Written Answers Nos. 546-553
546. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the amount of money being spent by Tusla each year on special emergency arrangements between 2023 to 2025; the total number of children in special emergency arrangements per year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13915/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this question relates to operational information held by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, the question has been referred to the Agency to reply directly to the Deputy.
547. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department plans to deliver a State-run childcare facility in the Tulla-Kilkishen area of County Clare, given it has a rapidly increasing population and a dearth of facilities at present; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13957/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI recently announced €135 million in capital investment in buildings for high-quality, accessible State-led early learning and childcare. The process will begin in 2026 with investment in buildings in what will be a ground-breaking initiative for this government. Capital funding will be used to acquire and/or fit out the building, depending on requirements.
Up to eight buildings will be selected for investment this year and the State-led initiative will provide thousands of places up to 2030 using the €135 million provided in the National Development Plan. The level of investment will ramp up over the lifetime of the Government.
There will be a particular focus in the new State-led facilities on providing places for 1-3 year old children, with capacity for these children to continue in the service until they start school, because this is where the need is greatest. The aim of delivering additional supply of this type in suitable locations will include both rural areas and urban areas which are not well served at the moment.
A suite of appraisal tools have been developed, including a forward planning model, in order to select projects that align with programme objectives. No final decisions have yet been made on the specific projects but I look forward to sharing details of projects as they are agreed.
This Department is assessing sites and buildings and, where required, will seek expressions of interest from operators to deliver these State-led services.
Local City and County Childcare Committees will be supporting the development of projects so in the first instance, community early learning and childcare operators, local authorities, developers, or others who might have a suitable premises or project should contact their local City/County Childcare Committee.
548. Deputy George Lawlor asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of adults in County Wexford with an intellectual disability; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13964/26]
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.
549. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to provide an update on the initiatives and legislative change under way to deal with the backlog in the assessment of needs (AON) list; the way these will impact on reducing the waiting lists for AONs and provide greater access to the necessary therapies; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13211/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraGovernment recognises the unacceptable delays for families in accessing Assessments of Need. There has been intensive work by the Department and the HSE to address delays and improve the system.
It should be emphasised that children do not require an AON to access health services, including Primary Care, Children’s Disability Network Teams or mental health services.
However, demand for AON has increased significantly in recent years. This reflects both the increase in population and families exploring all options to access services for their child. This has led to a growing backlog of applications and long waits for children and their families.
Despite this, there has been continued improvement in the number of completed AON reports with over 5,900 completed in 2025, 43% more than 2024. This improvement has been achieved by several measures, including the AON Targeted Waitlist Initiative. This has resulted in over 7,700 clinical assessments commissioned from approved private providers since June 2024. The initiative will continue this year with €20 million provided for the delivery of some 6,000 clinical assessments, with a specific focus on autism assessments.
In December 2025, Government announced a series of changes to the AON process intended to improve access to both assessments and therapies for children who need them. These include targeted amendments to Part 2 of the Disability Act 2005, which provides for Assessments of Need. The proposed legislative change include:
• Ensuring the assessment process focuses on a child’s needs, so that more intensive clinical assessments are only used where required.
• Development of statutory guidelines to better support HSE assessment officers.
It is important to note that any proposed legislative changes will not remove any rights for parents to apply for an Assessment of Need for their child, nor will they alter the statutory six-month timeline set out in the Disability Act.
The Bill has been referred to the Joint Committee on Disability Matters for Pre-Legislative Scrutiny and the General Scheme of the Disability (Amendment) Bill has been published on the Department’s website. An FAQ document has also been published, providing information on Assessment of Need and the proposed changes for parents and any other interested stakeholders.
It is important to recognise that legislation is only a part of the response. The HSE is continuing to focus on the training and development of assessment officers and is working with the Department to identify further opportunities to enhance processes and increase administrative supports for HSE assessment officers.
