Peter Roche
Ceist:51. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Taoiseach if he will detail the plans to develop a new foreign policy strategy, Global Ireland 2040; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26854/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraForeign Policy
Ceisteanna (51)
Freagraí scríofa
The Programme for Government 2025 – Securing Ireland’s Future, commits the government to further strengthening Ireland’s place in the world.
Under this, the Government will develop a new strategy, Global Ireland 2040 further enhancing our place and influence in international affairs, including ever-deeper relationships with our European partners and in regions such as Latin America, Asia-Pacific, including China, the United States and Canada, and Africa.
The strategy will be designed and delivered as a whole-of-government approach to Ireland's engagement with the world, and cover a range of policy objectives. These include, the promotion of our values; our engagement with the Diaspora; the expansion of our global footprint; the promotion of our culture; and the strengthening and deepening of our economic relationships with existing and new partners.
The elaboration of this new strategy will be led by my Department in close co-operation with other Departments, particularly the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Questions Nos. 52 to 57, inclusive, resubmitted.
Economic Policy
Ceisteanna (58)
James Geoghegan
Ceist:58. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the response to Ireland's Competitiveness Challenge 2024, published by his Department in November 2024. [27447/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The Government's response to the National Competitiveness and Productivity Council's Ireland’s Competitiveness Challenge report 2024 was published on 5 November last.
The Government's response was co-ordinated by the Department of the Taoiseach, drawing together material from relevant Departments. This was the fifth year in which a formal response was issued by the Government to the council's annual competitiveness challenge report. The response addressed the 20 recommendations made by the council to the Government.
In its response, the Government welcomed the advice and views of the council and agreed on the importance and relevance of its recommendations to Ireland's continued competitiveness.
For a significant majority of the recommendations made by the council, meaningful action is under way and this is outlined in the formal response.
Economic Policy
Ceisteanna (59)
James Geoghegan
Ceist:59. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Taoiseach if he plans on hosting another competitiveness summit. [27448/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The Government held its inaugural Competitiveness Summit on 2 September 2024. The second annual Competitiveness Summit is scheduled to take place on 7 July 2025.
Questions Nos. 71 to 74, inclusive, answered orally.
Childcare Services
Ceisteanna (75)
Erin McGreehan
Ceist:75. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to outline actions she is taking to support staff retention in community childcare facilities. [32394/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
In a very competitive labour market and with low levels of unemployment, recruitment and retention is a challenge for all employers, especially in low-paid sectors.
Data from the 2023 Annual Early Years Sector Profile survey shows the national turnover rate for the sector was approximately 25%, however the turnover rate of Community service was significantly lower at approximately 20%. I should also note that 2024 data on the number of educators/practitioners shows an increase of 2.5% in the number staff working with children in Community services.
The Government also supports recruitment of staff specifically in the Community services through the Department of Social Protection's Community Employment Scheme. In 2024, this scheme supported over 660 staff working in Community early learning and childcare services.
In general, the challenges faced by both Community and Private services are not caused by insufficient supply of staff, but by high levels of turnover.The Joint Labour Committee process is the mechanism by which employer and employee representatives can negotiate minimum pay rates, which are set down in law through Employment Regulation Orders. Outcomes from the Joint Labour Committee process are supported by Government through Core Funding, which has seen its allocation increase from €259 million in year 1 to €350 million for the coming year 2025/2026.An additional €45 million has been ring-fenced to support employers meet the costs of further increases to the minimum rates of pay. This allocation is conditional on updated Employment Regulation Orders.
I recently met with Joint Labour Committee representatives, to acknowledge their important role and emphasise Government’s expectation that any newly negotiated Orders fully utilise the funding made available by this Government through the Core Funding Scheme.
Questions Nos. 76 to 83, inclusive, answered orally.
Disability Services
Ceisteanna (84)
Peadar Tóibín
Ceist:84. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the total number of community disability network teams in the State; and the number of which are fully staffed. [32442/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
I would like to thank the Deputy for his question regarding the staffing of Children’s Disability Network Teams.
There are 93 Children’s Disability Network Teams and in line with the Progressing Disability Services model these 93 teams are aligned to 96 Community Healthcare Networks across the country. CDNTs provide services and supports for children aged from birth to 18 years of age.
Currently there are no CDNT’s fully staffed, however, the HSE have advised that, as the latest data from the 9th of April 2025 shows, the CDNT workforce has grown to 2,009 Whole Time Equivalents (WTE).
