Written Answers Nos. 1923-1943
1923. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children in County Mayo currently awaiting an assessment of need under the Disability Act 2005, this year and each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74585/25]
View answerThe delivery of an effective, efficient Assessment of Need system is a priority for the Government. There has been intensive work by the Department of Children, Disability and Equality and the HSE to address delays in the provision of 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 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.
It is important to note 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, demand for Assessments of Need has increased significantly in recent years, reflecting both the increase in population and the number of families exploring all options to access services for their child. The impact of this increased demand has contributed to there being over 18,000 applications overdue for completion nationwide at the end of September 2025, according to the most recently available HSE data.
More positively, there has been continued improvement in the number of completed assessment of need reports. Over 4,500 reports were completed in the first nine months of 2025 – a 57% increase compared to the same period in 2024.
The HSE provides Assessment of Need data on a quarterly basis but has advised this data is not available on a county level. Data is available at Local Health Office level and the following table sets out the “number of applications overdue for completion” which includes all assessment reports that were not completed within 6 months of receipt of an application:
|
Annual Breakdown of Mayo LHO AON Data
|
Number of applications overdue for completion at year end |
|
2021 |
1 |
|
2022 |
24 |
|
2023 |
62 |
|
2024 |
149 |
|
2025 (To the end of Q3 Only) |
291 |
In December 2025, 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 changes to Part 2 of the Disability Act, 2005, which provides for Assessments of Need. The General Scheme of the Disability (Amendment) Bill 2025 which outlines these proposed changes was approved by Government on 9 December and will be published on the Department’s website shortly.
Any proposed legislative 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.
Other aspects of the reform include:
• The development of statutory guidelines to ensure that Assessments of Need focus on identifying a child’s needs, engaging in more intensive assessments only where required to identify need. This should help reduce delays and allow therapists to spend more time delivering services.
• The establishment by the HSE of 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, providing clinical guidance throughout the process.
The provision of an effective and efficient Assessment of Need system continues to be a priority for the Government.
1924. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children and young people under 18 years of age in County Mayo who have a formal autism diagnosis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74586/25]
View answer1925. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will provide a breakdown of autism diagnoses in County Mayo by age cohort (under 5, 5-12, 13-18) this year and each of the past five years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74587/25]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1924 and 1925 together.
A formal autism diagnosis can be acquired within Ireland through the public system, which includes HSE Primary Care, CAMHs, Children’s Disability Network Teams and the Assessment of Need process, and the private sector, where individuals or families pay for autism assessments from private providers. Additionally, an individual may have acquired a diagnosis outside of Ireland. The HSE has advised that it does not currently hold a consolidated dataset on autism diagnoses for children and young people across all HSE services. Any available data is limited to specific service level reporting, such as Assessment of Need, which does not provide a comprehensive picture of prevalence or diagnosis rates.
In September 2025, the National Disability Authority (NDA) published a paper which provides critical analysis of the degree to which a reliable estimate of the national prevalence of autism in Ireland may be derived from existing data sources. This delivered on an action in the Autism Innovation Strategy which aimed to better understand existing data on autism in Ireland and the methods of measuring the prevalence of autism. The full paper can be found on the NDA website: nda.ie/publications/estimating-autism-prevalence-in-ireland
In summary the paper found that in Ireland, no data source nor methodological approach to measure the prevalence of autism is ideal. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses. The findings suggest a multi-component approach to estimating the prevalence of autism is warranted.
1926. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if foetal alcohol spectrum disorder Ireland are included in the disability forum engagements. [74594/25]
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.
Foetal alcohol spectrum disorder Ireland is a member of Disability Federation of Ireland.
The Disability Federation of Ireland is represented on the Delivery and Monitoring Committee for the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030.
1927. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the funding her Department has provided for an organisation (details supplied) in relation to their work with those with foetal alcohol spectrum disorder in 2023, 2024 and 2025; and if it is her intention to make funding available in 2026.; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74596/25]
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.
