Written Answers Nos. 375-396
375. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to provide an update on an application for naturalisation (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52888/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe application referred to by the Deputy continues to be processed by my Department.
I am aware that extended wait times can be frustrating for applicants, particularly considering the current processing times. I want to assure anyone who has an application for naturalisation submitted, that the Citizenship Division is doing everything possible to progress applications as quickly as possible.
I expect that going forward, the majority of applicants will continue to receive a decision within one year, however, it is important to note that no two naturalisation applications are the same and some take longer than others to process.
Given the importance of citizenship, robust and comprehensive checks must take place on each application. Unfortunately, some international checks can take a considerable amount of time and these are largely outside of the control of the Immigration Service.
Citizenship Division have also taken a significant number of steps to speed up the process for applicants. These included introducing an online digital application, online payments, and the introduction of eVetting. I am pleased to inform the Deputy that these changes are dramatically reducing processing times.
The length of time taken to process an application has dropped from 15 months in 2023, to 8 months in 2024.
The person concerned can now directly check the status of their immigration application on the Immigration Service’s new Customer Service Portal. They can register for, or log in to their existing account, at portal.irishimmigration.ie/en/.
As an Oireachtas member, you can also request the status of individual immigration cases by e-mail, using the Oireachtas Mail facility at: IMoireachtasmail@justice.ie, which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Question process.
376. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of high-speed EV charger points currently available at Garda stations within the Limerick division; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53281/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI have been informed by the Garda authorities that the table provided sets out the number of charging points that An Garda Síochána have installed at Garda stations in Limerick.
|
Charger speed |
7kW AC |
22kW AC |
Total |
|
Number of sockets |
10 |
3 |
13 |
I am further informed that there are currently an additional 14 EV charging points planned for the Limerick Garda Division but these will not be installed by the end of 2025.
377. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if funding will be made available to local authorities for the provision of additional dog wardens in 2026, given the impact that dog fouling has on children, wheelchair users and people who are vision impaired; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52848/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraFrom 1 June 2025, all policy and legislative responsibility for the Control of Dogs Acts transferred to my Department from the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht (DRCDG).
Prior to 2025, DRCDG did not provide funding to local authorities to employ dog wardens. In July 2024, funding of €2 million was announced for local authorities to support the resourcing of dog warden services in 2025. The funding is intended as a support for the hiring of up to 40 additional dog wardens and does not necessarily provide the full cost of employment. This funding recognises the increased demands in the area of dog control.
To date, funds have been provided to 30 local authorities to support the resourcing of additional dog warden positions in 2025. I am aware that recruitment of additional dog wardens has been undertaken in several local authorities, however, the final number of appointments is not yet available. Local authorities are to submit a progress report to my Department 12 months after acceptance of the additional funding.
The budgetary process for 2026 as part of the annual cycle for my Department as a whole is ongoing, so I am not yet in a position to comment on 2026 initiatives.
378. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide an update on the forgotten farmers; if consideration has been given to broadening the age and time restrictions for applicants who are excluded; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52747/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe application window for the scheme to support Long Established Young Farmers has closed and there are no plans to extend the eligibility criteria.
Since the time my Department was first approached in 2015 with regard to the group commonly referred to as forgotten farmers, the group was defined as young farmers who were under the age of 40 in 2015, had established their holdings prior to 2008 and were not eligible for young farmer supports under the CAP from 2015. The request for support for the forgotten farmer group in 2015 was for inclusion under the Basic Payment Scheme National Reserve as a group suffering from specific disadvantage. This definition of forgotten farmer has remained consistent since 2015.
