Written Answers Nos. 655-680
655. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the estimated cost of increasing personal assistance hours by at least 270,000; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51334/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe HSE provides a range of assisted living services including personal assistance (PA) services to support individuals to maximise their capacity to live full and independent lives.
Budget 2026 saw a substantial investment of €15m to increase the rate for service delivery for both personal assistance and home support, helping ensure providers can build and sustain the workforce needed to support people with disabilities every day and fulfilling a key Programme for Government commitment to align the disability rates with the rate paid for similar support services in other sectors.
As of 1 January 2026, the increased rate for personal assistance service delivery is €32.73 per hour. Calculated on the basis of this rate, the estimated full-year cost of providing 270,000 additional hours of personal assistance is €8,837,100.
656. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the estimated full-year cost of increasing childcare subsidies to 100% of fees paid by parents availing of childcare subsidies; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51335/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Deputy has requested the cost of increasing the NCS subsidy so that 100% of fees are covered by the NCS.
It is not possible to provide an accurate estimation at this time. To model a change such as this accurately would require individualised fee data on out-of-pocket costs for parents. Each year Pobal compiles data from Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) providers as part of the Early Years Sector Profile. This provides the Department with data on the average weekly fee per child before subsidies. According to the most recently published fee data for the 2024/25 programme year, the median weekly fee is €200 for full day early learning and childcare.
However, this average fee figure does not accurately capture the variation across the ELC and SAC sector. These fees vary significantly based on the location of the service, usage patterns (i.e. sessional, part-time, full time) and age of the child.
Additionally, sufficient time would be required to model such a change capturing the behavioural shift that would occur as a result of this change including increases in labour market participation, changes in usage of childcare and use of formal childcare for the first time.
The Programme for Government has committed to establishing a cap on costs at €200 per child per month to further build on significant progress in affordability that has already been made through a number of existing Schemes.
The fee-freeze and maximum fee-caps required for Core Funding have been key to the progress in recent years in making ELC and SAC services more affordable. 2026 actions on affordability will include further reduction in some of the highest fees paid by parents by lowering the maximum fees that Core Funding Partner Services can charge. In addition, from autumn 2026 we will reduce out of pocket costs for lower-income families through the National Childcare Scheme (NCS).
Further reduction in maximum fee caps for the Core Funding programme year 2026/2027, beginning September 2026. These latest maximum fee caps, which apply to all Core Funding Partner Services, will place a limit on the maximum fees that can be charged. Under the new maximum fee caps, the highest possible upfront cost for a typical full day place of 45 hours per week will drop from around €198 per week to €183.70 per week, with universal subsidies under the National Childcare Scheme. Higher subsidies are available for many parents, depending on their level of income and the age and number of children in their family.
The publication of Shaping the Future, the Early Years Action Plan Phase 1 Report sets out the next steps for building an affordable, high-quality, accessible early learning and childcare system, informed by stakeholder consultation. 2026 actions on affordability will include further reduction in some of the highest fees paid by parents through Core Funding; and reduced fees for lower-income families through the National Childcare Scheme, to ensure that families with incomes below the relative income poverty line receive the maximum subsidies.
Results of this consultation, and additional analysis, will inform Phase 2. Phase 2 (which will be published later this year) will set out actions to be undertaken from 2027 through to the end of 2029.
657. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the estimated full-year cost of providing free school meals for all pre-school children in the ECCE scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51336/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAll ELC services in Ireland are required by legislation to provide meals, with the type and frequency of meals dependent on the hours per day a child attends. Children in full day care (over 5 hours) must for example, receive 2 meals and 2 snacks each day by regulation whereas children in the 3-hour free pre-school programme typically bring lunch boxes from home.
Bia Blasta is the current pre-school nutrition programme, and provides for 11,686 children at 451 services. Services within the programme are provided €1.50 per day per ECCE child, along with a capitation of €27.23 per week. Services also have access to a grant of up to €1,000 to acquire equipment. Equally important is the learning and participation aspects of the programme, services are encouraged to involve children in the preparation of food, and to introduce children to healthy foods and healthy eating. Advice and support on the provision of the programme and supporting healthy eating in children is provided by a National Lead Dietitian at Better Start. This National Lead Dietitian is available to contact for all services and is a universal support, and universal resources are provided through the Bia Blasta pack and information available on the nurturing skills website.
