Written Answers Nos. 1903-1922
1903. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she is concerned that her proposed reforms will diminish the independence of guardians ad litem as they will be State employees, create potential conflicts of interest and reduce the ability of guardians to advocate freely for children (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74368/25]
View answerThe Child Care (Amendment) Act 2022 establishes a statutory framework for the Guardian ad litem role, ensuring that children’s voices are heard in court proceedings and recommendations on their best interests are provided to the Court. This reform strengthens children’s rights by embedding a statutory, regulated Guardian ad litem system that ensures their voices are heard in public child care proceedings. The Child Care (Amendment) Act 2022 aligns with Article 42A of the Constitution, reinforcing the child’s right to have their views considered in decisions affecting them.
The Act explicitly safeguards the independence of Guardians ad litem role under Section 35E, which states that Guardians ad litem role shall perform their functions independently of all parties, including the State. This independence is reinforced through clear governance structures, professional codes, and statutory safeguards within the operational model of the Guardian ad litem National Service.
The Act, under Section 35D, also explicitly outlines that Guardians ad litem will have routine access to legal advice and, where necessary, legal representation to support their role effectively. All advice sought remains legally privileged. Operational procedures are being finalised to ensure Guardians ad litem can request representation where necessary, strengthening their ability to advocate for the child’s best interests and ensuring fairness in proceedings.
The Department remains committed to protecting Guardian ad litem independence through statutory safeguards, ensuring legal representation for Guardians ad litem where necessary, publishing operational policies and maintaining transparency, preventing waiting lists and safeguarding workforce stability.
The Guardian ad litem National Service has developed a comprehensive implementation plan to establish this new service and is available on www.gov.ie/GAL. Detailed operational policies are currently being finalised in consultation with stakeholders, including AGALI. The recruitment process for Guardians ad litem is being phased to ensure the continuity of the service and to avoid disruption to the current service provided for children. This Department recognises the reform programme workforce challenges and have proposed a grade structure prioritising existing Guardians ad litem to minimise impact on Tusla’s current child protection roles. Recruitment will focus on professionals who are already working as Guardians ad litem, ensuring continuity and avoiding destabilisation of frontline services. The implementation plan includes capacity planning and resourcing measures to prevent waiting lists. Budget 2026 allocates €12 million to the Guardian ad litem National Service to ensure adequate staffing and infrastructures are in place. The Department is committed to maintaining timely access to Guardians ad litem for all children.
The Department remains committed to transparency, safeguarding workforce stability, and ensuring timely access to Guardians ad litem for all children. I can confirm that the Guardian ad litem National Service will continue their engagement with AGALI in preparation for the commencement of the Child Care (Amendment) Act 2022
1904. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she is concerned that her proposed reforms will result in children losing automatic access to legal representation through their GAL (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74369/25]
View answerThe Child Care (Amendment) Act 2022 establishes a statutory framework for the Guardian ad litem role, ensuring that children’s voices are heard in court proceedings and recommendations on their best interests are provided to the Court. This reform strengthens children’s rights by embedding a statutory, regulated Guardian ad litem system that ensures their voices are heard in public child care proceedings. The Child Care (Amendment) Act 2022 aligns with Article 42A of the Constitution, reinforcing the child’s right to have their views considered in decisions affecting them.
The Act explicitly safeguards the independence of Guardians ad litem role under Section 35E, which states that Guardians ad litem role shall perform their functions independently of all parties, including the State. This independence is reinforced through clear governance structures, professional codes, and statutory safeguards within the operational model of the Guardian ad litem National Service.
The Act, under Section 35D, also explicitly outlines that Guardians ad litem will have routine access to legal advice and, where necessary, legal representation to support their role effectively. All advice sought remains legally privileged. Operational procedures are being finalised to ensure Guardians ad litem can request representation where necessary, strengthening their ability to advocate for the child’s best interests and ensuring fairness in proceedings.
The Department remains committed to protecting Guardian ad litem independence through statutory safeguards, ensuring legal representation for Guardians ad litem where necessary, publishing operational policies and maintaining transparency, preventing waiting lists and safeguarding workforce stability.