There was no funding for FASD in 2023 however, in 2024 and 2025 funding to the amount of €200,000 each year was provided by the Department to FASD Ireland.
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 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.
1928. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the payroll cost of her Department and of each organisation or agency under its remit individually, in 2015 to 2025, by year, in tabular form. [74620/25]
View answerThis Department's staffing and renumeration information is available in Note 5 of the Department’s Appropriation Accounts, published annually. The 2025 Accounts are not finalised and the figure provided is subject to change.
Department's payroll cost by Year (in €,000s)
|
|
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
2025 |
|
Department of Children, Disability & Equality |
9,731 |
10,680 |
12,296 |
15,232 |
16,815 |
23,392 |
26,590 |
33,484 |
43,715 |
56,369 |
43,457 |
Organisations/Agencies under the Department's remit
Office of the Director of Authorised Intervention
The Office of the Director of Authorised Intervention’s (ODAIT’s) staffing and renumeration information is available in Note 3 of the ODAIT’s annual financial statements and can be found on its [website]. 2023’s financial statements have been published, and the 2024 statements will be available shortly.
ODAIT’s 2025 financial statements are not yet finalised.
HSE - Specialist Disability Services
The Department accepted responsibility for Specialist Disability Services under a transfer of functions in 2023. The table below sets out the pay spend for Specialist Disability Services, comprised of the Health Service Executive (HSE) and Section 38 organisations that submit monthly Integrated Management Reports (IMR) to the HSE for years 2023 – 2025. Figures for 2025 are Year-to-Date November 2025 as it is the latest available. Section 38 organisations awaiting commencement of the IMR system are excluded.
|
Pay Costs |
2023 |
2024 |
YTD November 2025 |
|
HSE – Specialist Disability Services |
€291,680,937 |
€317,439,545 |
€315,043,168 |
|
Section 38 organisations (that submit monthly IMR files to HSE) |
€672,672,412 |
€778,148,964 |
€772,638,472 |
|
Total |
€964,353,349 |
€1,095,588,509 |
€1,087,681,640 |
Grant payments to organisations funded by HSE are set out in Appendix 1 to the HSE Annual Financial Statements, reports from 2022 can be found[ here]. The figures included in these reports are the total funding, a significant element of costs for most organisations is pay costs.
• Since the transfer of function in 2023, HSE Annual Financial Statements Appendix 3 sets out the entire HSE spend including the Disability budget, HSE only pay costs are included.
The following agencies will respond to the Deputy directly:
• Tusla Child and Family Agency
• National Disability Authority
• Office of the Ombudsman for Children
• Oberstown Children Detention Campus
• Adoption Authority of Ireland
1929. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the alternative funding streams available to a community-based project (details supplied) which previously relied in part on the national childcare scheme support but now faces a funding shortfall as age-based eligibility thresholds for NCS funding have changed, notwithstanding the fact that the project provides wider community development, family support and youth intervention services beyond formal childcare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74637/25]
View answer1930. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department has a policy or continuity plan to prevent the loss of community-based services for vulnerable teenagers where a programme has historically relied on the national childcare scheme support but now faces a shortfall as participants age out of eligibility; and whether she will engage with the service (details supplied) and relevant funders to secure sustainable multi-annual funding; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74638/25]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1929 and 1930 together.
The regulation of early years services is dealt with in Part VIIA of the Child Care Act 1991. The Act defines a 'school-age service' as one which:
• caters for children under the age of 15 years enrolled in a school providing primary or post-primary education,
• provides a range of activities that are developmental, educational and recreational in manner, which take place outside of school hours, the primary purpose of which is to care for children where their parents are unavailable, and
• the basis for access to which is made publicly known to the parents and guardians of the children referred to in paragraph (a) of this definition.