The HSE is also implementing actions to address the wider issue of access to services and supports for children with disabilities including:
• Introduction of a Single Point of Access system by the HSE in 2026. This should make it easier for families to be referred to the right service, whether that is primary care, CDNT or mental health services. It aims to streamline referrals and reduce duplication, so children do not end up on multiple waiting lists.
• Implementation of the Autism Assessment and Intervention Pathways Protocol by the HSE in early 2026. The Protocol will provide a standardised assessment process across primary care, mental health and disability services. It will be the preferred assessment route for autism.
• The creation of eleven new HSE teams, initially, to support assessment processes, including AON, providing clinical guidance and administrative supports.
The provision of an effective and efficient Assessment of Need system continues to be a priority for the Government.
550. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether she is formally notified, either directly or through structured reporting arrangements, of substantiated governance or safeguarding failures identified by Tusla in early years services that receive public funding; if so, to outline the reporting mechanism, frequency and thresholds for notification; and, if not, to state how she is satisfied that systemic safeguarding risks are escalated to ministerial level. [14828/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra552. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to set out the formal governance interface between her Department and Tusla in respect of oversight of early years services, including whether a structured compliance reporting template exists, whether trend analysis is conducted centrally, and whether aggregated safeguarding data informs policy development or funding decisions. [14832/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 550 and 552 together.
Under the provisions of the Child and Family Agency Act 2013, Tusla is independent in the performance of its functions. In keeping with the provisions of the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies, the Department’s governance of Tusla is captured within a specific Oversight Agreement. The Oversight Agreement includes:
• Reporting arrangements between the Department and Tusla.
• Roles and responsibilities of key parties including the role of the Board of Tusla, its Audit and Risk Committee, its Chief Executive Officer and Executive Management team.
• How Tusla’s annual business plan and longer-term strategy are aligned with the priorities of the Minister and of the Government.
• Monitoring arrangements including the formal engagements and different meetings between senior Departmental Officials and staff in Tusla to ensure that its actions are properly aligned.
The Department’s oversight of Tusla extends to the control environment it has in place including the work of its Audit and Risk committee which, in turn, is responsible for the oversight of the identification and management of risks in the organisation.
The Department also works with the Board of Tusla in ensuring that it is in compliance with the provisions of the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies and seeks corroborating evidence on the controls it operates in providing effective leadership and direction to the organisation.
There are meetings held every two months between the Department - (Assistant Secretary General, Principal Officers in the CPTG Division, Principal Officers from Finance (matters related), Principal Officers from External HR, Early Years, Adoption (matters related) - and Tusla EMT.
In terms of specific oversight of the Early Years Inspectorate (EYI), a Communications Protocol between the Department’s Quality, Childminding and Early Years Strategy Unit and the Tusla EYI outlines the communication processes in place for the conduct of business and exchange of information between the two organisations. The overarching principle is that the execution by both parties of their respective roles and functions should be in the best interests of children. As part of this protocol a minimum of six formal meetings are held annually with additional meetings as deemed necessary.
The exchange of information and data covers a broad range of topics, varying in significance and sensitivity. These communications occur frequently—sometimes daily—through multiple channels and at different levels within both organisations.
Effective and timely communication is essential to ensure that each organisation can fulfil their respective responsibilities.
It is important to note that the Tusla EYI is the independent regulator for the early years sector under Part VIIA of the Child Care Act 1991.
All early years services funded by the Department must be registered with Tusla EYI, and are subject to regulation, inspection and - where necessary - enforcement actions by Tusla EYI, in line with the requirements of the Child Care Act 1991.
551. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of occasions since 1 January 2020 on which substantiated governance or safeguarding failures in publicly funded early years services have been escalated to her Department at senior official level; the categories of concern involved; and whether any resulted in policy review, regulatory amendment, contractual revision, or funding sanction at Departmental level. [14831/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department is currently collating the information requested and a reply will issue directly to the Deputy in due course.
553. Deputy Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin asked the Minister for Health if funding will be made available via the mental health capital plan for a specific mental health crisis unit for County Wexford; if so, if she can outline a timeline for same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13564/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