The Guardian ad litem National Service has developed a comprehensive implementation plan to establish this new service and is available on www.gov.ie/GAL. Detailed operational policies are currently being finalised in consultation with stakeholders, including AGALI. The recruitment process for Guardians ad litem is being phased to ensure the continuity of the service and to avoid disruption to the current service provided for children. This Department recognises the reform programme workforce challenges and have proposed a grade structure prioritising existing Guardians ad litem to minimise impact on Tusla’s current child protection roles. Recruitment will focus on professionals who are already working as Guardians ad litem, ensuring continuity and avoiding destabilisation of frontline services. The implementation plan includes capacity planning and resourcing measures to prevent waiting lists. Budget 2026 allocates €12 million to the Guardian ad litem National Service to ensure adequate staffing and infrastructures are in place. The Department is committed to maintaining timely access to Guardians ad litem for all children.
The Department remains committed to transparency, safeguarding workforce stability, and ensuring timely access to Guardians ad litem for all children. I can confirm that the Guardian ad litem National Service will continue their engagement with AGALI in preparation for the commencement of the Child Care (Amendment) Act 2022
1905. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to provide further details of phase one of the early years action plan; if she will provide specific details regarding how the plan will assist childcare service providers tackle rising and immediate costs and administrative burdens; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74371/25]
View answerShaping the Future: the Early Years Action Plan, Phase 1 Report, published in December 2025, sets out the Government’s approach to build an affordable, high-quality, accessible early learning and care (ELC) and school-age childcare (SAC) system. Phase 1 sets out specific actions to be undertaken in 2026, working within 2026 budgetary resources.
2026 actions on affordability will include further reduction in some of the highest fees paid by parents by lowering the maximum fees that Core Funding Partner Services can charge. In addition, from autumn 2026 we will reduce fees for lower-income families through the National Childcare Scheme, to ensure that families with incomes below the relative income poverty line receive the maximum subsidies.
Phase 1 actions will include co-funding the expansion of existing providers as well as increasing supply through investment in State-led ELC and SAC services. The allocation for Core Funding will be increased to €482m for programme year 2026-27 (an increase of up to 23%) to support capacity growth in the sector and sustainability of providers, and to support providers to meet the costs of increases in staff minimum wage rates through a possible 2026 round of negotiations for new Employment Regulation Orders.
To enhance the quality of provision, during 2026 - among other actions - comprehensive regulations will be introduced for School-Age Childcare services as part of a wider revision of regulations.
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.
A key vehicle through which the commitments of the Action Plan will be implemented is the Core Funding scheme. Core Funding is a supply-side grant to early learning and care (ELC) and/or school-age childcare (SAC) providers towards their operating costs.
Core Funding incorporates funding for administration and to support the employment of graduate staff, replacing the Programme Support Payments and ECCE Higher Capitation, respectively.
In line with actions outlined in the Phase 1 report, Core Funding will increase to over €480 million from September 2026. That is an additional €221 million on the Year 1 allocation for Core Funding, representing an increase of 85% in Core Funding in five years.
The increased funding will facilitate:
• Natural capacity growth of 4.2% across the sector.
• Additional capacity growth created by the new Building Blocks grants.
• Support for providers in adhering to the fee management conditions including the continued fee freeze and reductions to the maximum fee caps in the 2026/2027 programme year.
• Support for improved pay for early years educators and school-age childcare practitioners with implementation of new 2025 Employment Regulation Orders, with further increases in pay to be supported through enhancement in year 5 of the scheme.
The majority of this Core Funding will be distributed to services via the base rate, based on a service's staffed capacity. Core Funding allocations are based on places, not on child registrations and attendance levels. Places do not have to be filled in order to be allocated Core Funding. This provides services with a guaranteed minimum income, supporting stability where attendance may be fluctuating. Core Funding base rates include contributions towards the cost of delivery of service provision such as: staff pay and conditions (including contact and non-contact time, holiday pay, sick pay and other employer costs such as pension contributions); administrative staff/time, and non-staff overhead costs. These components have been factored into the calculation of the budget for Core Funding since the scheme began in 2022. Partner Services can choose how to spend their Core Funding grant in accordance with the approved areas of expenditure outlined in the Funding Agreement.
In addition to this increased allocation, participation in Core Funding unlocks additional supports for services to access, including:
• access to wider financial supports where a service is experiencing financial difficulty or has concerns about their viability;
• access to enhanced support for services caring for concentrated numbers of children facing disadvantage through Equal Start; and
• opportunities to apply for capital grants through this Department.
Simplify and Support will deliver on the Programme for Government commitment to reduce the administrative burden on ELC and SAC providers, as the growth in State investment, in provision, in use and in the number of programmes and schemes have created additional demands on providers, on early years educators, school-age childcare practitioners and on parents.