The CAP from 2015 provided supports to young farmers who had established their holdings from 2010. Furthermore, in recognition of the withdrawal of the Installation Aid Scheme in October 2008, and following my Department’s consultation with the EU Commission, the then Minister announced in March 2015 that the group commonly known as ‘Old Young Farmers’, who established their holding between 1 January 2008 and 31 December 2009, and who, due to the timeframe of setting up their holding did not benefit from either Installation Aid or the Young Farmer category of the National Reserve, could be considered as a ‘group suffering from specific disadvantage’. The result was that this group was eligible to apply for support under the National Reserve measure of the 2015 Basic Payment Scheme.
379. Deputy Noel McCarthy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the current situation with respect to carbon credits which may arise as a result of the planting of trees by farmers and other landowners; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52879/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraIreland is obliged to report on, and account for, all greenhouse gases in Ireland under our international obligations. This includes sequestration and emissions from agriculture and forestry. Sequestration and emissions for all types and ages of forests are included, based on the equivalent amount of CO2 removed from, or emitted to, the atmosphere.
The amount reported is based on a national estimate and is not reported for individual plantations or for each forest owner. Ireland's reporting and accounting does not imply ownership, but simply reflects the requirement for those reductions and emissions to be included in the State’s climate inventory.
The term 'carbon credit' is usually used in voluntary markets for activities that result in removing additional CO2 from the atmosphere based on set eligibility criteria.
Work is ongoing in the area of carbon farming at both at EU and national level. The EU Commission has developed a carbon removals and carbon farming regulation (CRCF) which will create the first EU-wide voluntary framework. The Commission is in the process of establishing tailored EU certification methodologies for different carbon removal activities, including forestry. My Department are engaged with the Commission on this process, in order to ensure that the methodologies developed have applicability for forest owners in Ireland.
At national level, my Department is leading the development of a Carbon Farming Framework to support putting farmers, landowners, and foresters at the centre of meeting our National Climate objectives. Work is ongoing in this area with a view to delivering a National Framework for Carbon Farming in Ireland, as outlined in the recent Programme for Government.
380. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the approximate total number of deer in the State; and to outline the work of the Deer Management Strategy Group; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52910/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department, along with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage established the Irish Deer Management Strategy group to develop a strategy for the sustainable management of deer in Ireland. The Group comprised representatives from my Department, National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS) and Coillte. A report was published into “Developing a Sustainable Deer Management Strategy for Ireland” in December 2023.
The report listed 16 Actions, 8 of which are recommended in the short term and 8 of which are recommended in the medium term. These recommended actions address a wide range of issues from hunter training and forest design to land use management and the venison market. The report concluded that a formal structure was required to manage deer in Ireland, which involved the appointment of a Programme Manager to implement the recommendations of the report and the establishment of local deer management units in known hotspot areas.
The locations of the deer management units (DMUs) have been finalised and put in place. The locations of the DMUs is in response to what might be referred to as deer hotspots. These DMUs aim to give the best geographic coverage in order to reduce the density of deer in these areas.
My Department does not maintain records in relation to the number of deer in the State.
381. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to outline the State's strategy on the way in which to ensure the collection and sustainable use of sheep wool; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52911/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe collection of sheep wool is a commercial arrangement between the sheep farmer and the merchant. My Department does not have a role in collecting wool, or the usage of wool once collected. The Programme for Government commits to supporting the work of the Irish Grown Wool Council under the remit of the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport.
In 2023, following a review of the Irish wool sector which was funded by my Department, the Irish Grown Wool Council was launched. Its vision is to bring wool stakeholders across the Island of Ireland together to realise the potential of wool as a natural, sustainable, and versatile material; build on wool’s rich heritage to enhance understanding and appreciation of the characteristics of Irish grown wool; and, facilitate collaboration in product/market research - ultimately applying innovative product solutions to address current challenges and create future opportunities.
As the Irish Grown Wool Council is an independent body with an all-Island remit, which holds an Annual General Meeting to report back to its stakeholders, I have no role in the oversight or accountability of this body.
382. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the total sum paid in ACRES payments to date in 2025; to provide an estimate of the total sum remaining to be paid; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52913/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme, or ACRES, is the flagship environmental scheme provided under the 2023-2027 CAP Strategic Plan, with €1.5 billion in Exchequer and EU funding allocated over the course of the scheme. There are currently just under 54,000 participants in ACRES.
A total of €97,809,072.66 has been paid to ACRES participants to date in the 2025 calendar year, as reflected in the online update published on my Department's website.
Over 97% of scheme participants are now fully up to date with payments. I can confirm that the processing of payments continues on a weekly basis across all scheme years and tranches for the remaining participants. I cannot provide an estimate of the total sum remaining to be paid as it is not possible to determine the value of an ACRES contract in advance, as each payment is only calculated as it issues.
In addition, advance payments in respect of scheme year 2025 are due to commence in November 2025.
383. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the progress in tackling bovine tuberculosis; the details of the current strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52914/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraBovine TB is an ongoing challenging for Irish farmers. In recent years we have seen a significant increase in bTB levels nationally. Over 6,000 farm families were affected by a bTB outbreak in 2024 and herd incidence was at 6.04%. As at 28th September 2025, over a 12-month period, herd incidence was 6.08%, with over 40,000 reactors.
I published the Bovine TB Action Plan, "Addressing Bovine TB in Ireland", on 9 September which can be viewed at www.bovinetb.ie. The Action Plan follows extensive discussions with stakeholders in recent months. I also received support and approval from Cabinet on 24 June to address the current high levels of Bovine TB (bTB). The Action Plan is based on scientific research and veterinary expertise. There are five measures, which are underpinned by 30 actions:
Support herds free of bTB to remain free.
Reduce the impact of wildlife on the spread of bTB.
Detect and eliminate bTB infection as early as possible in herds with a bTB breakdown and avoid a future breakdown.
Help farmers improve all areas of on-farm biosecurity.
Reduce the impact of known high-risk animals in spreading bTB.
The aim of this Action Plan is to reset the bTB programme by putting in place the necessary measures to tackle the current disease situation. These measures are targeting both transmission between wildlife and cattle and transmission between cattle. I believe that it is vital that these measures are taken to reduce disease levels and to protect the livelihoods of farmers and rural communities.
384. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the supports which will continue to be made available to a facility (details supplied); the action being taken on a recent complaint by the facility against an inspection; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52915/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAnimal welfare is a key priority for me, as Minister, and for the Government. The Animal Welfare Grants Programme provides considerable support for animal welfare charities to assist them in their vital work in rescuing and re-homing animals. In November 2024, funding of almost €6 million was provided to 101 animal welfare charities nationwide including an award of €6,175 to the organisation in question.
Awards are made on the basis of objective criteria which are reviewed on an annual basis. These include the level and type of assistance provided by the organisation in the delivery of care and welfare services to animals and the level of funding raised by organisations from other sources to support welfare activities. Throughput of animals and re-homing figures are assessed along with veterinary inspection of the premises.
I can confirm that an application from the organisation has been received.
I expect to make an announcement on awards before year end.
I understand my Department is liaising directly with the applicant regarding the complaint submitted.
385. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the status of an application by thalidomide sufferers to a foundation (details supplied); when she expects that the applications will be processed and payments made; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52734/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraSince March of this year, the National Thalidomide Advocacy Office has supported four individuals to apply to Contergan in Germany for recognition that their disabilities are as a result of Thalidomide exposure.
The National Thalidomide Advocacy office received acknowledgements on the 23rd of September 2025 that all four applications have now been received by Contergen.
These applications are currently under review but I do not have any definitive timelines as to when their assessments will be complete.
For clarity, payments would only be made to those individuals who are deemed by Contergan to be Thalidomide survivors.
386. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children registered for early years and school age childcare for the 2025-2026 programme year; the number which were registered for the previous three programme years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52627/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe number of unique children registered for early years and school age childcare for the 2025/2026 programme year-to-date is as follows:
|
Programme |
Number of Registrations as of 30/09/2025 |
|
ECCE 2025/2026 |
102,364 |
|
CCSP Saver Programme 2025/2026 |
576 |
|
NCS 2025/2026 |
190,878 |
|
Total number of children registered in ELC and SAC childcare |
243,767 |
The number of unique children that were registered for the last three programme years is as follows:
|
Programme |
ELC |
SAC |
Combined |
|
ECCE 2022/2023 |
108,620 |
N/A |
N/A |
|
NCS 2022/2023 |
93,971 |
58,924 |
148,691 |
|
CCSP Saver Programme 2022/2023 |
834 |
3059 |
389 |
|
ECCE 2023/2024 |
106,553 |
N/A |
N/A |
|
NCS 2023/2024 |
110,721 |
84,871 |
185,712 |
|
CCSP Saver Programme 2023/2024 |
233 |
1,847 |
208 |
|
ECCE 2024-2025 |
109,400 |
N/A |
N/A |
|
NCS 2024-2025 |
118,717 |
106,175 |
214,523 |
|
CCSP Saver Programme 2024-2025 |
33 |
1,092 |
112 |
All data contained in this response has been provided by Pobal, the Scheme Administrator of the childcare funding programmes.
Methodology:
This data was extracted from the Data Warehouse by MAOU on the 30th September 2025.
The number of children in receipt of NCS subsidies were defined as the number of unique children with at least one closed and confirmed claim in the programme year (i.e. a claim where attendance returns were submitted by the service provider and with parental confirmation, where applicable) for claims.
The Education stage has been derived from the Education Stage Group where:
• ELC is where the Education Stage Group is Pre-ECCE, ECCE or Early Start
• SAC is where the Education Stage Group is Junior/Senior Infants, 1st to 6th class or Post primary.
The sum of the children in each Education Stage does not add to the total as children may have claims in both ELC and SAC in a programme year and these children will be counted once in ELC and in SAC and once in the total.
For CCSP as no educational stage is provided the ELC/SAC definition is estimated as being SAC = Age>5years old.
387. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children who are registered for ECCE for the years 2025-2026; the percentage of the total number of children registered for early years and school age childcare for the 2025-2026 programme year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52628/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra388. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children who are registered for ECCE year two for the 2025-2026 programme; the percentage of the total number of children registered for early years and school age childcare for the 2025-2026 programme year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52629/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 387 and 388 together.
The total number of unique children that are registered for the ECCE 2025/2026 programme call as of 30th September is 102,364.
49,403 / 48% unique children are registered in the 2025/2026 ECCE Programme Year 2 as of 30th September.
The number of unique children registered this time last year in the 2024/2025 ECCE Programme is up by 0.76% from 101,593.
The percentage of the total number of children registered for early years and school age childcare for the 2025/2026 programme year as of 30th September is as follows*:
|
Programme Year |
ELC |
SAC |
|
ECCE 2025/2026 |
102,364 / 100% |
N/A |
|
NCS 2025/2026 |
97,458 / 51% |
101,357 / 53% |
|
CCSP Saver Programme 2025/2026 |
N/A |
576 / 100% |
|
Total number and percentage overall of children registered in ELC and SAC childcare for 2025/2026 |
149,868 / 61% |
101,919 / 42% |
Please note NCS percentages are calculated as a proportion of the combined total and may not sum to 100% as a result. This is due to the nature of the data, with Educational Stage being provided by parents and children can have differing Educational stages attached to their claims. The combined total relates to the total number of unique children and children can possibly hold registrations in both ELC and SAC Education Stages.
*All data contained in this answer have been supplied by Pobal’s Funder Queries from 30th September 2025.
389. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she has engaged with early years providers regarding possible changes to the daily time allocated to the ECCE programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52630/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra390. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department has engaged with early years providers regarding possible changes to the daily time allocated to the ECCE programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52631/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 389 and 390 together.
