Written Answers Nos. 661-680
661. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to commit to preparing legislation to not automatically exclude members of local authorities from consideration for appointment to State boards; and to set out the reasons such persons would be excluded. [52866/26]
View answerAppointments to the boards of bodies under the aegis of the Department are made in accordance with the requirements of the legislation establishing each body and the Government Guidelines on Appointments to State Boards, published by the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation.
The legislation establishing a body may set out eligibility requirements for board membership or provide that certain persons are ineligible for appointment to the board of a body.
In respect of the bodies under the aegis of the Department with particular requirements in legislation for board appointments, there are no plans to vary the requirements.
The Public Appointments Service (PAS) has responsibility for managing an open, accessible and transparent system to support Ministers in making state board appointments.
662. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality further to Parliamentary Questions Nos.1606 and 1614 of 9 June 2026, (details supplied), to confirm whether a defined threshold or escalation trigger exists for repeated placement breakdowns, and, if so, the threshold; whether the 328 figure, or equivalent data on repeat placements, is reported through any national governance, risk register or safeguarding framework, and, if not, the reason; whether any formal review is automatically triggered once a child reaches a third or greater placement; and when Tusla expects its data management and reporting systems, referenced in the reply to 42684/26, to be capable of answering these questions. [52949/26]
View answerI would like to thank the Deputy for this question regarding placement stability for children in the care of the State.
Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, is statutorily independent in the performance of its functions under Section 8(11) of the Child and Family Agency Act 2013.
While Tusla has not advised of a specific escalation trigger, the Agency has stated that the third or greater placement is taken as an indicator of overall placement stability. Tusla has further advised that decisions in relation to placement changes are considered at child in care reviews by qualified professionals, and take into account the best interests of the child.
Tusla has developed a policy and operational document relating to permanency planning and stability 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.
The number of children in their third or greater placement, as well as further detailed information in relation to stability of placements for children in care is reported in Tusla’s annual Review of Adequacy report, which is publicly available on the Tusla website: www.tusla.ie/publications/review-of-adequacy-reports/
663. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the total number of individual child protection and welfare referrals received by Tusla, regarding school employees, broken down by primary school and post-primary school, for each of the years 2023, 2024, 2025 and to date in 2026. [53033/26]
View answer664. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of individual child protection and welfare referrals received that were classified as mandated reports; and the number classified as non-mandated referrals. [53034/26]
View answer665. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number and percentage of individual child protection and welfare referrals received determined by Tusla at screening stage to not meet the threshold. [53035/26]
View answer666. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of unique children the individual child protection and welfare referrals received relate to, broken down by primary school and post-primary school. [53036/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 663 to 666, inclusive, together.
Statutory and operational responsibility for the delivery of child protection and welfare services is a matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. The Deputy is seeking information in relation to an operational matter for Tusla. Consequently, I have referred the matter to Tusla and requested that a direct response be provided to the Deputy.
667. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the total number of formal appeals to Tusla; and the percentage of those appeals that were successful or resulted in a decision reversal. [53037/26]
View answerStatutory and operational responsibility for the delivery of child protection and welfare services is a matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. The Deputy is seeking information in relation to an operational matter for Tusla. Consequently, I have referred the matter to Tusla and requested that a direct response be provided to the Deputy.
668. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality her plans to address the shortage of childcare places across Waterford city and county; if she will consider Tramore as a pilot area for state-led childcare intervention; if she has considered correspondence from a group (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53043/26]
View answer€135 million is being made available between 2026 and 2030 for the State-led Early Learning and Childcare capital programme, providing high-quality, accessible early learning and childcare.
The process will begin this year with investment in buildings in what will be a ground-breaking initiative for the Department of Children, Disability and Equality. Capital funding will be used to acquire and/or fit out the building, depending on requirements. The Department will work with not-for-profit providers to design, open and operate services.
A suite of appraisal criteria and tools have been developed in order to assess the potential alignment of projects with Departmental goals of promoting quality, inclusion, accessibility and affordability, including a forward planning model which allows for detailed analysis.
Local City and County Childcare Committees will be supporting the development of projects. In the first instance, we are asking anyone who might have a suitable premises or project to contact their local City/County Childcare Committee, whose details can be found here: cccw.ie/
The Department is now assessing project options in order to identify which are best placed to deliver on the goals of the programme.