The Action Plan focuses on eight key objectives:
1. Simplify the programmes and schemes
2. Streamline and align regulatory and compliance requirements
3. Upgrade the digital system and improve user experience
4. Embed ‘Once-only’ data capture
5. Clear, consolidated, accessible guidance
6. Strengthen provider capacity and sector supports
7. Enhance coordination and alignment between agencies
8. Simplify processes and reduce administrative requirements on parents
Key actions include:
• a single application process for supports under the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) to replace multiple application processes - for AIM, AIM Plus and AIM non-term
• a single, long-term CHICK under the National Childcare Scheme to replace existing annual CHICKs
• a single set of comprehensive set of regulation to replace existing ELC and SAC regulations
There is also a commitment to upgrade the digital system.
1906. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department will recommend the inclusion of the early years sector on the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, critical skills list to address the immediate staffing, retention and recruitment pressures across the early years sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74372/25]
View answerThe role of the early years educator and school-age childcare practitioner are valuable ones, and they play an important part in supporting children's development, learning and care. It is acknowledged that those working in the early learning and care and school-age childcare sector do not receive the recognition they deserve.
In a very competitive labour market and with low levels of unemployment, recruitment and retention is a challenge for all employers.
It is acknowledged many early learning and childcare services report recruitment and retention challenges. In general, these challenges are not caused by insufficient supply of staff, but by high levels of turnover.
Data from the 2024 Annual Early Years Sector Profile survey shows the national turnover rate for the sector was approximately 25.8% with 28% of the turnover rate due to staff moving from one provider to another. Although I should note that new data on the number of educators/practitioners working in the sector increased by 10% between 2023 and 2024.
The State’s general policy is to promote the sourcing of labour and skills needs from within the workforce of Ireland, the European Economic Area , the UK or Switzerland. Employment opportunities that arise in Ireland, should, in the main, be offered to suitably skilled Irish and other nationals from the European Economic Area, the UK or Switzerland.
The Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment manages the employment permit process to allow non-EEA citizens to work in Ireland by operating a Critical Skills Occupations List and an Ineligible Occupations List.
The lists are subject to regular evidence-based review and the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment carried out a public consultation during 2025 to ensure the employment permits system continues to reflect the needs of Ireland’s labour market.
Officials in the Department of Children, Disability and Equality are aware that submissions were made both supporting and opposing the inclusion of early years educators on the Critical Skills List.
Current data suggests there are sufficient numbers of suitably qualified people in Ireland and the EU to meet the demand for staff in the ELC and SAC sector and recent data from the Annual Early Years Sector Profile data shows a year on year increase of 10% in the number of staff working with children in the sector.
The Department continues to monitor the relevant indicators, engage bilaterally with the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment and keep the matter under review.
1907. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the reason little or no consultation with large full-time early years providers took place during the process of formulating phase one of the early years action plan, with just one large provider of only part-time services on the new childcare forum; her views on whether this lack of adequate consultation may have negatively impacted the plan; the steps she proposes to take to address the matter; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74373/25]
View answer"Shaping the Future", the Early Years Action Plan Phase 1 Report, which was published on 17th December 2025, 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 the 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.
It is the intention 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.
1908. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the longest period of time, in years, that any child has spent in State care since the establishment of Tusla in 2014; and to provide the year in which that duration was recorded, in aggregate form and without reference to any individual case. [74387/25]
View answerAs this question relates to operational information held by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, the question has been referred to the Agency to reply directly to the Deputy.
1909. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children currently in State care who have remained continuously in care for more than 10 years, more than 15 years, and more than 18 years respectively; and to outline how these figures have changed in each year since 2015. [74388/25]
View answerAs this question relates to operational information held by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, the question has been referred to the Agency to reply directly to the Deputy.
1910. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the statutory, regulatory, or administrative timeframes apply to permanency planning for children in long-term State care; and whether any mandatory escalation, review, or senior-level oversight is triggered once a child exceeds a defined duration in care. [74389/25]
View answerAs this question relates to operational information held by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, the question has been referred to the Agency to reply directly to the Deputy.
1911. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department monitors compliance with permanency planning timelines within Tusla at a national level; if so, the performance indicators used; and how breaches of those timelines are addressed as a matter of governance and accountability. [74390/25]
View answerThank you Deputy, for your question. This Department and Tusla, recognise the importance of placement stability, and permanency planning for children and young people in care.
The Department does not specifically monitor Tusla's compliance with internal Tusla policies or guidelines. Tusla, as an independent agency with statutory responsibility for the provision of alternative care, has developed national policy and guidelines around the process of permanency planning, which aims to provide high-quality, stable and safe care for children who require a care placement. This planning takes place as part of the individual care plan for each child or young person in care.
