area of need.
As of our last update, over 900 Tusla staff, including those working in State Care including Residential Care, Fostering and Adoption, intake and duty, and the Unaccompanied Minors and Separated Children’s Team (SCSIP Service) have participated in MECPATHS workshops.
I am aware of a recent meeting request from MECPATHS to discuss their important and vital work, and I am currently seeking an opportunity to meet this request.
The Department and Tusla have previously met with An Garda Síochána on child human trafficking and labour exploitation and the implementation of the National Referral Mechanism under the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Human Trafficking) Act 2024. This Act places the identification and protection of victims of human trafficking on statutory footing and expands the number of bodies that can identify a victim beyond An Garda Síochána.
The National Referral Mechanism is a framework through which States fulfil their obligations to protect and promote the human rights of trafficking victims, working in partnership with civil society. Ireland’s new National Referral Mechanism will make it easier for victims of trafficking to come forward, be identified and access advice, accommodation, and support. The National Referral Mechanism, which is yet to commence, will name Tusla as a ‘Competent Authority.’
The establishment of the National Referral Mechanism and the timeframe for its implementation, rests with the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration.
In relation to child trafficking and exploitation, coordination and co-operation, across Government and in the best interests of children, is essential.
I have recently published the Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2025. The Bill will revise and update the Child Care Act 1991 and is aimed at reflecting changes in child welfare and protection services in Ireland, and capturing current legislative, policy and practice developments.
The Bill will provide for greater cooperation and coordination across agencies and departments, promoting a more agile response across the State in keeping children safe from harm. Some of the key features of the bill include:
• The introduction of a duty to cooperate between relevant bodies, such as Tusla, government departments and others. This will require organisations to cooperate proactively in performing their existing functions relevant to the development, welfare and protection of a child.
• A clear basis for the sharing of information between agencies and organisations when they are working together on child protection and child welfare matters under the new duty to cooperate.
Tusla continues to take the issue of potential Child Sexual Exploitation and Child Trafficking very seriously, and are committed to promoting safe and high quality practice in all areas of Alternative Care, including working with An Garda Síochána as required.
6. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the current number of children in Cork North-West and across County Cork waiting for assessment and intervention through children’s disability network teams; the average length of time families in this area are waiting for key therapies such as speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and psychology; the specific measures being taken to fill vacancies and increase staffing levels in Cork’s CDNTs, particularly those covering north and west Cork; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [73599/25]
View answerThe Government and I recognise the importance of early intervention for children with disabilities and ensuring they receive the right services at the right time. For children with complex needs, these services are delivered through the Children’s Disability Network Teams (CDNTs) across the country.
In 2025 CDNTs will provide supports and services to almost 45,000 children with complex needs. This is an increase of some 2,000 children in receipt of services at the end of December 2024.
The number of children on waiting lists for Children’s Disability Network Teams has fallen from nearly 13,000 at the end of 2024 to just over 10,000 at the end of September 2025, a reduction of 21%.
The HSE have advised the Department that of the 14 Children’s Disability Network Teams in HSE South West, a total of 11 provide services in Cork city and county, with CDNT4 covering Northwest Cork.
Children’s Disability Network Teams deliver an interdisciplinary model of care. As such they do not maintain waiting lists for individual disciplines. Rather, a wait list is maintained for those awaiting access to the Initial Contact pathway.
445 children are waiting for an initial contact in Cork Children’s Disability Network Teams, with 28 of those in Cork Northwest. No child in Cork Northwest is waiting more than 12 months for an initial contact from the Children’s Disability Network Team.
The approved number of Wholetime Equivalent posts for the Cork area at the end of November 2025 was 309.79. Of these posts 271.72 were filled, giving an overall staffing rate across Cork Children’s Disability Network Teams of 88%. In Cork Northwest, at the end of November 2025 31.63 of 33.13 approved posts were filled, with 95% of the posts filled.
Assessments are an integral part of the work carried out by Children’s Disability Network Teams as part of the continuum supports provided to children. Assessments are also carried out through the Assessment of Need process. To the end of September 2025 received 1,497 applications for assessment of need were received within the Cork Local Health Offices (LHO), 760 Assessment of Need reports have been completed and 1473 applications are overdue for completion.
The Government acknowledges current delays in accessing interventions and work is ongoing by the HSE to maximise the capacity of Children’s Disability Network Teams via recruitment campaigns and other measures.
Government has made funding available in 2025 for children’s services to build on existing recruitment initiatives, focusing on various positions across Children’s Disability Network Teams.
A further €8 million has been secured in Budget 2026 to allow for the recruitment of around 150 staff to Children’s Disability Network Teams.
This funding will enhance access to services for children with complex disabilities. The posts will span a range of professional disciplines, aligned with the needs identified by the Children’s Disability Network Teams. A national workforce census carried out in October 2025 will inform the breakdown of these posts
Recruitment and retention of Health and Social Care Professionals is the most significant challenge, and work is ongoing to increase staffing levels.
Student placements on Children’s Disability Network Teams will continue to be expanded, alongside a continued growth in the number of places in higher education, to develop the pipeline of future therapists.
There are also initiatives including engaging with the employment market and students to improve the perception and increase interest in working in this area.