The Programme for Government 2025 commits to "Explore making available an extra hour of ECCE each day in the second year of preschool". This commitment was informed by an independent review of the ECCE Programme which was published in October of last year.
During the course of the ECCE Review, representative organisations, pre-school staff, parents and children reported a preference for an increased provision of hours via the ECCE Programme. The evidence from the review suggests that longer hours can have benefits for child development, social and emotional outcomes as well as school-readiness. Additional hours could be particularly beneficial for children experiencing socio-economic disadvantage.
Officials in my Department are developing a detailed Action Plan to build an affordable, high-quality, accessible early learning and childcare system which will be informed by stakeholder consultation. This measure is one of a number of measures being considered and assessed in the context of the Action Plan.
391. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to outline the details of the new maximum childcare fee cap for learning and childcare services, to include details on when the fee cap will be rolled out; the process for parents to apply; the qualifying criteria, if this is means tested, and what parents need to do to register for this cap; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52646/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn June, I announced the introduction of maximum fee caps for all Partner Services in Core Funding from September 2025. These new maximum fee caps will place a limit on the fees that can be charged across all types of provision. This will reduce costs for families who are facing the highest fees across the country. The fee freeze will remain in place for all Partner Services with fees that fall below these caps.
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.
Core Funding is a supply-side grant to early learning and childcare providers towards their operating costs. It is designed to deliver sustainability for providers through increased funding to the sector, paid on a consistent and equitable basis.
Adherence to the Core Funding fee management system is a primary condition of receiving the significant State funding that is available through the scheme, which has increased from €259 million in year 1 up to €390 million which is currently available for year 4. The fee management system requires compliance with the fee freeze and the maximum fee caps.
Under these new fee caps, the maximum fee for a full day place – of between 40-50 hours per week, the most common full day care operating hours – can more no more than €295 per week (before State subsidies under the National Childcare Scheme and the ECCE programme are deducted), and the maximum fee for 50+ hours of care can be no more than €354.
|
Fee Band |
Hours per week purchased under fee option |
Maximum allowable fee for Partner Services |
|
A |
Less than 10 hours |
€59 |
|
B |
Between 10 hours and 19 hours 59 minutes |
€118 |
|
C |
Between 20 hours and 29 hours 59 minutes |
€177 |
|
D |
Between 30 hours and 39 hours 59 minutes |
€236 |
|
E |
Between 40 hours and 49 hours 59 minutes |
€295 |
|
F |
50 hours or more |
€354 |
Parents can benefit from the new fee caps by enrolling their child with a childcare provider that has contracted to Core Funding for programme year 2025/2026, which covers 1 September 2025 up to 31 August 2026. These providers are known as Partner Services. There is no means test or qualification process for parents to benefit from the new fee caps once they have their child enrolled in a Partner Service.
As of 29 September, 90.9% of providers are contracted to the Scheme. Parents can check for their nearest Partner Service by visiting the gov.ie page How to Find a Partner Service:
www.gov.ie/en/department-of-children-disability-and-equality/publications/how-to-find-a-partner-service/
392. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will prioritise the provision of community based, not-for-profit early education and school age childcare services in public buildings, such as schools, over corporate, for-profit providers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52672/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraImproving access to quality and affordable Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare is a key priority of Government.
Currently approximately a quarter of all early learning and childcare provision is delivered by not-for-profit operators and three quarters by for-profit operators. For-profit operators range from sole traders and partnerships to much larger scale multi site operations.
In 2025, €25m in voted expenditure was made available for the Building Blocks Extension Grant Scheme to allow services to extend, construct or purchase new premises. The scheme was heavily weighted towards not-for-profit providers and, of the 50 projects approved for funding, 43 of which were not-for-profit community services.