The Department works with Tusla, Government Colleagues, and Oireachtas Committees, to develop and monitor a set of performance metrics, in the context of the annual Revised Estimates Volume (REV). These include such metrics as percentage of children in care with a care plan, and the percentage of young people in care who are in full-time education. It also includes the percentage of children in care in a third or greater, placement, within the previous 12 months. This latter metric is a good indicator of overall placement stability within Tusla's alternative care services.
Tusla's alternative care services are also subject to internal Tusla inspections through the likes of the Practice Assurance and Service Monitoring team and the Alternative Care Inspection and Monitoring Service as well as reviews by the National Review Panel and comprehensive inspection by HIQA.
1912. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department has considered the introduction of statutory maximum periods within which a permanency decision must be made for a child in State care, subject to exceptional judicial review; and if not, to outline the policy rationale for the absence of such limits. [74391/25]
View answerTusla’s permanency planning in respect of children in the care of the State focuses on ensuring children have stable and secure environment to reside and live in
All children in the care of the state deserve a permanent home, and certainty about their future. There are a number of ways in which a child may enter the care of the State, including through a voluntary arrangement, pursuant to section 4 of the Child Care Act, 1991 [hereafter “the Act”], by way of an emergency care order pursuant to section 13 of the Act, through an interim care order pursuant to section 17 of the Act or through a full care order, pursuant to section 18 of the Act.
Additionally, Tusla has developed a policy and operational document relating to permanency planning for children in care, the Pathways to Permanency Handbook. This document supports social work practitioners and decision makers in their aim to ensure stable and safe care placements for children.
Bringing a child into the care of the State and maintaining them there is a significant matter, which requires careful consideration of the specific circumstances of a child and their family. This consideration, whether by the Child and Family Agency or the Courts in relation to orders under the Act, must also have regard to the constitutional rights of all parties as they arise in each individual case. Within this context, the Minister is advancing proposals within the Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2025 to support permanency for children in alternative care. This includes proposals to impose a maximum duration on Interim Care Orders and amendments to clarify the criteria and purpose of Voluntary Care Arrangements, which will be subject to regular review.
1913. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality in respect of services funded by her Department, the governance and oversight arrangements that apply where internal investigations are carried out into the handling of cash or vouchers; the number of such investigations initiated between 2018 and 2024; whether each investigation resulted in a written report or assurance being furnished to the Department or to Tusla, or the HSE, as appropriate; if any findings of non-compliance, control failure, or breach of financial procedures were identified; if any disciplinary or managerial actions were taken arising from those investigations, including removals from post; and the measures her Department has taken to ensure that robust financial controls, audit trails, and safeguarding arrangements are in place across all funded services. [74404/25]
View answerThe Department is currently collating the information requested and a reply will issue directly to the Deputy on this matter as soon as possible.
1914. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she acknowledges that core funding provided to the early learning sector will not cover auto enrolment in the pension scheme from January 2026; if this additional cost will be included in core funding for the early learning sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74433/25]
View answerAs I have confirmed to the Deputy in a previous Parliamentary Question, there will be no further increases to the Core Funding allocation for the current programme year, which finishes in August 2026. Nonetheless, under the Core Funding Partner Service Funding Agreement, Partner Services can choose how to spend their Core Funding grant in accordance with the approved areas of expenditure outlined in the Funding Agreement.
The base rates in Core Funding have been developed using the various components associated with the cost of delivery of service provision such as: staff pay and conditions, including contact and non-contact time, holiday pay, sick pay and other employer costs such as pension contributions; administrative staff/time and non-staff overhead costs. These components have been factored into the calculation of the budget for Core Funding since the scheme began in 2022.
Although the cost of delivery components such as improvements to staff pay have been used to derive the base rates, the eligible areas of expenditure of the Core Funding grant are much broader.
Approved areas of expenditure include:
• Costs relating to staffing of Partner Services in the provision of early learning and childcare, (including contact and non-contact time, holiday pay, sick pay and other employer costs such as pension contributions);
• Costs of staff/owner participation in Continuing Professional Development relating to early learning and childcare including cost of cover for absence due to such participation;
• Costs relating to the administration of the Partner Service including the administration of schemes funded by the Department;
• Overheads pertaining to running of the early learning and childcare service including rent, rates, utilities and insurance, and;
• Any other operational costs, excluding capital costs, which may reasonably be asserted to enhance the quality of early learning and childcare service provision.