To date, nine projects have received approval-in-principle and are being developed to Final Business Case. Local City and County Childcare Committees are supporting the development of projects.
No final decisions have yet been made on the specific projects but I look forward to sharing details of projects as they are agreed.
Officials have the correspondence that the Deputy refers to and a response is being prepared.
669. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will review the operation of the statutory domestic violence leave provisions, particularly the type of information or evidence that an employer may request from an employee applying for the leave; if her Department is considering issuing further guidance or legislative changes to provide greater clarity for both employers and employees; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53044/26]
View answerUnder the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023, anyone experiencing or at risk of domestic violence will be entitled to take five days leave in any 12 month period in order to access supports. They will also be entitled to full pay during the period of leave.
The Department commissioned Women’s Aid to develop supports for employers to develop their own domestic violence workplace policies, including templates and guidance, all of which are available at www.dvatwork.ie. It is noted that this guidance is not statutory guidance nor a code of practice.
It is recognised that many situations where such leave is required it may not be possible for an employee to have supporting documentation or other supporting evidence. The Act does not require evidence to support an application for domestic violence leave. There may be very limited, exceptional circumstances in which an employer may consider it appropriate to request supporting documentation to ensure that the use of the leave is not being misused. However, it is not considered to be within the spirit of the provisions of the Act to request supporting documentation of any kind.
The Department of Children, Disability and Equality is required to carry out a review of the domestic violence leave provision of the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023. The review will take place in the coming months, with discussions currently taking place on the scoping and timing of the review.
670. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to provide an update on the provision of services and equipment in Tipperary for a child (details supplied) given current arrangements are in Temple Street, Dublin, and given it places a significant burden on the child and family; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53068/26]
View answer671. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality when a child (details supplied) will get access to physiotherapy services close within Tipperary; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53072/26]
View answer672. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality when a child and their family (details supplied) will get access to social worker support within Tipperary; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53073/26]
View answer673. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality when a child (details supplied) will get access to an anterior marcy walker, as advised by their neurologist; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53074/26]
View answer674. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality when a child (details supplied) will get access to the correct orthotics, which they currently don’t have access to; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53075/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 670 to 674, inclusive, together.
As this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
675. Deputy Daniel Ennis asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she is aware of any early learning and childcare providers leaving core funding since the most recent price cap reduction from €198 per week to €183.70 per week; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53083/26]
View answerWhile the Department cannot mandate providers to participate in the Scheme, every effort has been made to carefully design Core Funding to meet the policy objectives including to achieve high levels of participation by providers.
Under the Core Funding Partner Service Funding Agreement, Partner Services must comply with the rules of the Core Funding scheme, such as the associated fee management measures and minimum notice periods. In line with the Core Funding Partner Service Agreement, services considering withdrawing from the scheme during a programme year must give 3 months’ notice of their intention to withdraw to the scheme administrator, and 3 months’ written notice to parents/guardians.
However, if an existing Partner Service decides not to enter a contract for the new programme year starting on 1 September, they, as private businesses, would no longer be subject to the provisions of the Core Funding Agreement and, by extension, the required minimum notice period to the scheme administrator and parents/guardians. They are also not required to provide a reason for choosing not to reapply for Core Funding to the scheme administrator.
As of July 2026, we are seeing the highest numbers of services participating in the Core Funding scheme since the scheme was launched, with 93% of all eligible providers signed up to the fourth year of Core Funding which equates to over 4,600 services.
Adherence to the Core Funding fee management system is a primary condition of receiving the significant State funding that is available through the scheme. The fee management system requires compliance with the fee freeze and maximum fee caps. This is to ensure that the State’s significant investment through the Scheme is not absorbed by unnecessary fee increases.
Fee Caps were first introduced in September 2024, applying only to First-Time Partner Services, meaning services that were contracting to the scheme for the first time in year 3 of Core Funding (September 2024 – August 2025). This established a ceiling of affordability beyond which services would not be able to participate in Core Funding. These maximum fee caps were then lowered and extended to all Partner Services in September 2025.
In June, the new maximum fee caps were confirmed for September 2026. The fee for a full day place of between 40-50 hours per week, the most common full day care operating hours, will be no more than €280 per week from September 2026. When universal subsidies under the National Childcare Scheme are deducted, this decreases to €183.70 per week. The majority of services are already charging less than the maximum fees. Approximately 12% of services will be required to lower at least one fee.