This represents an overall growth since October 2023 of 414.5 WTE, reducing the corresponding vacancy rate from 29% to 18% during that period. This is the lowest vacancy rate since October 2021.
The Progressing Disability Services Roadmap, launched by the HSE in October 2023, focuses on the ongoing development of CDNT services to meet current and growing demand. It establishes a set of priority workforce actions to address current vacancies and expand recruitment across children’s disability services over the coming years.
A number of these actions have been completed with 45 new clinical psychology trainee placements created in 2023, 2024 and this will continue in October 2025.
In order to optimise recruitment into funded agencies, the HSE are facilitating direct access for funded agencies to existing HSE Health and Social Care Professional panels. This will shorten the recruitment process to candidates.
Further incentives include a CDNT sponsorship programme with bursaries for fourth year and postgrad students linked to acceptance of job offers. More therapists will be recruited into disability services to meet the needs of the vast majority of children that avail of mainstream services rather than specialist services.
Funding has been made available in 2025 for Children’s Services to build on these existing recruitment initiatives, with funding focusing on various positions across the CDNTs.
More broadly, a total of €3.2 billion has been allocated for HSE Disability Services in Budget 2025. This amounts to an 11.6% increase in funding on last year.
Continued expansion of the CDNT workforce will remain a focus for the Government and will be delivered through a series of incentives. We will continue to increase the number of places in higher education to expand the pipeline of future therapists.
Under the new Programme for Government, we will work to increase staff, train more therapists and enable targeted supports for CDNTs. Through these concentrated efforts, we will build a more robust workforce into the future to meet the growing needs of families and children.
Family Resource Centres
Ceisteanna (85)
Claire Kerrane
Ceist:85. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to advise on the number of applications received for inclusion in the National Family Resource Centre Forum; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32387/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The number of applications received for inclusion in the Family Resource Centre Programme is forty-nine.
The expansion of the Family Resource Centre Programme was made possible in Budget 2025 because my Department secured additional funding for the Programme. This funding will allow for membership of the Programme to increase from 121 members to 126 members in 2025. This is in line with the current Programme for Government commitment to increase funding and expand the capacity and network of Family Resource Centres.
I very much welcome this development, and have stated on many occasions my admiration for the broad scope of the work being done by Family Resource Centres in communities around the country. I extend my best wishes to all the groups/organisations that have expressed an interest in becoming members of the Family Resource Centre Programme.
Applications for Programme membership were open from 1st May to 30th May, 2025. The application and selection processes are being managed by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. Tusla has responsibility for the day-to-day administration of the Family Resource Centre Programme with funding provided by my Department. The selection process is merit-based using the published criteria, and this will ensure all applications are treated equitably against the criteria established by Tusla. The successful applicants will be allocated core funding of €160,000 for each full year of operation.
The successful applicants will receive support from Tusla, and I expect that the Family Resource Centre National Forum will also be of great assistance welcoming new members to the Forum and guiding them in establishing their operations and aligning them with the ethos of the Programme. I expect that the new Family Resource Centres will be up and running over the coming months. The five communities welcoming new Family Resource Centres will benefit in the way that current communities have benefitted from the Centres that serve them, providing a range of family support and other services across the life cycle.
Child and Family Agency
Ceisteanna (86)
Claire Kerrane
Ceist:86. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to respond to the recently published report on behalf of Tusla regarding special care; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32386/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
I welcome the publication of the Tusla commissioned Report of the External Review Group on Special Care. The External Review Group was tasked with examining the operation of special care services in Ireland and the report details several recommendations for its future delivery.
A number of these recommendations relate to staff remuneration, retention and recruitment. Officials from my Department continue to work with Tusla to support them in addressing these and the immediate staffing shortages in special care provision.
Following extensive engagements between my Department and the Department of Public Expenditure NDP Delivery and Reform a new grade and pay scale for Special Care has been sanctioned in an effort to increase staff numbers.
This new Tusla Special Care Worker grade offers a significantly improved salary scale, offering 19.4% higher pay at top-of-scale compared to the Social Care Worker grade. It offers 3.4% higher pay at top-of-scale than the Social Care Leader grade. Tusla commenced advertisement of this new grade in January 2025 and is in the process of onboarding the first successful candidates.
My Department also supports the ongoing work by Tusla to develop and introduce a Social Care Worker apprenticeship scheme. The scheme is currently being formulated in collaboration with relevant stakeholders including Tusla and the Higher Education Institutes and will serve as a further pipeline of recruitment into social care settings, including Special Care.