Therefore, Partner Services are at liberty to use their existing Core Funding allocation towards the auto-enrolment pension scheme prior to the start of the next programme year in September 2026, when new funding will be made available.
The additional funding being made available in 2026 will see the allocation for Core Funding in the next programme year (September 2026 – August 2027) increase to over €480 million. That is an additional €87.6 million on the current full year allocation, or a 22% increase.
This is an unprecedented level of investment and will allow for increased support for the sector in the face of rising operational costs. Full details of Core Funding 2026/2027 will be made available to the sector in 2026.
The Department is supporting the roll-out and implementation of MyFutureFund through sector-specific communications in collaboration with the Department of Social Protection. MyFutureFund is an auto-enrolment retirement savings system aimed at helping an estimated 750,000 workers in Ireland who do not have a pension being paid through payroll to begin saving for their future.
In addition to the increased level of Core Funding for year 4 of the scheme and in Budget 2026, there are wider financial supports available from the Department where a service is experiencing financial difficulty or has concerns about their viability, which can be accessed while remaining within Core Funding.
The sustainability fund for service providers is a support mechanism introduced to ensure the stability and viability of early learning and childcare services for those participating in the Core Funding model. The fund is accessed through a collaborative process involving the service, their local City/County Childcare Committee (CCC), and Pobal, who assess financial eligibility and need.
Once a service engages with their local CCC they will be able to avail of sustainability supports through the case management process. As part of the Case Management process, City or County Childcare Committees (CCC) assist services with issues and difficulties that arise. This support can take the form of assisting services with interpreting analysis of staff ratios and cash flow, financial support, as well as more specialised advice and support appropriate to individual circumstances.
The Department would encourage any service experiencing financial difficulty and who would like support to contact their CCC to access case management supports. Contact details for the CCCs can be found at [City and County Childcare Committees].
1915. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the service plans for children with special needs from cradle to grave in Cavan and Monaghan; the schools for special needs respite services; adult day service; full time care; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74434/25]
View answerAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly.
1916. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if the services currently in place are adequate for people with special needs in both Cavan and Monaghan; if Cavan and Monaghan both have their own services in each county for each age group; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74435/25]
View answerAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1917. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the office rental costs per annum for staff in her Department and for each agency or organisation under her remit, in each of the years between 2015 and 2025 inclusive, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74442/25]
View answerThe Department is currently collating the information requested and a reply will issue directly to the Deputy on this matter as soon as possible.
1918. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 464 of 27 November 2025, if the investigation referred to by the Regional Chief Officer in relation to the handling of cash, or vouchers between 2018 and 2024 was a criminal investigation involving An Garda Síochána, or an internal administrative investigation only; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74499/25]
View answerThank you Deputy, for your question. As this matter relates to an operational matter and procedure within Tusla I have referred your question to Tusla for a direct response.
1919. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she is aware of the funding difficulties for a services (details supplied); if she will review the funding to address the December 2025 funding gap; to provide confirmation of 2026 funding to unlock essential banking support and provide sustainable multi annual funding pathways that reflect the real cost of delivering a national service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74529/25]
View answerFoetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a prevalent, yet preventable, neuro-developmental disorder caused by prenatal alcohol exposure and is associated with a range of lifelong physical, mental, educational, social, and behavioural difficulties.
In Ireland, supports for children are based on complexity of presenting need rather than any specific diagnosis. Therefore, responsibility will vary depending on the supports and services required to meet those needs.
Similarly, there are a variety of factors impacting the policy around and response to FASD across different Departments. This is particularly the case as FASD occupies a spectrum of need, bringing to bear different service responses to need as well as preventative measures.
The Department of Children, Disability and Equality is responsible for the provision of supports to children with complex health needs associated with a disability.
A Children’s Disability Network Team (CDNT) provides specialised support and services for children who have a disability and complex health needs associated with their disability including those affected by FASD.
The Department of Health is primarily responsible for education and awareness regarding FASD prevention and will also have responsibility where the child is being supported through Primary Care or CAMHS.
Regarding the 2025 gap and the 2026 funding, officials in the department have requested information from the HSE and a response will be provided to the deputy directly once this information has been received.
1920. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if there is a vulnerable adults database in place, both intellectual and physical; the data her Department collects to support vulnerable adults; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74577/25]
View answerThe Deputy may wish to be aware that my Department does not directly maintain a database on vulnerable adults with physical or intellectual disabilities.