The initial invitation of services to Bia Blasta was offered only to services designated as Tier 1 & Tier 2 services within Equal Start. These are services that have been identified under the Equal Start Identification model as being in areas of concentrated disadvantage, and providing for the highest number of children experiencing disadvantage. Current uptake with the programme from invited services is 61%.
Since the launch of the pre-school nutrition programme in October 2025, this invitation has expanded to 150 services outside Tier 1 & 2, that have been identified using the Equal Start model as being in the next highest tier of disadvantage. The continued progression of Bia Blasta is an important goal for me, and possible expansion avenues are being regularly profiled and discussed. However, an expansion of the programme to all pre-school children is not yet under consideration, and the current focus of the Bia Blasta pre-school nutrition programme is on those children experiencing pronounced disadvantage.
The estimated full-year cost of providing a free school meals scheme to all pre-school children in ECCE would be €35m. This is based on estimated costings conducted by the Department of Children, Disability & Equality in 2025 at the beginning of the Bia Blasta pre-school nutrition programme.
658. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the total annual cost of wages for childcare workers; the number of childcare workers that are in receipt of Government support; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51337/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraPay is one of a number of challenges 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.
Although the Government is the primary funder of the sector, it is not the employer and cannot directly set wages or conditions for any 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, and is independent in its functions.
Pay and conditions are improving. Through the work of the JLC and successive ERO’s, minimum pay rates have now risen three times in four years, delivering an average 15% increase in minimum rates of pay. This marks significant progress in professionalising the workforce. The latest ERO came into effect in October 2025 which saw an increase in minimum pay rates of, on average, 10% and will increase pay for over 67% of staff in the sector.
Outcomes from the Joint Labour Committee process are supported by Government through Core Funding. In this programme year 2025/26 Core Funding has increased by 6% to approximately €350 million with an additional €45 million in ring-fenced Core Funding provided to support services in meeting the increased cost of minimum pay rates in the sector. For programme year 2026/2027, I recently announced that Core Funding will be increased by 23% to €480 million. An additional €45 million has also been ringfenced from September 2026 to support services in meeting the potential costs of increasing rates of pay, contingent upon new ERO’s being enacted following successful negotiations by the independent JLC.
The estimated annual cost of wages for childcare educators is €1,268,241,338. An estimated 37,400 educators’ wages were supported through government funding in May 2026. Included in this calculation are staff who are in receipt of funding or partial funding through other government schemes such as AIM, Equal Start and Community Employment Schemes.
General data assumptions
Cost estimates are based on the data available to the department, provided by service providers in receipt of Core Funding. The data was pulled on 6th May 2026.
A 21% employer cost has been included in the calculations (to cover PRSI, Holiday pay, Sick Pay and Auto Enrolment Pension contributions).
The cost estimates only relate to staff and managers covered by the current Employment Regulation Orders, i.e. the estimates exclude the cost of ancillary staff.
Core Funding data was extrapolated to represent the entire sector at factor of 1/0.88.
Staff whose recorded annual hours exceeded the valid threshold were assigned the mean annual hours calculated from the valid population.
Staff whose rate of pay is entered below the latest ERO in the data pull are assigned a rate equal to the latest ERO.
659. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children on waiting lists for public childcare places; the total cost of eliminating childcare waiting lists; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51338/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraEach year, Pobal compiles data from Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) providers as part of the Early Years Sector Profile. Data for the Early Years Sector Profile is typically captured in May/June of each programme year. While ELC and SAC offerings vary across service providers and the allocation of ELC or SAC places is flexible, the published capacity data provides an estimate of the number of children enrolled in ELC and SAC, the percentage of services with at least one vacant place and the percentage of services with a waiting list at a given time.
Data are not collated in the exact manner requested by the Deputy, as there is no public childcare provision in Ireland. Services who are contracted to deliver at least one DCDE funded programme/scheme (i.e. ECCE, NCS, CCSP) are invited to take part in the early years sector profile survey. This includes community services which are run by members of the community on a not-for-profit basis, and private services which are run for profit by private providers, but not public services.
The most recent published capacity data for the 2024/25 programme year indicated that 47% of services had a waiting list nationally.
As part of the early years sector profile survey, providers are asked the number of children on a waiting list for a place for their service. While this data can be used to give an indication of demand, it should not be used as a measure of overall demand for ELC or SAC places as it is vulnerable to overestimating the actual number of children requiring a place. An individual child may be on multiple waiting lists in different services and may remain on one or multiple service lists after taking up a place. As a result, the number of children recorded on ELC/SAC waiting lists cannot be used as a basis for estimating the cost of eliminating waiting lists, and it is therefore not possible to provide a reliable estimate of the cost of eliminating waiting lists.