As a result of these and other efforts, the Children’s Disability Network Team workforce has grown by 26% from 1,594 in October 2023 to 2,009 Whole Time Equivalents in April 2025. Funding from Budget 2026 will further grow this number.
This represents an overall growth since October 2023 of 414 Whole Time Equivalents. This means the vacancy rate has reduced by 11 percentage points from 29% to 18% during that period. This is the lowest vacancy rate since October 2021.
Notwithstanding the current challenges, both the Government and the HSE remain committed to the delivery of appropriate services for children with disabilities and their families to continue advancing services that meet their needs.
8. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality further to the recent changes to the assessment of need, AON, process as announced by her Department, the expected impact these changes will have on the timeline for those seeking an AON; the process by which children will now be able to avail of treatment, therapies and other services in a timely manner; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [73104/25]
View answer13. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality further to the recent changes to the assessment of need, AON, process announced by her Department, if she expects wait times to be impacted for those seeking an AON; the way in which the changes made to the AON process will impact the delivery of treatment and therapies; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [73105/25]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 8 and 13 together.
The Government recognises that there are unacceptable delays in accessing Assessments of Need. My Department and the HSE are committed to addressing these delays.
Under the Disability Act, an Assessment of Need is an assessment process carried out by the HSE where a person is of the opinion that he/she may have a disability, for anyone born after 1st June 2002.
It first establishes whether the person has a disability (as defined within the Act). It then identifies the health and education needs of the person with a disability and the services required to meet those needs.
On December 9th, Government announced a series of reforms to the Assessment of Need process which will make the process more effective and efficient for children and families and move towards more assessments being delivered within the statutory 6-month timeframe.
These reforms include changes to Part 2 of the Disability Act, 2005, which provides for Assessments of Need. The General Scheme of the Disability (Amendment) Bill 2025 was approved by Government on 9 December and will be published on the Department’s website shortly.
These changes will not remove any rights for parents to apply for an Assessment of Need for their child, nor will they alter the statutory six-month timeline set out in the Disability Act.
Turning to access to treatment and therapies, I must emphasise that children do not require an Assessment of Need to access health services, including Primary Care, Children’s Disability Network Teams or Mental Health Services. However, it is recognised that there can be delays for children and families in getting access to the treatments and therapies they need.
Children can also be on a number of different waiting lists which can cause confusion for families. In 2026, the HSE will introduce a Single Point of Access system, which will make it easier for families to be referred to the right service - whether that is a Children’s Disability Network Team, Primary Care, or the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service.
The recruitment of staff across the Disability Sector continues to be a key priority in ensuring children can access therapies in a timely manner. An intensive focus by my Department has been on increasing the staffing of Children’s Disability Network Teams who deliver supports and services to children with complex needs.
Data from April 2025 shows that there was a 26% increase in Children’s Disability Network Team staffing levels nationwide since October 2023. The impact of this can be seen in reduction of CDNT waiting lists which fell from nearly 13,000 children in January this year to just over 10,000 children by the end of September.
I am acutely aware that further improvements are required across the broader healthcare system to ensure that children receive the therapies they need in a timely manner.
I want to assure the Deputy that the provision of an effective and efficient delivery of assessments as well as therapies remains a priority for the Government.
10. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to urgently address the shortfall in respite beds across Kerry for both adults and children; her plans to address this issue; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72807/25]
View answerThe Programme for Government includes a commitment to continued expansion of all types of respite services, building on additional investment and progress over the last few years.
HSE South West Disability Services operate separate Children and Adult Regional Respite Forums. Each forum manages the referrals and respite service provision for the population of the region to ensure equitable access to respite services, consistent with each person’s assessed need and preference. Service provider representatives and HSE South West Disability Services personnel comprise membership of the Regional Respite Forum.
HSE South West Disability Services provide a range of respite models for children and adults. These include residential (overnight) respite centres, afterschool clubs for children and young people, in home support, outreach supports and holiday breaks for adults. These options ensure that respite is provided in the manner which best meets the needs of people and their families / carers.
Regional Health Area (RHA) HSE Southwest, which extends to the Cork and Kerry area, provided 17,181 respite overnights in 2024, 2,833 day only respite sessions and supported 760 people with a disability.
Kerry residential respite services for children aged between 6 and 18 years of age is delivered by St. John of God Services. There are two residential respite houses, one in North Kerry and one in South Kerry. Each house has 4 respite beds and operates 7 days per week with planned closures during the year. This equates to approximately 2800 respite bed nights for children every year.
A number of families have been provided with bespoke respite arrangements to support them in response to specific challenges.
Current respite provision in Kerry includes ten Adult respite beds providing respite over seven nights and a further five Adult respite beds providing respite over three nights. This delivers approximately 4200 respite bed nights for adults every year.
The HSE advise that the number of people a respite centre can accommodate at any given time is not fixed as it varies according to the complexity of clients’ needs. Within each centre, groupings and occupancy are determined by both client compatibility and the level of support required to ensure safe and appropriate care.
Alternative respite services for children in Kerry include afterschool clubs, Saturday clubs and in home support as well as support for children to access community based activities, delivered in accordance with the assessed needs and preferences of children and their families.
Alternative respite services for adults in Kerry include evening and weekend support, outreach services and holiday breaks.
11. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the steps her Department is taking to address the ongoing lack of affordable early learning and childcare places, particularly for working families; whether she has assessed the impact of rising childcare costs on parents’ ability to remain in employment, including in areas such as Dublin Bay North; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [73237/25]
View answerEarly learning and childcare capacity is increasing. Data from the Annual Early Years Sector Profile shows that the estimated number of enrolments increased by approximately 19% between 2022 and 2024. In Dublin City, there has been an increase of 22% in the numbers of children enrolled during this period demonstrating the substantial increase in the numbers of children benefitting from services.
However, it appears that demand for early learning and childcare remains higher than available supply in certain parts of the country, particularly for younger children.
The Building Blocks Extension scheme allowed Core Funding Partner Services to extend their existing premises or, in the case of community services, to construct or purchase new premises. The Scheme will deliver up to 1,500 full-day care places, beginning to become available from 2026.
As part of the National Development Plan, €197 million has been made available for capital investment in early learning and childcare in the period 2026-2030. This will include investment in buildings through the State-led early learning and childcare programme, investment in expansion of existing early learning and childcare operators through the Building Blocks scheme and a number of quality initiatives including supports to childminders.
Preparatory work for this programme of capital investment is underway, with the multi-year programme planned to commence from 2026 onwards.
Early learning and care and school-age childcare should serve the public good, giving children opportunities, enabling families to make decisions that work for them, and providing an important support for economic growth and social equity. This Government recognises that to achieve their full potential, parents need support, and Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare are key enablers of work life balance. Shaping the Future, the new Early Years Action Plan, sets out the next steps in delivery of the key commitments in the Programme for Government to improve affordability, quality, and access.
Phase 2 actions will be published later in 2026 following a broad consultation and will include a roadmap to reduce parental fees to a maximum of €200 per month over the lifetime of the Government.
Core Funding is a funding scheme designed to support affordability for parents through:
• ensuring no increases in fees,
• capping the maximum fees that can be charged, and
• offering the National Childhood Scheme (NCS) and the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme to all eligible children
€20.6 million has been secured in Budget 2026 to support providers in adhering to Core Funding fee management conditions. This will guarantee that Core Funding’s monetary protections will continue to be passed on to families. New, lower maximum fee levels will be set during the course of 2026, when full details of Core Funding for the 2026-27 programme year are announced.
The NCS provides subsidies to reduce the costs of childcare for families. A minimum of €2.14 per child per hour is available to all families through the universal subsidy. A Review of the NCS is due to commence early in 2026 which will, among other things, look at the impact of NCS subsidies on the labour market participation of parents across all income groups.
Yesterday I announced adjustments to the NCS income assessed subsidy. From September 2026, the NCS income thresholds and multiple child deductions (MCD) will be increased. The lower and upper income thresholds will be increased from the existing €26,000 to €60,000, up to between €34,000 and €68,000.
The multiple child discount (MCD) component of the NCS subsidy will also be increased from €4,300 to €5,500 for families with 2 children and from €8,600 to €11,000 for families with 3 or more children, to reduce the cumulative burden of childcare costs.
These changes will improve the affordability of childcare for up to 47,000 children from lower income families.
16. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the current number of children in Cork North-West and across County Cork waiting for assessment and intervention through children’s disability network teams; the average length of time families in this area are waiting for key therapies such as speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and psychology; the specific measures being taken to fill vacancies and increase staffing levels in Cork’s CDNTs, particularly those covering north and west Cork; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [71901/25]
View answerThe Government and I recognise the importance of early intervention for children with disabilities and ensuring they receive the right services at the right time. For children with complex needs, these services are delivered through the Children’s Disability Network Teams (CDNTs) across the country.
In 2025 CDNTs will provide supports and services to almost 45,000 children with complex needs. This is an increase of some 2,000 children in receipt of services at the end of December 2024.
The number of children on waiting lists for Children’s Disability Network Teams has fallen from nearly 13,000 at the end of 2024 to just over 10,000 at the end of September 2025, a reduction of 21%.
The HSE have advised the Department that of the 14 Children’s Disability Network Teams in HSE South West, a total of 11 provide services in Cork city and county, with CDNT4 covering Northwest Cork.
Children’s Disability Network Teams deliver an interdisciplinary model of care. As such they do not maintain waiting lists for individual disciplines. Rather, a wait list is maintained for those awaiting access to the Initial Contact pathway.
445 children are waiting for an initial contact in Cork Children’s Disability Network Teams, with 28 of those in Cork Northwest. No child in Cork Northwest is waiting more than 12 months for an initial contact from the Children’s Disability Network Team.
The approved number of Wholetime Equivalent posts for the Cork area at the end of November 2025 was 309.79. Of these posts 271.72 were filled, giving an overall staffing rate across Cork Children’s Disability Network Teams of 88%. In Cork Northwest, at the end of November 2025 31.63 of 33.13 approved posts were filled, with 95% of the posts filled.
Assessments are an integral part of the work carried out by Children’s Disability Network Teams as part of the continuum of support. Assessments are also carried out through the Assessment of Need process. To the end of September 2025 received 1,497 applications for assessment of need were received within the Cork Local Health Offices (LHO), 760 Assessment of Need reports have been completed and 1473 applications are overdue for completion.
The Government acknowledges current delays in accessing interventions and work is ongoing by the HSE to maximise the capacity of Children’s Disability Network Teams via recruitment campaigns and other measures.