The definition of a school age service also excludes a number of services including those solely providing activities relating to the arts, youth work, competitive or recreational sport, tuition or religious teaching.
There has been no change to this definition since amendments were introduced through the Childcare Support Act 2018. As a result of this definition in primary legislation, in order to attend a school-age childcare service a child must be under the age of 15 and enrolled in a school providing primary or post-primary education
The upper age limit for all children benefitting from the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) is 15 years. Children aged 15 and above are not eligible for NCS subsidies – including those who may be eligible for Sponsorship.
Each Sponsor organisation has a formal agreement with the Department which details their referral criteria, including age criteria. In prior years, Tusla could refer a child aged from birth to 17 years for Sponsorship. However, this has been revised to 15 years so that it is in keeping with the provisions of the Child Care Act 1991.
This year the Department will commence an independent evaluation of the National Childcare Scheme (NCS). This evaluation will examine how the Scheme has performed to date and will identify any potential enhancements to further support families and improve affordability.
In September 2024, the Department commenced the rollout of Equal Start, a major model of supports to ensure children experiencing disadvantage can access and meaningfully participate in early learning and childcare.
Equal Start includes a suite of universal supports, child-targeted supports, and setting-targeted supports to ensure every child and every early learning and childcare setting will benefit from a continuum of supports that reflects a continuum of need.
Settings benefitting from setting-targeted supports are settings, which have been objectively identified as operating in the context of the highest levels of concentrated disadvantage.
The community-based organisation detailed by the Deputy is in receipt of Tier 1 designation for three of its settings under the Equal Start Identification Model, and has been allocated Staffing Supports funding for the 2025/26 programme year.
In line with the rules for Equal Start, Partner Services with a Tier 1 or Tier 2 priority designation under Equal Start in 2024 will retain that designation for a two programme year cycle once they remain in contract for Core Funding (i.e. for programme years 2024/25 and 2025/26).
The Equal Start Identification Model will be rerun in 2026 for the next two-year cycle (i.e. programme years 2026/27 and 2027/28) for all settings.
1931. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will review the 2025 funding allocation and shortfall given from what was originally sought for a charity (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74673/25]
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 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.
1932. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the reason the national childcare scheme (NCS) which is available to children from 6 months of age and offers up to 45 hours per week, while the AIM model which supports ECCE programmes with additional resources and capitation to accommodate children with additional needs is only available to those aged two years and nine months; the rationale for the cap of 30 hours per week under the Aim model, whereas the NCS is up to 40 hours per week; if she accept that this is viewed by parents as exclusionary and discriminatory and take steps to bring the AIM model in line with the NCS; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74751/25]
View answerThe Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) is a programme of supports designed to ensure that children with disabilities or additional needs can access the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme. The goal of AIM is to empower early learning and care providers to deliver an inclusive pre-school experience, ensuring that every eligible child can meaningfully participate in the ECCE programme and reap the benefits of quality early learning and care in any mainstream service participating in ECCE.
A core feature and strength of AIM is that it does not require a diagnosis. Instead, resources are allocated based on a child’s individual needs.
AIM was specifically designed to support children with additional needs to access and meaningfully participate in the ECCE programme and as such, AIM is directly linked to ECCE participation and currently applies only to children who meet the ECCE age eligibility criteria.
In line with a commitment in the First 5 Whole-of-Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families, an independent evaluation of AIM was published in 2024 which is informing the extension of AIM beyond the ECCE programme.
Since September 2024, targeted AIM Level 7 supports have been available to ECCE-eligible children outside of ECCE hours during both term-time and holiday periods. Children can?access?early learning and childcare for up to an additional? 3?hours in term and 6 hours out of term through the National Childcare Scheme (NCS), which reflects the average daily usage of childcare.
The Programme for Government commits to ‘examine and expand the Access and Inclusion Model and make it available to younger children.’ This requires a tailored model which meets the different needs of pre-ECCE children, and funding through the annual budget process.