Guidance on making available school buildings for early learning and childcare and other community uses is provided by the Department of Education and Youth in Procedures on use of school buildings and sports facilities outside of school hours published last year. In making available its facilities, the guidance asks schools to be conscious of their school's position in the community and the support provided by the community in the provision and maintenance of the facilities. The guidance notes that early learning and childcare provision in schools may be delivered by a commercial entity or a community not-for-profit group, with different considerations applying in each instance. Supporting the provision of after-school childcare in particular is strongly encouraged.
The Programme for Government commits to working with schools to host before and after-school care, and examine start-up supports for groups involved in after-school activities. The Programme for Government also contains a commitment to plan the development of State-led facilities in tandem with the school building programme, including Irish medium naíonraí. The potential for development of State-led facilities in tandem with the school building programme will be considered as part of the wider capital plans to develop State-led services.
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. State ownership of facilities is a very substantial and significant development and offers the potential for much greater scope to influence the nature and volume of provision available and to ensure better alignment with estimated demand. This work will be supported through capital investment under the revised National Development Plan 2026-30.
The approach more widely to ensuring appropriate levels of early learning and childcare supply is being considered by my Department and will be further articulated in the context of the Action Plan to build an affordable, high-quality, accessible early childhood education and care system that Government has committed to publishing.
393. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 318 of 18 September 2025, if she will instruct her Department to provide supports to carers of children with additional needs in order to purchase necessary equipment to safely travel with their children; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52746/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraIt is entirely open to the health professional in the HSE to determine what equipment is essential to safely meet the needs of the child. All equipment to be used for the support needs of individuals must be prescribed and risk assessed.
It is important to have due regard to the rights of child in the use of a restriction in the provision of supports and services. Services have a responsibility to reduce imminent risk of harm, mitigate for a risk of harm and prevent, reduce and eliminate the use of restrictions. With good governance, risk can be reduced, safety maintained and restrictions made redundant.
The situation, needs and requirements of each child with disabilities and the supports required to meet those needs is unique and specific to each child.
The Community Funded Schemes (CFS) is a collective name for all the many products, supports, supplies, appliances and aids that are provided through community services.
Based on satisfying the eligibility criteria, people living with disabilities are, like other people living with a broad range of medical conditions, eligible for Medical/surgical aids and appliances that facilitate and/or maintain mobility and/or functional independence. The HSE provides assistive devices to thousands of people with disabilities to enable them to maintain their health, optimise functional ability and to facilitate care in their primary care setting.
The HSE currently spends in excess of €250m per annum on these products and services. The scale of the programme is extensive, and many thousands of items are provided from community-based services across the country.
394. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality her plans to implement the recommendations of the 2024 PLACES report commissioned by her Department on pregnancy loss. [52791/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI recognise that pregnancy loss is a tragedy which takes an enormous toll on expectant parents.
The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth commissioned a qualitative research study to examine the workplace experiences of parents coping with pregnancy loss. The study, ‘PLACES | Pregnancy Loss (under 24 weeks) in Workplaces: Informing Policymakers on Support Mechanisms’, examines whether policy interventions are required at a national level to support these bereaved parents in the workplace.
The study focuses on people who experience pregnancy loss prior to 24 weeks’ gestation, as people who have a pregnancy loss after 24 weeks’ gestation can avail of full maternity leave and paternity leave entitlements.
The research report was published on 26 January 2024. The recommendations arising from this study are being considered by Department officials in conjunction with officials in the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, with a view to determining Government policy in respect of this issue. Officials in the Department are also in the process of developing the next National Strategy for Women and Girls, and the research will also inform this work.
395. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the amount of equipment issued under AIMS in 2024, and for the first eight months of 2025; the type of equipment issued, and time it took to for the equipment to be issued; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52796/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraA wide range of supports are available through the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM). The Access and Inclusion Model supports children with additional needs to access and meaningfully participate in the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme through 7 levels of universal and targeted supports.