I understand Tusla has also made extensive efforts to address the challenge of staff retention including the establishment of a dedicated retention team to focus on key initiatives. This includes the launch of a coaching network for both managers and staff to provide support in achieving goals and enhancing career progression opportunities.
Additionally, a Violence, Harassment, and Aggression (VHA) taskforce has been established to ensure appropriate training and supports are available to staff working in challenging environments. Tusla have developed a Strategy for the management of VHA in special care units. This includes a pilot of safety pods in one centre which resulted in a significant reduction in floor restraints and positive feedback from staff, young people, families and professionals. The roll out of the policy has since commenced in the other two centres.
Considerable work continues to be undertaken to address the complex challenges in the provision of special care.
While the operation of special care and the provision of special care beds is the statutory responsibility of Tusla, my Department is actively engaging with Tusla in relation to the issues impacting on special care.
A record investment of over €1.2 billion was secured for Tusla in Budget 2025. This builds on a significant increase in Tusla’s allocation in 2024.
An additional €1 million has been made available in Budget 2025 to support Tusla to address staffing issues in special care. Furthermore, an additional €1.55 million was also made available for the provision of supplementary step-down placements and the capital funding to purchase, renovate and equip those units.
My Department will continue to provide support to Tusla to address the current very significant challenges impacting on this service, and examine longer term actions for the future provision of special care. In this we will be informed by the Report of the External Review Group on Special Care.
Childcare Services
Ceisteanna (87)
Tony McCormack
Ceist:87. Deputy Tony McCormack asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality for an update on the implementation of pay increases for staff in the childcare sector. [32480/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Pay is one of a number of issues impacting the early learning and care and school-age childcare workforce. The level of pay for early years educators and school-age childcare practitioners does not reflect the value of their work for children, families, society and the economy.
As the State is not the employer of staff in the sector, neither I nor my Department can set wage levels or determine working conditions for staff in the sector.
The Joint Labour Committee is the formal mechanism established by which employer and employee representatives can negotiate minimum pay rates, which are set down in Employment Regulation Orders.
I acknowledge the Joint Labour Committee is independent in its functions, and I do not have a role in its statutory negotiation processes.
However, outcomes from the Joint Labour Committee process are supported by Government through Core Funding. which, in the programme year 2025/26 will increase by 6% to €350 million.
An additional €45 million has been ringfenced to support employers meet the costs of further increases to the minimum rates of pay and is contingent on updated Employment Regulation Orders.
Core Funding forms part of a significant State investment of €1.37 billion in funding under Budget 2025 for early learning and childcare.
I recently met with Joint Labour Committee representatives, to acknowledge the Committee's important role and to outline the Government’s continued support for the sector as a whole and, as outlined in the Programme for Government, for the Joint Labour Committee process.
I outlined to representatives that Government expects the funding secured to support the costs of increased minimum pay rates is used for its intended purpose and that any new Employment Regulation Orders would utilise the full amount available.
As I have said at the outset, the level of pay for staff in the sector does not reflect the value of their work for children, families, society and the economy.
Therefore, it is vitally important that the Committee engage in productive negotiations about ensuring that the high level of investment being made through Core Funding for improved pay is maximised.
I look forward to the Joint Labour Committee negotiated outcomes.
Disability Services
Ceisteanna (88)
Maurice Quinlivan
Ceist:88. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality when the Children’s Disability Network Team in Limerick will address the shortage of occupational therapists in the region, appreciating ongoing long-term leave since March 2024 that has curtailed the ability to provide this support; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31956/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Both the Government and the HSE are acutely aware of the ongoing challenges in the recruitment and retention of therapists across the 93 Children’s Disability Network Teams (CDNTs), including those in Limerick.
Nationally, the CDNTs continue to support over 43,000 but I do recognise the need for more therapists in CDNTs and the impact these delays have on children and young people.
My Department is working closely with the HSE to address these issues both at national and local level in order to help deliver the necessary services to children and their families in a timely manner in line with the Roadmap for Service Improvement 2023-2026.
I am pleased to note that, according to the 2025 CDNT Workforce survey, the CDNT workforce has grown to 2,009 Whole Time Equivalents (WTE). This represents an overall growth since October 2023 of 414 WTE, reducing the corresponding vacancy rate from 29% to 18% during that period. This is the lowest vacancy rate since October 2021.