Further information can be found on the Early Learning and Childcare data website: www.pobal.ie/data-library/early-learning-and-childcare-data/. The Capacity Section of the website provides information on the number of children enrolled, services with vacant places, and services with a waiting list.
Improving access to quality and affordable Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare is a key priority of Government.
Early learning and childcare capacity is increasing. Data from the Annual Early Years Sector Profile 2024/25 shows that the estimated number of enrolments increased by approximately 25% from the 2021/22 programme year.
The Department continues to support the ongoing development and resourcing of Core Funding which has given rise to a significant expansion of places since the scheme was first introduced. Core Funding, which is in its fourth programme year, funds services based on the number of places available.
This provides stability to services, and reduces the risk associated with opening a new service or expanding an already existing service.
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, pre–Early Childhood Care and Education, 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. The Scheme will deliver up to 1,500 full-day care places for 1- to 3-year-olds.
Following on from the success of the Building Blocks Extension Grant Scheme, a further Building Blocks scheme is open for applications. This round of capital funding will focus on funding extensions to existing premises to allow for increased numbers of children to be offered places on a full-time basis. Community and private providers who are currently Core Funding partner services will be eligible to apply for this scheme. Details can be found here: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-children-disability-and-equality/publications/building-blocks-extension-scheme-phase-2/ .
Separately, I have announced €135 million of capital investment over the coming five years for State-led services to provide high-quality, accessible early learning and childcare. The process is beginning in 2026 with investment in buildings in what will be a ground-breaking initiative. The State-led initiative will provide thousands of places up to 2030.
660. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to provide an update on the ESF+ EIST funding scheme under the gender equality stream; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51432/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraEquality between women and men is a core principle of public policy and law in Ireland. Eradicating discrimination against women and supporting the full and equal participation of women in all areas of life are public policy objectives.
This vision for gender equality in Ireland acts in synergy with The European Commission Roadmap for Women’s Rights. The Roadmap outlines a long-term vision for achieving gender equality and aims to uphold and advance women’s rights and to address new gender equality challenges, such as technology-facilitated bias, discrimination, and violence.
The National Strategy for Women and Girls is Ireland’s plan for advancing gender equality over the next five years. It reaffirms the Government’s commitment to the advancement of gender equality and the creation of a more equal society.
The Strategy has a single, simple vision: An Ireland where women and girls can thrive in a gender equal society. To realise this vision, the Strategy sets seven objectives, each corresponding to one or more areas of women’s experience where public policy action is required to address gender inequalities.
This work has been led by the Department of Children, Disability and Equality, which is the Department with responsibility for the co-ordination of gender equality policy across Government. The Department is currently working towards announcement of a call for proposals for project funding aligned to the Gender Equality objective of the EIST Programme in 2026 to support fulfilment of our domestic and EU commitments to gender equality. Further details on the funding call will be made available in the coming weeks.
661. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if funding is available in her Department to fund the renovation of family resource centres, where a building has been identified to expand the service in a town (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51433/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI wish to inform the Deputy that neither the Department nor Tusla currently have capital funding to support infrastructure proposals for Family Resource Centres. This applies to the construction of new centres, the refurbishment or extension of existing centres, the renovation of vacant or derelict buildings, and co-location projects with capital implications.
I wish to highlight that the Family Resource Centre Programme is a community development programme that is financially supported by many State agencies in a partnership approach. Centres may draw on various sources of funding provided by other Government Departments, State agencies and private sources. This approach allows centres to further embed themselves in their communities by meeting the specific needs identified within those communities. This is a flexibility that all FRCs are encouraged to leverage, to reflect the diverse range of potential funders for services an FRC may provide, beyond services to children and families.
I am aware that premises can become available to FRCs through various means, for example where a Local City or County Council offers a vacant property to an FRC. In this context the Local Authorities may be of assistance in terms of capital works.
662. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if funding is available in her Department to fund furniture, toys and outdoor equipment for early years services who have completed extensions to build capacity supporting them with high costs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51434/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraCapital funding has been allocated to this Department under the National Development Plan, including €197 million for early learning and childcare capital investment over the next five years.