Government has made funding available in 2025 for children’s services to build on existing recruitment initiatives, focusing on various positions across Children’s Disability Network Teams.
A further €8 million has been secured in Budget 2026 to allow for the recruitment of around 150 staff to Children’s Disability Network Teams.
This funding will enhance access to services for children with complex disabilities. The posts will span a range of professional disciplines, aligned with the needs identified by the Children’s Disability Network Teams. A national workforce census carried out in October 2025 will inform the breakdown of these posts
Recruitment and retention of Health and Social Care Professionals is the most significant challenge, and work is ongoing to increase staffing levels.
Student placements on Children’s Disability Network Teams will continue to be expanded, alongside a continued growth in the number of places in higher education, to develop the pipeline of future therapists.
There are also initiatives including engaging with the employment market and students to improve the perception and increase interest in working in this area.
As a result of these and other efforts, the Children’s Disability Network Team workforce has grown by 26% from 1,594 in October 2023 to 2,009 Whole Time Equivalents in April 2025. Funding from Budget 2026 will further grow this number.
This represents an overall growth since October 2023 of 414 Whole Time Equivalents. This means the vacancy rate has reduced by 11 percentage points from 29% to 18% during that period. This is the lowest vacancy rate since October 2021.
Notwithstanding the current challenges, both the Government and the HSE remain committed to the delivery of appropriate services for children with disabilities and their families to continue advancing services that meet their needs.
17. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality her Departments plans to expand and strengthen childcare provision in east Galway, including measures to increase capacity, support new providers, and address shortages of affordable early learning and care places for families across the region; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [73187/25]
View answerImproving access to quality and affordable early learning and childcare is a key priority of Government.
Early learning and childcare capacity is increasing. Data from the Annual Early Years Sector Profile shows that the estimated number of enrolments increased by over 18% between 2022 and 2024 in Galway, demonstrating substantially increased access to provision for children.
However, it appears that demand for early learning and childcare remains higher than available supply in certain parts of the country, particularly for younger children.
A new Forward Planning Unit in the Department has developed a forward planning model which will be central to achieving the policy goals set out in the Programme for Government to build an affordable, high-quality, accessible early childhood learning and childcare system, with State-led facilities adding capacity.
The Department continues to support the ongoing development and resourcing of Core Funding which has given rise to a significant expansion of places since the scheme was first introduced. Core Funding, which is in its fourth programme year, funds services based on the number of places available.
Budget 2025 secured funding for the fourth programme year to facilitate a further 3.5% increase from September 2025. Budget 2026 has made provision for the fifth programme year for a further expansion in supply of 4.2% starting in September 2026.
The total allocation for Core Funding in the 2026/27 programme year will increase to over €480 million. This increased investment will allow increases in growth of the sector driven both by new services joining the sector and existing services offering more places or longer hours to families and supports both providers and workers by enabling increases in pay.
In addition to current funding to support access to early learning and childcare, capital funding allocated under the National Development Plan has enabled expansion of early learning and childcare.
The Building Blocks Extension scheme allowed Core Funding Partner Services to extend their existing premises or, in the case of community services, to construct or purchase new premises. The Scheme will deliver up to 1,500 full-day care places, beginning to become available from 2026.
As part of the National Development Plan review, the allocation for capital investment in early learning and childcare is €197 million over the next five years. This will include investment in buildings through the State-led early learning and childcare programme, investment in expansion of existing early learning and childcare operators through the current and future Building Blocks schemes and a number of quality initiatives including supports to childminders.
Preparatory work for this programme of capital investment is underway and I plan to bring this plan to Government for approval in the new year, with the multi-year programme of investment to commence from 2026 onwards.
19. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will clarify what will be entailed in the education-specific reforms to the assessment of need process; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72584/25]
View answerUnder the Disability Act, an Assessment of Need is an assessment process carried out by the HSE where a person is of the opinion that he/she may have a disability, for anyone born after 1st June 2002.
It first establishes whether the person has a disability (as defined within the Act). It then identifies the health and education needs of the person with a disability and the services required to meet those needs.
On December 9th, Government announced a series of reforms to the Assessment of Need process which will make the process more effective and efficient for children and families. These reforms include changes to Part 2 of the Disability Act, 2005, which provides for Assessments of Need.
The General Scheme of the Disability (Amendment) Bill 2025 was approved by Government on 9 December and will be published on the Department’s website shortly.
It is important to emphasise that these changes will not remove any rights for parents to apply for an Assessment of Need for their child, nor will they alter the statutory six-month timeline set out in the Disability Act.
As part of the AON process, an education needs assessment can be requested for a person who has a disability. Section 8(3) of the Disability Act sets out that the National Council for Special Education must, at the request of the HSE, in writing nominate a person with appropriate expertise to assist in the carrying out of the assessment under this section.
This process will remain unchanged under the proposed reforms to the AON system.
It is important to note that the provision of an education needs assessment as part of the Assessment of Need process is entirely separate from the processes in place within the education system for the provision of specialist supports to children with special education needs.
While a diagnosis is currently required to access a special class or a special school, this does not have to be in the form of an Assessment of Need report. The Department of Education and Youth is developing a process intended to remove the need for a diagnosis to access specialist supports in the school system.