We have also committed to record investment in Disability services and, in particular, an investment into CDNTs resulting a €2.84m in New Development Measure funding to provide for additional Whole-Time Equivalents (WTEs) in CDNTs.
With regard to the specific vacancy issue mentioned by the Deputy, I have been advised by the HSE that Enable Ireland are committed to continue progressing recruitment campaigns in order to secure an occupational therapist.
HSE advise that the relevant CDNT is providing continuous supports to families through specific workshops that focus on sensory differences.
The Programme for Government commits to doubling the number of college places for speech and language therapists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, dieticians, psychologists and social workers and developing new pathways into these professions. Earlier this month, the Government approved an expansion in training places in nine key Health and Social Care Profession areas from September 2025, including occupational therapy.
Childcare Services
Ceisteanna (89)
Cathy Bennett
Ceist:89. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will outline the amount by which childcare costs have reduced since the formation of Government. [32460/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Earlier this month, I announced the introduction of maximum fee caps for all Partner Services in Core Funding from September 2025. The fee freeze will remain in place for all Partner Services with fees below these caps. This is an important step towards the reduction of childcare fees to €200 per month over the lifetime of this Government.
Maximum fee caps were introduced for new services last year, and this September they will be extended to existing services also. Under the new fee caps, the highest possible fees will be no more than €295 per week for a full-day place of 40-50 hours per week. Once the National Childcare Scheme subsidy is taken into account, the maximum fee for a parent in this situation will be less than €200 per week.
This latest measure builds on a range of supports already in place.
The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme provides two years of pre-school without charge and has participation rates of 96%. Over 70% of families on low income report they could not send their child to pre-school without it.
The National Childcare Scheme (NCS) complements ECCE, giving universal and targeted subsidies to reduce costs to parents. Recent improvements include the extension of the universal subsidy to children under 15 and two increases to the minimum hourly subsidy, now worth €96.30 per week for 45 hours.
Almost 220,000 children benefited from a subsidy in 2024. Since last September, children in childminding settings can also benefit from National Childcare Scheme subsidies.
In addition, the fee management system introduced through Core Funding has made sure the investment in affordability is not absorbed by unnecessary fee increases. Core Funding has enjoyed high participation rates to date, with 92 per cent of services taking part.
Preparations for the first Estimates process for this Government are underway and I am committed to bringing forward proposals to make further progress in this area.
Work is also under way to develop an Action Plan to build an affordable, high-quality, accessible early learning and childcare system, informed by stakeholder consultation. This will set out future steps to reduce the cost of childcare further to €200 per month.
Childcare Services
Ceisteanna (90)
Joe Neville
Ceist:90. Deputy Joe Neville asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to outline the steps taken to ensure that there are more creche spaces introduced in north Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32420/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Early learning and childcare capacity is increasing nationally.
Core Funding data shows that between Year 1 and Year 3 of the scheme, annual place hours increased by over 15% and the estimated number of enrolments increased by approximately 19% between 2022 and 2024. Enrolments in Kildare increased by almost 22% over the same period.
Moreover, data from the Tusla shows there was an increase of 5 services on the pre-school register and 15 services on the school-age register in Kildare in 2024.
However, demand for early learning and childcare remains higher than available supply in certain places, particularly for younger children.
The Forward Planning and Delivery Unit in my Department has been expanded with the allocation of additional staff and it is pursuing an ambitious programme of work. A detailed model is being designed to better understand the nuances of supply and demand at a local level.
We are continuing to support the sustainability and expansion of the sector through ongoing development and resourcing of Core Funding which supports providers with operating costs based on the number of places available.
The Government is also supporting the expansion of capacity through capital funding. The Building Blocks Extension Grant Scheme is designed to increase capacity in the 1–3-year-old age range for full day care. Core Funding Partner Services could apply for capital funding to physically extend their premises or to construct or purchase new premises.
I was delighted to announce recently the 49 applications which are progressing to the next stage of the funding process. The 49 projects are a mix of Community Extension, Private Extension, Community Purchasing and Community Construction projects. When completed they will deliver almost 1,500 additional full time childcare places for 1-3 year olds across the country.
Among the 49 applications are three services from Kildare.
Additionally, the Programme for Government commits for the first time to provide capital investment to build or purchase state-owned early learning and childcare facilities, to create additional capacity in areas where unmet need exists. Detailed design of this policy is ongoing and the implementation of this initiative will be underpinned by the capital allocation to be set out in the forthcoming revision of the National Development Plan.