The Health Research Board (HRB) is a statutory body under the aegis of the Department of Health. The HRB maintains a number of separate databases to support service planning for different cohorts of vulnerable people:
• The National Ability Supports System (NASS) is a database of disability service use and need, which is collected to facilitate disability service planning.
• The National Psychiatric Inpatient Reporting System (NPIRS) gathers data on patient admissions to, and discharges from, psychiatric hospitals and units throughout Ireland.
• The National Drug Treatment Reporting System (NDTRS) is a health information system. It collects anonymous data about people in drug and alcohol treatment from general practitioners, low threshold services (that provide low-dose methadone or drop-in facilities only), outpatient and inpatient centres.
In addition, the Health Service Executive (HSE) maintains its own databases with regard to disability service provision. As this question refers to service matters, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1921. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality her Department’s policy for supporting adults with intellectual disabilities after their primary carers die, given the large number with elderly primary carers and the diminishing stock of respite housing; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74578/25]
View answerThis Government is aware that some people will require a residential place as their parents age. It is important to note that when a person with a disabilities primary carer sadly passes away, the HSE, alongside contracted service providers, make every effort to provide the correct supports for the individual. Supports include day services, respite services, residential services, home support and personal assistance.
There are several measures and programmes aimed at supporting people with disabilities to remain in their family homes for as long as they and their families wish. However, the Department acknowledges that in many cases, a person with an intellectual disability may require full-time residential care following the passing of their primary carer. The Department also recognises too the importance of the voice of the person with the disability and that they may have certain wishes about their own future.
The Department of Children, Disability and Equality, alongside the HSE, is continuing to work to increase provision in order to assist those who are most vulnerable in our society, and who urgently require services.
As of November 2025, HSE, together with approximately 90 service providers are providing 8,887 residential places to people with disabilities. From 2020 to 2024, 709 new priority one residential places have been created for people with disabilities. This, with the places provided to November 2025, brings the total number of new places to 923 since 2020. This level of provision has undoubtedly assisted those who were awaiting a residential placement, including those with disabilities whose primary carers have sadly passed away. However, it is acknowledged that there is demand for considerably more.
The Programme for Government sets a number of commitments to advance the rights and improve the lives of people with disabilities. This includes a commitment to develop a multi-year capital plan for investment in residential and independent living options for adults and children, and to tackle waiting lists for specialist disability services through the implementation of the Action Plan for Disability Services 2024-6, and resourcing and delivering on its targets.
Approximately €3.8 billion of funding has been allocated to Specialist Disability Services in 2026. Specialist disability residential services make up the largest part of the Disability funding disbursed by the HSE, approximately 60% (€2.22bn) of the total budget.
€65m has been allocated to Disability Residential Services for new developments and will enable delivery of residential services for over 9,000 disabled people in 2026, as well as further residential responses. In 2026, the HSE National Service Plan outlines that €40m of funding allocated will provide 199 residential responses, including 152 new residential placements.
It is important to note that currently, demand for residential placements is extremely high and exceeds that which can be currently provided. This Government is actively working to address these challenges in order to provide people with disabilities with the services that they require.
The provision of residential services has come under increasing pressure in the past few years due to a number of impacting factors. The HSE and service providers are experiencing ongoing challenges recruiting and retaining staff across the disability sector. The HSE is also reporting changing support needs of current service users, resulting in increased costs for additional adaptions and services to meet changing needs. The cost of new residential placements has increased significantly over the last few years. The average full year cost of a new placement increased by 29% 2019 to 2025. The availability of suitable housing also presents a challenge.
In order to address issues in relation to availability of suitable housing, The Department of Children, Disability and Equality is engaging with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Housing Authorities, and the HSE, to explore means of responding to the need for additional capacity, which can assist forward planning and cost-effective placements.
In addition, there are a number of policies which aim to address unmet need. The Department of Health’s 2021 Disability Capacity Review projected a need for a minimum of an additional 1,900 residential places by 2032 and an extra 3,900 in order to return to pre-2008 levels of service provision.
In the shorter term, The Action Plan for Disability Services 2024-2026, seeks to meet extra need over the 2024-2026 period through the delivery of around 900 additional residential care places to tackle unmet needs and ensure supply keeps pace with demographic change. These targets demonstrate the Government’s ongoing commitment to expanding disability service delivery.
1922. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children under five years of age currently on the caseloads of Children's Disability Network Teams (CDNTs) one, two, and three in County Mayo, this year and each of the past five years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74583/25]
View answerAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