The Department of Education and Youth will bring forward a proposal early in 2026 to agree a process which is intended to result in the removal of the requirement for professional reports, such as Assessment of Need reports, from entry requirements for special schools and special classes and the adoption of a needs-based approach, subject to the availability of necessary resources.
There will be a comprehensive consultation process with the full range of education stakeholders and advocacy groups in respect of this proposed measure.
20. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if consideration has been given for capital funding for community based not-for-profit childcare facilities. [72882/25]
View answerCapital funding for early learning and childcare investment has been made available through the National Development Plan (NDP).
The most recent NDP announced earlier this year allocated €796 million to the Department for 2026-2030, this includes €197 million capital investment for early learning and childcare.
Early learning and childcare capital from 2026 will primarily be directed towards the implementation of the Programme for Government commitment to build or purchase State-owned early learning and childcare facilities. A proportion of the allocation will be invested in supporting existing early learning and childcare providers to expand their current premises to increase the number of early learning and childcare places they can offer.
Planned investment in existing providers to extend and improve their level of provision follows on from a number of schemes to support the sector in recent years, and in particular to community not-for-profit providers.
The Building Blocks grant programme has operated three schemes to date: the Building Blocks Improvement Grant scheme, which ran in 2023, the Building Blocks Expansion Grant scheme, which ran in 2024 and the Building Blocks Extension Grant scheme, which is currently operating.
Under the Building Blocks Improvement Grant, €9 million was allocated in 2023 in grants ranging from €35,000 to €75,000 for green energy upgrades and retrofit projects for services in need of upgrading. This scheme was open to community and private providers. 151 services were offered funding under the scheme, approximately one third of these were community not-for-profit services.
Under the Building Blocks Expansion Grant Scheme, which operated in 2024, the Department provided grants for the renovation or reconfiguration of existing early learning and childcare facilities to deliver additional capacity. Community based not for profit early learning and childcare services were eligible to apply for funding under this scheme. These services were permitted to apply for full funding of renovation projects, whereas private for profit services were required to demonstrate a 50% contribution to the project. In total, 22 services were awarded funding under the scheme, half of which were community not-for-profit services.
The Building Blocks Extension Grant Scheme is operating over 2025 and 2026. The Scheme has four strands: community extension; private extension; community purchase; and community construction. Three of the four strands were only open to community not-for-profit groups, with substantially greater funding values available and no requirement for co-funding. A total of 78 applications were received with 50 applicants approved to progress to the next stage of the grant process. 43 of these 50 projects are led by community not-for-profit services.
The Department is currently examining options and detailed specifications for future Building Blocks schemes, and I expect to announce details in early 2026.
21. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she has engaged with trade unions, representative organisations and childcare providers in the development of her Department’s action plan to reduce childcare costs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [73392/25]
View answer"Shaping the Future", the Early Years Action Plan Phase 1 Report, which was published yesterday, adopts a phased approach that allows for rapid action to improve affordability, accessibility and quality, while also ensuring adequate time for a broad public consultation as committed to in the Programme for Government It fully acknowledges the importance of public consultation due the nature and scale of reforms under consideration in the medium-term to achieve the Government’s objectives.
"Shaping the Future" is ambitious in outlook and it will take the full lifetime of the Government to complete but the issues it addresses are affecting families, providers, educators and practitioners here and now. There is a need for rapid action. That is why Phase 1 report contains actions to be undertaken in 2026. These short-term actions in Phase 1 build on recent reforms to the National Childcare Scheme and Core Funding, and use existing policy mechanisms to strengthen affordability, access and quality.
Phase 2 actions will be undertaken from 2027 through to 2029. Before these medium-term actions can be specified, a broad public consultation will be undertaken, in line with the Programme for Government commitment, and additional data-gathering and analysis will be undertaken to inform planning. Phase 2 actions will be published later in 2026.
The consultation will be carried out in two stages:
• The first stage will form part of the National Conversation on Education, which will precede the Convention on Education that is a commitment in the Programme for Government. It will involve wide consultation on the strengths and challenges in early learning and care and school-age childcare provision, and on the role of early learning and care and school-age childcare within the education system. Consultation methods will include a national survey.
• After completion of the National Conversation on Education, more specific consultation will be undertaken to explore questions raised not only in the Phase 1 report but also during the first stage of consultation.
We hope to capture a range of varied perspectives during the consultation process, recognising the breadth of stakeholders in early learning and care and school-age childcare.
Full details on the consultation will be announced in early 2026. I look forward to hearing from all our stakeholders during this important consultation process.
22. Deputy Edward Timmins asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the plans to review the funding models for childcare including anomalies in core funding; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [73196/25]
View answerShaping the Future: the Early Years Action Plan, Phase 1 Report, published on 17 December, sets out the Government’s approach to build an affordable, high-quality, accessible early learning and care (ELC) and school-age childcare (SAC) system. The approaches and actions set out in Shaping the Future relate to the full breadth of funding schemes for ELC and SAC.
Shaping the Future builds on the Expert Group review of the funding model that was set out in 2021 in the report, Partnership for the Public Good.