Officials in the Department will be engaging in a comprehensive policy development process during 2026 to extend AIM to children aged under three, which will be underpinned by consultations with key stakeholders. It is critical that the new model will be strongly evidence-based and reflective of the developmental stages of children not yet in ECCE.
It is intended to give consideration at a later date to an extension of AIM for children attending School Aged Childcare.
1933. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 919 of 18 November 2025, the actions she will take to address the significant additional costs imposed on families that have children attending childcare centres classified under Band F; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74771/25]
View answerThe Department is fully committed to promoting affordability for parents through Core Funding. This is achieved through the Core Funding fee management system, which includes fee caps and a freeze on fees at September 2021 levels.
Fee caps in Core Funding are stepped down on a pro-rata basis in increments of €59, meaning there is a maximum amount a service can charge at each Fee Band, from €59 at Band A (less than 10 hours per week) up to €354 at Band F (50 hours or more per week).
Fee caps on First-Time Partner Services, meaning services joining Core Funding for the first time in programme year 2024/2025, were introduced in September 2024. These initial set of fee caps applied to a relatively small cohort, with the maximum fees in each Fee Band set in increments of €65 from Band A up to €390 in Band F.
As part of the announcement of these initial fee caps in July 2024, it was also stated that fee caps would apply to all Partner Services from the beginning of programme year 2025/2026.
In June, the Minister confirmed the introduction of maximum fee caps for all Partner Services in Core Funding from September 2025. At the time of the announcement, approximately 10% of Partner Services were estimated to have at least one fee which would be impacted by these new caps, with the fee freeze remaining in place for all unaffected fees. The levels of the fee caps were also lowered to increments of €59, up to a maximum of €354 for Band F (50 hours or more per week).
|
Fee Band |
Hours per week |
Maximum weekly fee for First Time Partner Services in 2024/2025 |
Maximum weekly fee for ALL Partner Services in 2025/2026 |
% Decrease in Maximum weekly fees: 24/25 -25/26 |
|
Band A |
Less than 10 hours |
€65 |
€59 |
10% |
|
Band B |
Between 10 hours and 19 hours 59 minutes |
€130 |
€118 |
10% |
|
Band C |
Between 20 hours and 29 hours 59 minutes |
€195 |
€177 |
10% |
|
Band D |
Between 30 hours and 39 hours 59 minutes |
€260 |
€236 |
10% |
|
Band E |
Between 40 hours and 49 hours 59 minutes |
€325 |
€295 |
10% |
|
Band F |
50 or more hours |
€390 |
€354 |
10%
|
The introduction of fee caps for all Core Funding Partner Services represents an important step towards the reduction of childcare fees to €200 per month over the lifetime of this Government.
The Department is aware that there has been some confusion regarding the Fee Bands, and as indicated in the previous Parliamentary Question referred to by the Deputy, the Department used the fee cap of €295 at Band E (40 hours up to 49 hours 59 minutes per week) as the reference point in public communications as this is the most common type of full day care place.
Core Funding has seen consistent increased State investment to the sector year on year and will exceed €420 million in 2026. This is an increase of over 19% on the 2025 allocation of €353 million, and a 62% increase over the initial Core Funding allocation of €259 million secured in 2022.
The fee caps on all Partner Services which came into effect in September represent the latest progression in the phased development of the Core Funding fee management system, with further improvements planned for the years ahead.
To support providers in adhering to Core Funding fee management conditions, including further reductions in the maximum fee caps in the 2026/2027 programme year, €20.6 million in brand new full-year funding was secured in Budget 2026. This will guarantee that Core Funding’s monetary protections continue to be passed on to families while ensuring sustainability and stability for the sector.
Full details of Core Funding 2026/27, including new fee management measures, will be made available to the sector in 2026.
