Written Answers Nos. 690-709
690. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the amount spent by Tusla and her Department on the transfer of children and families in the first nine months of 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56805/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThank you Deputy, for your question and for clarification provided. The provision of transport for children in care, and families, is an operational matter for Tusla and may require collection of data from across Tusla services and areas. I have therefore referred the question to Tusla to provide you with a direct response.
691. Deputy Catherine Ardagh asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to provide a breakdown of the total number of respite hours currently available to children with disabilities in the CHO7 area; the types of respite provided (e.g. in-home, after-school, Saturday, residential, or emergency respite); the number of children currently availing of respite services and those on the waiting list for each category, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56849/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly.
692. Deputy Catherine Ardagh asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the way in which the increased disability funding in Budget 2026 will be ring-fenced for children's respite services, including after-school and weekend respite; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56850/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs part of the budgetary process every year the Health Service Executive (HSE) develops a National Service Plan which outlines the priorities of the HSE as well as the health and social care services they will provide nationwide, within the allocated budget. This process is currently ongoing and when complete, the National Service Plan for 2026 will set out the requested details.
693. Deputy Catherine Ardagh asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the way in which funding for respite in each community healthcare organisation has changed over the past five years, with particular reference to CHO7; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56851/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly.
694. Deputy Catherine Ardagh asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if private respite providers are being contracted to supplement oversubscribed HSE-run services; and if not, the reason; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56852/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly.
695. Deputy Catherine Ardagh asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the average waiting time for a child to access respite services in each CHO; the way in which these figures have changed since 2020; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56853/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly.
696. Deputy Catherine Ardagh asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children with complex needs which are currently awaiting access to any form of respite (in-home, after-school, or weekend) in CHO7; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56854/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly.
697. Deputy Catherine Ardagh asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of new respite referrals which have been refused in the past 12 months; the primary reasons given for refusal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56855/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly.
698. Deputy Catherine Ardagh asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the eligibility criteria for children's respite; if there are age restrictions (such as the rule preventing approval under age eight); the rationale for same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56856/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly.
699. Deputy Catherine Ardagh asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will consider introducing short-term or emergency respite options for children under eight with complex needs, in cases where families are in crisis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56857/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly.
700. Deputy Catherine Ardagh asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the measures being taken to ensure equitable access to respite across regions, given the reports of oversubscription in some CHOs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56858/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly.
701. Deputy Catherine Ardagh asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to provide a breakdown of staff vacancies across respite and children's disability services; the way in which these vacancies are impacting the delivery of after-school and weekend supports; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56859/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
702. Deputy Catherine Ardagh asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the plans in place to expand the respite workforce, including SNAs, care assistants, and respite nurses, in 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56860/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThrough the Programme for Government, the Government has committed to progressively increase funding for respite services, including the Home Support Emergency Respite Scheme; continue to support and expand the network respite houses for children and adults; and to continue to support and offer alternative respite.
A total of €3.8 billion has been allocated for Disability Services in Budget 2026, representing a 20% increase year on year and represents an overall increase since 2020 of €1.8bn.
The specific quantities of service to be provided through this additional allocation will be set out in more detail in the HSE’s National Service Plan.
The issue of funding and recruitment of Special Needs Assistants is a matter for the Department of Education and Youth.
703. Deputy Catherine Ardagh asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will introduce a national recruitment and retention strategy specific to respite and community support services for children with disabilities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56861/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraReflective of issues affecting the broader health and social care sector, the HSE and lead agencies are experiencing ongoing recruitment and retention challenges in disability services. Ensuring that the Disability Sector is fully resourced is a key priority of Government, and recruiting and retaining skilled staff in respite and community support services is critical if we are to continue providing reliable quality care for children with lifelong disabilities. This is in line with defined actions in the Progressing Disability Services Roadmap, the National Service Plan 2025 and the Programme for Government.
While acknowledging the challenges, it is important to recognise that the disabilities workforce is growing year on year. From end December 2019 to August 2025, the disabilities workforce in HSE and Section 38 providers grew by over 20%. Progress has also been made in Children’s Disability Network Teams (CDNTs) recruitment over recent years, with the HSE CDNT Workforce Survey data for April 2025 showing a 26% increase in CDNT staffing levels nationwide, since October 2023.
Building on growth achieved in 2025, Budget 2026 will allow for further targeted expansion in the workforce across key services, including Residential and Respite Services, Day Services, CDNTs, and Neurorehabilitation.