The Phase 1 report of Shaping the Future sets out specific actions to be undertaken in 2026, working within the budgetary resources available. During 2026, work will be undertaken to inform the development of Phase 2 actions, which will be published later in 2026 and which will relate to the period 2027 to 2029. The process of developing Phase 2 actions will include a broad public consultation process, in line with the Programme for Government commitment.
In addition, reviews of specific funding schemes are either in train or have been undertaken recently. A comprehensive review of the ECCE programme was published in October of last year. An evaluation of the Access and Inclusion Model was also published last year. Both final reports identified possible enhancements for the future, which informed the current Programme for Government commitments. The Programme for Government also commits to review and increase Core Funding.
An independent evaluation of the National Childcare Scheme will commence in early 2026 building on a previous review published in 2021. This evaluation will examine how effectively the Scheme is operating, whether it is meeting its policy objectives and if further changes are needed. Any changes to the ECCE Programme and/or the NCS will be made following consultation with those impacted, and in the wider context of Phase 2 actions in Shaping the Future to be published later in 2026, which will include a roadmap to reduce parental fees to a maximum of €200 per month over the lifetime of the Government.
An IGEES evaluation of the first year of Core Funding and the development of an evaluation framework for Core Funding is currently underway. This project will examine the early implementation of Core Funding and make recommendations for future evaluations of the grant. Findings from the project are expected in Quarter 1 2026.
In addition to this formal evaluation, since Core Funding was introduced, its effectiveness has been subject to ongoing review and the scheme itself has evolved year on year.
Core Funding has increased from €259m for year 1 and now stands at €392m for the current and fourth programme year. The allocation of this increased funding each year was informed by the data from previous years, feedback from stakeholders as well as an independent financial review of sessional services by Frontier Economics. The allocation for year 5 - which will exceed €480m - will be informed by a range of data, including validated financial returns from providers.
23. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department has incurred any costs in the research, development or marketing of her Department’s action plan to reduce childcare costs. [73393/25]
View answerThe Phase 1 report of Shaping the Future: the Early Years Action Plan was published on 17th December. The report focuses on short-term actions to be undertaken in 2026 within the budgetary resources available for the year. In line with the Programme for Government commitment, a broad public consultation process will be undertaken during 2026, as well as additional analysis, to inform Phase 2 of the Action Plan. Phase 2 actions will be published later in 2026 and will be undertaken from 2027 through to the end of 2029.
Most of the specific research and development activities associated with developing the Action Plan, including the consultation process, will therefore be undertaken during 2026. Potential costs of these planned activities are not yet available.
It is important to stress that both Phase 1 and Phase 2 of Shaping the Future are being informed by an extensive range of research, data-analysis, and public consultation processes that have been undertaken over recent years and that continue. These research and development activities are not specific solely to the Action Plan but are critical to the rigour of its analysis. Examples of wider research and development activities that are critical to the Action Plan include:
• Findings from recent reviews of the ECCE programme and Access and Inclusion Model;
• Administrative data available through the Department’s funding schemes;
• A programme of work focused on identifying areas of need, forecasting demand, and planning for the delivery of public supply within the early learning and care and school-age childcare sector where required;
• A nationally representative parent survey on early learning and care and school-age childcare recently undertaken by Ipsos on behalf of the Department;
• The Annual Early Years Sector Profile Survey; and
• Findings from the OECD TALIS Starting Strong Survey of the sector workforce, published earlier in December.
The only costs incurred so far that are specific to the development of the Phase 1 report of Shaping the Future are the costs associated with design, photography, printing and translation costs, as well as costs associated with the launch of the report. In total, as of 15 December, the total of such costs was just in excess of €10,000. If the Deputy wishes for a breakdown of this cost, I can provide it.
24. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality when funding will be allocated for the establishment of a community neurorehabilitation team in the north-west, in line with the Programme for Government commitment to complete the nationwide rollout of such teams; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72805/25]
View answerThe overarching aim of the National Neuro-Rehabilitation Strategy is the development of Neuro-Rehabilitation services to improve outcomes for people by providing safe, high quality, person-centred Neuro-Rehabilitation at the lowest appropriate level of complexity.
Services must be integrated across the care pathway and provided as close to home as possible.
These services are currently being configured into population based Managed Clinical Rehabilitation Networks (MCRNs). The development of networks including Community Neuro-Rehabilitation Teams (CNRTs) nationally will facilitate earlier access to specialist Neuro-Rehabilitation services, as close to home as possible.
This will improve outcomes for people, reducing the support they need as they transition back to their communities and have an overall systemic impact releasing bed days back in to the system and facilitate individuals in the community avoiding admission to hospitals to access rehabilitation.
The Rehabilitation Networks have been planned in full alignment with the Health Regions, to have 6 networks nationally. Each network will have its own larger population based Community Neuro-Rehabilitation Team (CNRT) with bases located throughout the region to manage geographical spread.
The funding allocated in Budget 2026 will provide for the expansion of Community Neuro-Rehabilitation Teams, with details to be confirmed in the forthcoming HSE National Service Plan for 2026 but it is expected that the focus will be on areas that don't currently have a community team in place.
Moving forward with the strategy the plan will be to enhance the existing community teams to full capacity as per the Disability Action Plan and to create a large population-based Community Neuro-Rehabilitation Team within each region.
26. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality her Department’s efforts to improve accessibility for people with disabilities in rural towns and villages; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [71914/25]
View answerI thank the Deputy for this question. Government is committed to ensuring that disabled people can benefit from greater accessibility of towns and villages, thereby ensuring that they can fully participate in all aspects of life within their own communities.
Ensuring that towns and villages are fully accessible involves several dimensions, including the provision of safe, reliable and accessible public transport, inclusive and accessible community resources, the role of local authorities in ensuring an accessible built environment and so much more, going well beyond the remit of any one Department or Minister.
The National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030, launched on 3rd September, sets out a whole of government approach to disability over the next five years. As part of a core commitment in the Programme for Government, the Strategy will advance further implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and constitute an overarching framework for delivering a step-change in the provision of disability services across several policy areas.
The Strategy will advance delivery on actions across five key thematic pillars that collectively capture the full range of issues impacting on the lives of disabled people:
• Inclusive Learning and Education
• Employment
• Independent Living and Active Participation in Society
• Wellbeing and Health
• Transport and Mobility
The Strategy recognises that in ensuring we have accessible towns and villages across the country, all departments and public bodies must work together to realise the entitlement recognised in the UNCRPD for disabled people to be active participants in inclusive communities.
Pillar Three – Independent Living and Active Participation in Society – contains an overarching commitment to ensuring that disabled people will have increased supports to live as independently as possible and to enjoy full participation in their local communities.
The Department of Children, Disability and Equality and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage are co-leading on this Pillar’s delivery in conjunction with numerous other government departments and public agencies.
This Pillar includes actions designed to promote the inclusion of disabled people in the local community, including the creation of more accessible services and environments, such as cultural and sporting events, as well as actions that will increase the full participation of disabled people across all aspects of community life, including in our towns and villages nationwide.
Improving the accessibility of public and private transport options for disabled people is a core feature of our overall commitment to ensuring that our towns and villages are accessible for all. The Department of Transport is leading on the delivery of Pillar Five – Transport and Mobility. Pillar Five commits to increased funding for the Public Transport Accessibility Retrofit Programme, in line with the National Development Plan and to expanding the availability of accessible public transport options for both urban and rural areas.
27. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if recruitment has commenced for the expansion of the 11 proposed inreach specialist teams, and for the additional assessment and liaison officers announced as part of the recent reforms to the assessment of need process; the number of positions approved; the roles being recruited for; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72282/25]
View answerUnder the Disability Act, an Assessment of Need is an assessment process carried out by the HSE where a person is of the opinion that he/she may have a disability, for anyone born after 1st June 2002. It first establishes whether the person has a disability (as defined within the Act). It then identifies the health and education needs of the person with a disability and the services required to meet those needs.
On December 9th, Government announced a series of reforms to the Assessment of Need process which will make the process more effective and efficient for children and families. These reforms include changes to Part 2 of the Disability Act, 2005, which provides for Assessments of Need.
The General Scheme of the Disability (Amendment) Bill 2025 was approved by Government on 9 December and will be published on the Department’s website shortly. As part of the development of the General Scheme, a Regulatory Impact Assessment was prepared, and this will also be published.
These changes will not remove any rights for parents to apply for an Assessment of Need for their child, nor will they alter the statutory six-month timeline set out in the Disability Act.
Ensuring that there are sufficient resources allocated to the delivery of the Assessment of Need process, both in terms of staffing and financial resources, continues to be focus for the Department and the HSE.
In 2026, the HSE is establishing eleven new teams, initially, to support HSE assessment processes, including Assessments of Need. Each team will include a psychologist, a speech and language therapist, an occupational therapist, and an administrator, to provide clinical guidance where required throughout the process.
Work is also ongoing to increase the staffing capacity of the HSE Assessment of Need Teams including assessment officers, liaison officers and administrative supports.
Budget 2026 also provides €20million in funding for the continuation of the Targeted Waitlist Initiative. This supports the delivery of Assessments of Need to those families who have been waiting the longest, through the procurement of clinical assessments from approved private providers.
Recent HSE data shows that over 6,300 clinical assessments have been commissioned from private providers since the Initiative started in June 2024. It is expected that a further 6,000 clinical assessments will be commissioned in 2026.
The provision of an effective and efficient Assessment of Need system continues to be a priority for Government.
28. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children in Laois and Offaly waiting more than 6, 9, 12 and 18 months to have an assessment of needs completed, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72811/25]
View answerThe Government recognises that there are unacceptable delays for children and families who have applied for Assessments of Need.
Under the Disability Act, an Assessment of Need is an assessment process carried out by the HSE where a person is of the opinion that he/she may have a disability, for anyone born after 1st June 2002.
It should be emphaised than an Assessment of Need is not required to access health services provided by Primary Care, Children’s Disability Network Teams or CAMH’s.
Nevertheless, demand for Assessments of Need have grown on an exceptional basis in recent years.
The HSE has provided data on the 870 overdue applications for Assessment of Need in Laois/Offaly broken down as follows:
• 6 months = 206 applications
• 9 months = 153 applications
• 12 months = 254 applications
• 18 months = 257 applications
Significant efforts have been made to increase the completion rates of Assessments of Need in Laois Offaly. This is reflected in the completion of 172 Assessment Reports in the first 3 quarters of 2025. This is a 45% year on year increase when compared to the same period in 2024.