These latest fee management measures build on a range of supports already in place. The recent publication of Shaping the Future, the Early Years Action Plan Phase 1 Report sets out the next steps for building an affordable, high-quality, accessible early learning and childcare system, informed by stakeholder consultation. This includes the long-term goal of reducing the cost of early learning and childcare further to €200 per month over the lifetime of the Government.
Parents experiencing difficulty in relation to their early learning and childcare needs should contact their local City/County Childcare Committee (CCC) for assistance. For information, the Department has a list of all Core Funding Partner Services which is updated regularly on the Department's gov.ie website under [How to Find a Partner Service].
1934. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 919 of 18 November 2025, her views on the merits of creating a targeted financial support for families that have children attending childcare centres classified under Band F; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74772/25]
View answerThe Programme for Government commits to progressively reducing the cost of childcare to €200 per month per child, to ensuring that providers’ fees are open, transparent and equitable and readily available to parents, and to maintaining the fee cap.
One of the main vehicles for delivering these commitments is the Core Funding scheme. Core Funding is a supply-side payment to early learning and childcare services to support them with their operating costs, and is designed to support affordability, quality and sustainability in the sector.
Core Funding has seen a consistent increase in State investment to the sector year on year, and will exceed €420 million in 2026. This is an increase of over 18% on the 2025 allocation of €353 million, and a 62% increase over the initial Core Funding allocation of €259 million secured in 2022.
A key feature of Core Funding is the introduction of a system of fee management, to ensure that affordability measures are passed on to parents/guardians. This began with an effective fee freeze from September 2022. In return for significant funding through the scheme, Partner Services agree not to raise their fees above what was charged to parents as on 30 September 2021.
Fee caps on First-Time Partner Services, meaning services joining Core Funding for the first time in programme year 2024/2025, were first introduced in September 2024, alongside the Common Fee Structure, which organises care types into Fee Bands by hours per week.
This was followed by the introduction of fee caps on all Partner Services beginning in September 2025. This impacted at least one fee across approximately 10% of Partner Services, with the fee freeze remaining in place for all other fees.
Fee caps on all Partner Services in year 4 represent the latest progression in the phased development of the Core Funding fee management system, with further improvements planned for programme year 2026/2027, to be facilitated by an additional €20.6 million in new full-year funding secured through Budget 2026.
This increased investment will support Partner Services in adhering to the fee management conditions of the Scheme, including reductions in the maximum fee caps from September 2026. This will guarantee that Core Funding’s monetary protections will continue to be passed on to families while ensuring sustainability and stability for the sector.
These latest fee management measures build on a range of supports already in place. The recent publication of Shaping the Future, the Early Years Action Plan Phase 1 Report sets out the next steps for building an affordable, high-quality, accessible early learning and childcare system, informed by stakeholder consultation.
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.
During 2026, work will be undertaken to inform the development of Phase 2 actions including affordability measures. Phase 2 actions 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. This includes the long-term goal of reducing the cost of early learning and childcare further to €200 per month over the lifetime of the Government.
Parents experiencing difficulty in relation to their early learning and childcare needs should contact their local City/County Childcare Committee (CCC) for assistance. For information, the Department has a list of all Core Funding Partner Services which is updated regularly on the Departments website under [How to Find a Partner Service].[]
1935. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to extend the national childcare scheme to all working families, as childcare is a necessary cost of employment, regardless of income band; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74827/25]
View answerThe National Childcare Scheme (NCS) supports families with the cost of early learning and childcare through both universal and income-assessed subsidies.
All families, regardless of income or work status, are entitled to a universal subsidy of €2.14 per hour for up to 45 hours of care per week. Higher levels of support are targeted at lower-income families through the income-assessed subsidy. Parents who are engaged in work, study, or training may receive subsidies for up to 45 hours per week, while those not so engaged are entitled to a subsidy for up to 20 hours per week.