AIM Level 5 provides funding for specialised equipment, appliances or small capital grants towards minor building alterations. A short report from a designated professional is required confirming that the specialised equipment or minor building alterations are necessary to enable the participation of a child in pre-school. Additional information on level 5 can be found at www.aim.gov.ie.
In relation to your queries on level 5 equipment, please see below.
Total number of pieces of equipment issued under AIM was:
• 477 items for 2024 (Jan-Dec)
• 275 items for 2025 (Jan-Aug)
The top 3 categories of equipment distributed through level 5 between January 2024 and August 2025 were:
Specialised seating
Assistive technology
Specialised play equipment.
The average number of days from submission of the application to the delivery of the equipment was 31 days in 2024 (Jan- Dec) and 24 days in 2025 (Jan-Aug).
396. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality how the NCS IT system was able to process applications in respect of school-going age for 41 hours per week. [52806/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra397. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the actions taken by her Department on foot of the fault in the NCS IT system; the resources allocated to the follow-up inspection; and the number of services inspected as part of this investigation. [52807/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 396 and 397 together.
The Department oversees the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) compliance function which is administered by Pobal CAR (Compliance, Audit and Risk). Pobal CAR are responsible for carrying out compliance inspections on service providers. These inspections check if services are adhering to certain programme rules and contract conditions, as well as some legislative requirements under the NCS and that risks to Exchequer funding are minimised. Pobal CAR inspections have a separate remit to the other Inspectorates with a distinct focus.
Under Section 18 of the Childcare Support Act 2018, Pobal’s compliance inspectors, known as Authorised Officers, are granted certain powers to enact the NCS compliance function. Authorised Officers are given ministerial approval on an annual basis.
NCS compliance inspections performed by Pobal CAR involve a suite of checks. One of the categories of checks conducted, confirms that NCS Claims by a service provider are accurate and reflective of actual levels of attendance, allowing for thresholds as outlined in the NCS rules. The hours claimed are verified by Authorised Officers by reviewing attendance records maintained onsite.
It should be noted that the accurate recording of a child’s attendance is a core obligation for participants in the National Childcare Scheme (NCS). As per NCS rules, Providers should not register a school-going child for subsidised hours while they are in school.
During term-time, the NCS subsidy can be applied to hours outside of school, for example, to subsidise breakfast clubs, or after-school childcare. During non-term time, the subsidy can be claimed for all the hours children will attend the service up to their maximum awarded weekly hours (i.e. 45 weekly hours).
An overclaim occurs where NCS hours are claimed by the Provider in excess of the maximum time that a child can spend in the service based on both their Operating times and the time that the child spends in school.
The EY HIVE system enables Providers to submit claims up to the maximum weekly hours throughout the year. This is to provide flexibility for families to claim additional hours during non-term time i.e. mid-term, Christmas, school holidays etc. To reiterate, it is the responsibility of the Provider to ensure that they adhere to the procedures set out in the NCS Regulations and the Policy Guidelines when registering a child on the Scheme, and when confirming registrations on the EY HIVE.
It is not currently feasible to have a systems block on the EY HIVE limiting the claimable hours in term for school-going children for a number of reasons. Firstly, schools have flexibility on when much of their leave is taken, with certain mid-term breaks, training days and other school closures occurring on different dates at different schools. Secondly, individual services set their own operating hours. For example, a service operating 6.30am – 7pm (62.5 hours a week), would mean it would be possible for Junior and Senior Infants in that service to have a valid claim of up to 40 hours. We also know that childminders, who are often used by parents with variable shift patterns, can on occasion accommodate longer days for certain children. The ‘maximum’ hours available to a given child would differ service to service, and within those services, the maximum amount available on a given week would vary depending on the timetable of the school or schools from which the service is offering cover. Therefore, it is incumbent on the provider to ensure when they set up claims for School-Age Children in their care they are not claiming for any hours the child is in school.
There is however a check on claimable hours for school-going children. Where hours claimed are higher than reasonably expected, this may trigger an inspection by Pobal.