However there has also been a continued growth in demand for an Assessment of Need in Laois/Offaly, increasing by 14% in the first 3 quarters of 2025, compared to the same period last year.
This continued growth in demand for Assessment of Need highlights the scale of the challenge we are facing not just in Laois/Offaly but also at a national level and the need for urgent reform to occur.
Last week, Government announced a series of reforms to the Assessment of Need process which will make the process more effective and efficient for children and families. Over time, this should lead to a reduction in the waiting time to receive an assessment.
This reform includes legislative and operational reforms to support the efficiency and effectiveness of the Assessment of Needs process.
The proposed legislative changes will not remove the right for parents to apply for an Assessment of Need for their child, nor will they alter the statutory six-month timeline set out in the Disability Act.
I want to assure the Deputy that the provision of an effective and efficient delivery of assessments of need remains a priority for the Government.
29. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the details of privately outsourced disability day services her Department has contracted for the years 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025; and the number of such services and the associated costs. [72528/25]
View answerDay Services are part of a suite of support services that enable people with specialist disability service needs to live within the community. The New Directions Policy, which was published in 2013, outlines the manner in which adults with disabilities receive disability day services. This policy is underpinned by the values of person centredness, community inclusion, active citizenship and quality. Each person should have access to flexible and outcome-driven supports to enable them to live a life of their choosing that meets their own wishes, aspirations and needs.
In 2025, it is expected that there will be Day Services provided for 20,600 individuals with a disability – up from just over 19,500 in 2024 - together with a further over 2,000 in Rehabilitative Training services. These services are provided at almost 1,300 locations around the country by 97 service provider agencies. Adult day services and RT programmes are delivered by a combination of the HSE, Section 38 and, Section 39 organisations, as well as private providers.
Funding is allocated each year to provide HSE adult disability day service supports to over 1,700 people leaving school and Rehabilitative Training annually. Placements are identified by the local HSE Day Opportunities teams in line with the person’s support needs and within the funding available. Each person should have a Person Centred Plan (PCP) and be supported to achieve that plan with the aim to support people in “living ordinary lives in ordinary places”.
Where a person presents with complex support needs, or where there may not be sufficient capacity or suitable supports within existing HSE-funded services in the local area, it may be necessary to contract a private provider to ensure that their needs are met.
From 2021 to 2024 not-for-profit organisations were funded to provide Day Services to around 6,000 new school leavers. In the same period, private providers were contracted to provide new day service placements to 198 new school leavers with an establishment cost of €6.9 million.
In 2021, 9 private providers were contracted to support 29 new school leavers at a cost of €1.2m.
In 2022, 8 private providers were contracted to support 46 new school leavers at a cost of €1.5m.
In 2023, 7 private providers were contracted to support 33 new school leavers at a cost of €1.2m.
In 2024, 15 private providers were contracted to support 90 new school leavers at a cost of €3m.
The figures for 2025 are not yet available as the commencement process for the 2025 school leaver cohort is ongoing.
This Government’s ambition is to bring about a step-change in services for people with a disability in Ireland and it is committed to the expansion and reform of disability services in order to maximise people’s independence and help support them to live their lives on the same basis as every other citizen.
This is reflected in the very significant investment being made in specialist disability services in recent years with record investment of €3.2bn in 2025 alone.
30. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of respite hours provided for children in each of the past five years, respectively, in tabular form, including 2025 to date. [71673/25]
View answerRespite is a key priority area for the HSE for people with disabilities and their families and we have seen significant investment in respite services, which has impacted positively on the level of service delivered in successive years.
The table at the following link shows Respite Services activity levels from 2019 – 2025:
The level of activity shows that pre COVID-19, the number of Respite Overnights provided by the HSE and its partner Provider Agencies was running at around 158,000 Overnights each year. The delivery of services was significantly impacted by the onset of the pandemic in 2020/21. The number of respite overnights operated at just over 50% of the NSP target for 2020, due mainly to necessary precautions to maintain physical distancing and to adhere to infection prevention and control requirements.
The figures presented above refer to both adults and children and while the HSE does not currently disaggregate respite activity data into separate child and adult profiles, we can say the following from a review conducted from the July 2025, HIQA Register of Designated Centres for Persons with a Disability:
There are 164 respite centres operating throughout the country with a total of 798 respite beds. These comprise of 90 centres with a total of 423 respite beds for Adults, 47 centres with a total of 227 respite beds for Children’s, and 27 centres with a total of 148 respite beds – Mixed (Some centres provide respite for both adults and children on alternating weeks).
Based on the above breakdown, we can extrapolate the approximate proportional split between adult and child respite services as: Adult – 62%; Children – 38%
In this context, the table at the link below shows the approximate number of respite overnights provided to children in the last five years:
Respite can occur in a variety of settings for various lengths of time, depending on the needs of the individual service user and their family or carer, and according to available resources. Respite is not always centre-based and can be provided in a number of ways, e.g. Centre based; In-Home; Home-to-Home; Family Support, etc. As a vital part of the continuum of services for families, respite potentially helps prevent out-of-home full-time residential placements, preserves the family unit, and supports family stability.
Since the pandemic, there has been increased investment in Respite Services that included additional allocation in successive National Service Plans. However, there has also been increased costs due to more stringent infection prevention and control measures and an overall increase complexity of presenting need.