As set out in Shaping the Future: The Early Years Action Plan, further enhancements to the income-assessed subsidy will be introduced in September 2026. These include increasing the lower income threshold from €26,000 to €34,000 and the upper threshold from €60,000 to €68,000, improving affordability for up to 47,000 children from lower-income families.
This year, the Department will commence an independent evaluation of the National Childcare Scheme (NCS). This evaluation will assess the Scheme's performance to date and identify potential enhancements to further support families and enhance affordability.
1936. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to extend the national childcare scheme to working families that use private childminders due to the lack of available creche places; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74828/25]
View answerAll paid, non-relative childminders who work in their own homes can now register with Tusla and access the National Childcare Scheme.
Childminders are a hugely important part of early learning and care and school-age childcare provision, and they continue to be the option of choice for many families.
The National Action Plan for Childminding 2021-2028 set out a pathway for the extension of registration to childminders. A key objective of the National Action Plan for Childminding is to enable parents who use childminders to also benefit from State subsidies through the National Childcare Scheme. The Childcare Support Act 2018, which provides the statutory basis for the National Childcare Scheme, specifies that the Scheme is only open to Tusla-registered providers. This ensures that public funding is provided where there is assurance of the quality of provision. Therefore, only childminders who are registered with Tusla can offer the National Childcare Scheme to the families that avail of their services.
As a result of the commencement of the relevant parts of the Child Care (Amendment) Act 2024 and the Childminding Services Regulations, which came into effect on 30 September 2024, childminders are now able to apply to register with Tusla and access the National Childcare Scheme.
The Act provides for a transition period of three years before registration becomes mandatory. During this three-year period, childminders can register with Tusla but are not required to do so. This phased approach aims to facilitate the largest possible number of childminders to enter the regulated sector, the sphere of quality assurance, and access to Government subsidies, while recognising the time and supports required for childminders to learn about and prepare for registration.
Supports are available for childminders at local level through the City and County Childcare Committees. Each City and County Childcare Committee employs a Childminding Development Officer, who provides a range of supports to local childminders, including a short pre-registration training course.
1937. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if flexible working and parental leave policies will be properly implemented, including allowing parental leave to be taken in single days rather than rigid seven-day blocks, which does not reflect the reality of family life; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74830/25]
View answerThere have been significant developments in entitlements for parents of working families in recent years. The Government is committed to supporting workers, including by extending paid leave for parents to allow them to spend more time with their child during their earliest years.
Under the Parental Leave (Amendment) Act 2019, an employee who is a relevant parent in respect of a child under the age 12 is entitled to 26 weeks’ unpaid parental leave for each child. Where a child has a disability or long-term illness, the entitlement can continue until the child is 16. This allows a parent more time in which to avail of the extended leave entitlement. A relevant parent is a parent, an adoptive parent, or a person acting 'in loco parentis’.
Both parents have an equal, separate entitlement to parental leave. Where both parents work for the same employer and the employer agrees, one parent can transfer 14 weeks of their parental leave entitlement to the other parent.
The legislation only sets out the minimum entitlement to parental leave. Depending on the contract of employment between the employee and the organisation, the employee may have more extensive rights to parental leave, as employers have the option to offer more than the entitlement set out in the legislation.
Parental leave can be taken as either one continuous period of leave or two separate blocks of at least 6 weeks each (there must be a gap of at least 10 weeks between the 2 periods of parental leave per child). Parental leave can also be broken into working days or hours (or a combination of both) if the employer agrees to this.
Further measures have been taken to support working parents. As of August 2024, under the Parent’s Leave and Benefit Act 2019, working parents are entitled to nine weeks of paid parent's leave for each relevant parent, to be taken in the first two years after the birth or adoptive placement of a child.
The Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023 introduced further important entitlements for workers, including the right to request flexible working for parents and carers, and leave for medical care purposes for parents of children under 12.
Family leave provisions are kept under review to ensure that they are effective and respond to the needs of families. Policy on family leave entitlements is also mindful of the impact of the leaves on workplaces.