Budget 2026 allocated over €21 million in brand new funding to support providers in adhering to the Core Funding fee management conditions. The new maximum fee cap and increased State investment are important steps towards the Government’s commitment to progressively reduce the cost of early learning and childcare to €200 per month per child during the lifetime of the Government.
676. Deputy Daniel Ennis asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will provide an update on the number of childminders registered with Tusla to date since the implementation of the new childminding regulation in 2024; and to provide a breakdown of that uptake, per month, in tabular form. [53084/26]
View answerAs the subject matter of the Deputy's question relates to an operational matter for Tusla, I have referred the matter to them for a direct reply.
677. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department will negotiate with her counterparts in Britain to ensure that all survivors of institutional abuse to include all schemes related to mother and baby institutions, industrial schools, and Magdalene laundries now living in Britain, who receive financial redress supports or any related settlements should be equally be protected (details supplied). [53087/26]
View answerThe Department of Children, Disability and Equality administers two redress schemes for survivors of historical abuse - the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme (Payment Scheme) and the Magdalen Restorative Justice Ex-Gratia Scheme (Magdalen Scheme).
The Magdalen Scheme is in operation since 2013. It made provision for a Stg£1,000 (maximum) grant to women living in the UK who sought to set up a personal injury trust fund so that a Scheme award may not affect their welfare benefits.
The Payment Scheme is in operation since 2024. Over a long period of time there has been very positive engagement between this Department (in cooperation with Irish embassy officials in London), the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in Great Britain (GB) and the Department of Communities in Northern Ireland (NI) in relation to the treatment of awards from the Payment Scheme in means tests for benefits in GB and NI.
Separately, a campaign led by Liam Conlon, MP, together with other public representatives and representative organisations, called “Philomena’s Law” had been working its way through Westminster, garnering significant media attention.
The discussions and campaign, together, have ultimately been successful. On March 13th the Taoiseach and the then UK Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, announced that payments made from Ireland’s Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme to UK-based survivors will be disregarded in means tests for benefits across the United Kingdom.
Such a disregard is already in place in Ireland. This means that payments are discounted for tax purposes and in assessments for social welfare and other benefits.
Since the announcement by the Taoiseach and the Prime Minister, departmental officials have been liaising with their counterparts in London and Belfast. The up-to-date position is that NI officials are currently drafting the required legislation for NI and, whilst UK officials have confirmed that it will be a few months before the legislative amendment is through, survivors do not need to delay in applying to the scheme or accepting a payment as the DWP will now disregard any means arising from the scheme. To that end, operational guidance has issued to staff working in pensions, universal credit, and housing benefit so all deciding officers should now be aware of the disregard. DWP have also issued guidance to Local Authorities since they administer housing benefits.
To date, there have been almost 800 applications from UK survivors to the Payment Scheme, almost 600 of which have received an offer of an award. The Payment Scheme has been assisting UK-based applicants in terms of their acceptance of awards on an ad-hoc basis. Such assistance has involved ensuring some flexibility within the process pending the possibility of a disregard coming into being.
I am happy to partake further in any discussions that might further assist the broader survivor diaspora in Britain.
678. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she is aware that Tusla has instructed a service provider (details supplied) that children with special educational needs who turn six years-of-age or older during the 2026/2027 school year cannot join the service from September onwards despite the ongoing shortage of suitable educational placements for children with additional and special educational needs; if she will intervene to have this decision reversed given the lifeline this service provides for children with special educational needs who have not secured a suitable school placement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53088/26]
View answerAs the subject matter of the Deputy's question relates to an operational matter for Tusla, I have referred the matter to them for a direct reply.
679. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to provide an update on increased respite for the parents of a person (details supplied), with a view to securing a supported residential placement following a transition period. [53097/26]
View answerI wish to thank the Deputy for raising this question. As this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly.
680. Deputy Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality that given reports that the Gorey CDNT has been without a dietitian since 2021, the interim arrangements that have been put in place to ensure children requiring urgent feeding and nutritional interventions can access appropriate care; and whether referrals are being facilitated to neighbouring CDNTs or alternative providers. [53127/26]
View answerAs this question refers to the service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