The HSE has appointed an Assistant National Director for the Disabilities Workforce to drive disability workforce initiatives with particular emphasis on enhancing recruitment and retention in CDNTs.
During 2025, the HSE has primarily focussed on implementing recruitment initiatives to support sustained growth of CDNTs and the wider disability service. Building a skilled pipeline of professionals involves active and sustained engagement with the employment market and with students, to improve the perception of and interest in working in the disability sector.
The HSE has also commenced analysing retention challenges, with a view to understanding why workers stay and why they leave, to inform the development of meaningful retention strategies. International research points to the importance of factors such as career progression, work flexibility and professional development and support in this regard.
A dedicated Disability Workforce Strategy will be developed by the HSE in 2026, to meet growing service demands and address recruitment and retention challenges across specialist disability services, including respite and community support services for children with disabilities.
Increasing the disability workforce is key to delivering on the step change in disability services commitment contained in the Programme for Government.
704. Deputy Catherine Ardagh asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the in-home supports which are currently funded for children with high support needs; if these can be expanded as an interim measure while respite services are oversubscribed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56862/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
705. Deputy Catherine Ardagh asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if CDNT teams have discretion to approve in-home respite on compassionate grounds; the frequency with which this has occurred in the past 12 months; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56863/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
706. Deputy Catherine Ardagh asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will publish quarterly updates on the number of children receiving respite; the number waiting, by CHO; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56864/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly.
707. Deputy Catherine Ardagh asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the oversight mechanisms which exist to ensure that HSE disability managers are delivering on national respite targets; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56865/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly.
708. Deputy Catherine Ardagh asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if an audit of children's respite provision has been undertaken since 2022; and, if so, to publish its findings; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56866/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly.
709. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she is aware that, 100 years after the foundation of the State, there is still no statutory provision for childcare services through the medium of Irish, outside of the Gaeltacht; if she accepts that this represents a significant gap in the State's commitment to the Irish language; and the steps she intends to take to ensure that parents who wish to raise their children through Irish have access to Irish-medium childcare nationwide, with particular emphasis on areas designated by the Government as Gaeltacht service towns and Irish-language networks. [56870/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department's funding for Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School-Age Childcare (SAC) services is provided on the same basis to both Irish-medium and English-medium services, whether inside or outside Gaeltacht areas. Likewise, the statutory basis for provision - both for regulations (under Part VIIA of the Child Care Act 1991) and for the National Childcare Scheme (under the Childcare Support Act 2018) - is identical for both Irish-medium and English-medium services.
In line with commitments in the 5-year Action Plan for the Irish language, the Department recruited an Irish Language Support Coordinator in 2022 to drive the development of a National Plan and has provided funding since 2023 to Better Start to recruit an Irish Language Early Years Specialist to support mentoring and advice to Irish-medium early learning and care settings.
The Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht provides additional supports for Irish-medium ELC services in the Gaeltacht through its agencies and organisations such as Comhar Naíonraí na Gaeltachta.
In addition, in June 2024, that Department's predecessor with responsibility for the Irish language announced five-year funding to provide a comprehensive support and development service to naíonraí outside of the Gaeltacht, to be administered by Gaeloideachas. Furthermore, the Department of Children, Disability and Equality (DCDE) has provided funding to Gaeloideachas in 2025 to support Irish-medium ELC settings.
Additionally, DCDE is currently working in collaboration with other relevant Departments and agencies to develop a national plan to further the development of Irish language provision in the ELC and SAC sector.
The development of such a plan is a commitment in the 5-Year Action Plan for the Irish Language. The national plan is expected to support the delivery of two commitments in First 5: the Whole-of-Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families: “Introduce measures to ensure that children in Gaeltacht areas have access to Irish-medium ELC provision” and “Develop mechanisms to provide Irish-language supports to ELC provision where there are high proportions of children who are learning through the medium of Irish”. The plan is also expected to support the delivery of commitments in the Programme for Government to: “Support naíonraí and creches to ensure early education access in Gaeltacht communities and beyond” and “Plan the development of State-led facilities in tandem with the school building programme, including Irish-medium naíonraí”.
In addition to the focus on Irish-medium ELC and SAC services, it is anticipated that the new national plan will also include measures to support English-medium ELC services to work within the updated Aistear early childhood curriculum framework, which was published in December 2024. The updated Aistear includes an aim of supporting young children to have an awareness and appreciation of Gaeilge and our cultural and linguistic heritage.
It is intended that the Plan will be published in the coming months.