The new National Strategy for Women and Girls 2025-2030, which was launched on the 18th of November 2025, commits to further enhancing the scope of family leaves. The first Action Plan under the new Strategy is currently being developed and will include actions to support working families in balancing the competing demands of family and work. The first Action Plan is due to be published early in 2026.
1938. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the supports in place for a young person in foster care through non family placement if they turn 18 while in 6th year and preparing for their Leaving Certificate; and the supports available to them from her Department to progress on to third level education. [74841/25]
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.
1939. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the waiting list for assessments of need, broken down by county, and by length of time waiting for an assessment in three month intervals; the waiting list for those who have been waiting longer than 6 months; 9 months, 12 months, 15 months, 18 months, 21 months, 24 months, 27 months, 30 months and 36 months; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74848/25]
View answerThe delivery of an effective, efficient Assessment of Need system is a priority for the Government. There has been intensive work by the Department of Children, Disability and Equality and the HSE to address delays in the provision of 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 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.
It is important to note 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, demand for Assessments of Need has increased significantly in recent years, reflecting both the increase in population and the number of families exploring all options to access services for their child. The impact of this increased demand has contributed to there being over 18,000 applications overdue for completion nationwide at the end of September 2025 according to the most recently available HSE data.
More positively, there has been continued improvement in the number of completed assessment of need reports. Over 4,500 reports were completed in the first nine months of 2025 – a 57% increase compared to the same period in 2024.
The HSE system for collating Assessment of Need data does not provide detail on the breakdown on the length of time overdue but does report the average duration of the assessment process per report. At a national level, the HSE reports that the average duration of the assessment process, where a report has been completed, is 27.15 months. This is for reports completed in Q3 of 2025. As this is a national figure, there will be regional variations with some completed Assessments of Need being delivered within a shorter timeframe.
The HSE provides Assessment of Need data on a quarterly basis but has advised this data is not available on a county level. In 2025, the HSE moved from reporting on Assessment of Need data at CHO level to Regional Health Area (RHA) level.
The following table sets out the requested data by RHA at the end of September 2025, which is the latest data available. The “number of applications overdue for completion” column includes all assessment reports that were not completed within 6 months of receipt of an application.
|
AON Data by RHA
|
Number of applications overdue for completion at the end of Q3 2025 |
|
HSE Dublin & North East |
5577 |
|
HSE Dublin & Midlands |
6585 |
|
HSE Dublin & South East |
2752 |
|
HSE South West |
1569 |
|
HSE Mid West |
482 |
|
HSE West & North West |
1132 |
|
TOTAL |
18097 |
In December 2025, 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 changes to Part 2 of the Disability Act, 2005, which provides for Assessments of Need. The General Scheme of the Disability (Amendment) Bill 2025 which outlines these proposed changes was approved by Government on 9 December and will be published on the Department’s website shortly.
Any proposed legislative 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.
Other aspects of the reform include:
• The development of statutory guidelines to ensure that AONs focus on identifying a child’s needs, engaging in more intensive assessments only where required to identify need. This should help reduce delays and allow therapists to spend more time delivering services.
• The establishment by the HSE of 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, providing clinical guidance throughout the process.
The provision of an effective and efficient Assessment of Need system continues to be a priority for the Government.
1940. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of data breaches recorded by her Department in 2025; and the number that were reported to the Data Protection Commissioner. [74889/25]
View answer1941. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the way in which the State regulates and monitors the use of restrictive practices (details supplied) in non-residential disability services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74941/25]
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.
1942. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children which have been transferred outside the jurisdiction of Ireland for care; the legal basis; the settings and the countries, over the past 36 months; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74947/25]
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.
1943. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether the Child and Family Agency funds, arranges or manages any care services other than those inspected by the Health Information and Quality Authority pursuant to the Health Act 2007 (as amended); for a list of any such services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74950/25]
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.