Following on from the success of the Building Blocks Extension Grant Scheme, which is operating in 2025 and 2026, a phase 2 of the Building Blocks Extension Scheme has now opened for applications. This round of capital funding will focus on funding extensions to existing premises to allow for increased numbers of children to be offered early learning and care places on a full-time basis. Community and private providers who are Core Funding partner services are eligible to apply for this scheme.
The closing date for applications is 31st July 2026.
Separately, the Department is embarking on programme of capital investment in State-led early learning and childcare which will make investment in buildings to support the expansion of full day places, particularly for young children. This investment will constitute purchase and/or fit out of buildings depending on the specifics of particular projects.
As part of the Building Blocks and State-led early learning and childcare capital programme there is provision for furniture and outdoor equipment to be funded but there are no plans currently to introduce a separate capital scheme to fund furniture, toys and outdoor equipment.
663. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the governance arrangements relating to the board of a childcare committee (details supplied). [51459/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraEstablished in 2001, City and County Childcare Committees coordinate the implementation of national early learning and care and school-age childcare policy and individual programmes at a local level on behalf of the Department of Children, Disability & Equality.
Fingal Childcare Committee, and indeed every Committee, is an independent, voluntary organisation, with a distinct legal identity and board of directors. The Board are the legal entity and governance structure of the Childcare Committee and are mandated by the Childcare Committees own Memorandum and Articles of Association or Constitution as required by the Company’s Registration Office and, where applicable, the Charities Regulator. Members of Childcare Committee Boards individually and collectively as company directors and as a legal entity are subject to governance responsibilities and accountabilities under common law and the Companies Act 2014. As such, the Department holds no role in the membership of individual boards or committees and it is a matter for each committee to select their own membership. It should be noted that some committees do contain political representatives and in general most CCC boards are always in search of additional members.
In addition to being the Childcare Committees’ primary funding provider, the Department has both an oversight and governance role in CCC administration. While the committees are independent, voluntary entities, the Department has a responsibility to ensure the proper management of public funds and that appropriate governance structures, such as boards of management, are in place to administer them.
The Department manages the annual statement of work process which involves the identification of actions to be carried out by the Childcare Committees based on Departmental priorities, the agreement of those actions with Childcare Committee representatives, ensuring appropriate reporting arrangements and a mid-year review to confirm ongoing commitment to Department goals.
On 29th March 2022 Government accepted the findings of the independent Review of the Early Learning and Childcare Operating Model in Ireland that a dedicated State Agency is the optimal operating model for the early learning and childcare sector for the years ahead. Significant progress has already been made in advancing this ambitious and transformative reform programme. A Programme Oversight Board was established to oversee this important work. It was comprised of interdepartmental representatives alongside several external experts with experience at senior level in change management, large-scale reform, leadership, governance, public policy, and a knowledge of the sector.
The Department engaged independent consultants Indecon in December 2023, on foot of a competitive procurement process, to undertake an initial phase of research, analysis and stakeholder engagement to inform the design of the Agency. The Department committed to ongoing and extensive consultation with stakeholders as to how best to design and implement the recommendation to establish a new Agency. In December 2023 the first of a series of stakeholder consultation sessions attended by Pobal, City/County Childcare Committee managers, staff and board members along with wider stakeholders in the Early Years sector with the focus on the Agency vision, mission and values. A report has been compiled from these initial consultations and the report has been circulated to the participating stakeholders and published to the Agency web page. Consultation events also took place throughout 2024 with the focus on function mapping for the Agency and mapping of the workforce across the operating model.
Indecon’s work is largely complete and in November 2025 a draft consolidated report was approved in principle by the Agency Programme Oversight Board. Those final edits are being concluded.
In the coming weeks further consultation and engagement with key Government Departments on the findings of the report is planned. This will be in advance of returning to update government, as was committed to in the decision of March 2022.
664. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to provide the web link to her Department’s Q2 2026 published report of purchase orders/payments over €20,000, in line with the FOI model publication scheme requirements; to confirm the date on which this report was published; and, if it has not yet been published, the planned publication date. [51557/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department's Q2 2026 report on purchase orders over €20,000 will be available by or before the end of July. The report is published here: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-children-disability-and-equality/collections/department-of-children-equality-disability-integration-and-youth-purchase-orders-for-20000-or-above/
The information is compiled, checked by the Finance Unit and subsequently reviewed by the relevant stakeholders within the Department to ensure accuracy and completeness of reporting.
665. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if the State-funded GLÓR Speech and Language Therapy Programme is intended to be available to all eligible children and adults with Down syndrome, regardless of membership of any organisation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51575/26]
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.
666. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if organisations delivering the State-funded GLÓR Speech and Language Therapy Programme are permitted under the funding agreement to restrict access to the service to paid-up members or members whose subscriptions are not in arrears; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51576/26]
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.
667. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether she is satisfied that children and adults with Down syndrome who are not members of any organisation have equitable access to the State-funded GLÓR Speech and Language Therapy Programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51577/26]
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.
668. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department has reviewed the enduring power of attorney process to assess how user-friendly it is and identify opportunities for simplification; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51586/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI thank the Deputy for their question regarding the application process for Enduring Powers of Attorney (EPAs) under the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act, 2015. EPAs are a vital advance planning tool that enable adults to plan ahead for a time when they may have diminished decision-making capacity, ensuring that a person’s wishes are known and respected.
The Decision Support Service (DSS) has statutory responsibility for the operation of many of the provisions of the 2015 Act including the registration of EPAs. Ensuring that the application system for decision support arrangements is as user-centric and as accessible as possible is a priority for the Department and is central to the work of the DSS.
On foot of stakeholder feedback the DSS has implemented a number of changes to improve the EPA application process and to address the accessibility needs of users of the service.
As part of this, in February 2026, the DSS launched a dedicated new website - www.myepa.ie - designed to guide individuals step by step through the process of creating an EPA in a clear and accessible way. The site brings together all relevant information and supports in one place and is intended to assist donors, attorneys, family members and solicitors alike in understanding their options and responsibilities. It also provides guidance on future planning and offers reassurance that support is available throughout the process. This along with a dedicated EPA helpdesk facility, and helpful instructional videos and other guidance material provided on the DSS website, ensures that all adults wishing to plan for the future are supported in doing so. In that regard almost 7,000 EPAs have been registered by the DSS since April 2023.
While the DSS has a digital-first policy when it comes to EPA applications, it is important to note that there remains a facility for manual applications to be submitted by those who cannot, for a variety of reasons, utilise the online application system. The DSS will ensure that all applicants can avail of the support and advice required to ensure that they can complete their application to have their EPA registered.
The 2015 Act requires that a review of the operation and effectiveness of the Act must take place no later than five years after its commencement. That review, which will commence this year, will be extensive, will consider all aspects of the Act, and, most importantly, will be informed by those with lived experiences of the provisions of the Act and by wider stakeholders.
I look forward to continued engagement with all stakeholders to ensure that those who face diminished decision-making capacity are enabled to retain as much autonomy over their lives as possible, and have their wishes documented and respected.
669. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to examine the user experience of the enduring power of attorney application process; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51589/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI thank the Deputy for their question regarding Enduring Powers of Attorney (EPAs) under the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015. EPAs are a vital advance planning tool that enable adults to plan ahead for a time when they may have diminished decision-making capacity, ensuring that a person’s wishes are known and respected. The safeguarding of adults with decision-making difficulties is central to the EPA application and registration process under the 2015 Act.
Ensuring that the EPA online portal is as accessible and user-centric as possible is of the utmost importance in encouraging and enabling people to put an EPA in place. On foot of stakeholder feedback the DSS has implemented a number of changes to improve the EPA application process and to address the accessibility needs of users of the service. As part of this, in February 2026 the DSS launched a dedicated new website - www.myepa.ie - designed to guide individuals step by step through the process of creating an EPA in a clear and accessible way. The site brings together all relevant information and supports in one place and is intended to assist donors, attorneys, family members and solicitors alike in understanding their options and responsibilities. It also provides guidance on future planning and offers reassurance that support is available throughout the process. This along with a dedicated EPA helpdesk facility, and helpful instructional videos and other guidance material provided on the DSS website, ensures that all adults wishing to plan for the future are supported in doing so.
In that regard almost 7,000 EPAs have been registered by the DSS since April 2023, with approximately 80% of these registered across 2025 and 2026. This demonstrates an increasing awareness of the importance of advance planning, an increasing uptake by adults, and an improved efficiency in the application process.
While the DSS has a digital-first policy when it comes to EPA applications, it is important to note that there remains a facility for manual applications to be submitted by those who cannot, for a variety of reasons, utilise the online application system. The DSS will ensure that all applicants can avail of the support and advice required to ensure that they can complete their application to have their EPA registered.
The 2015 Act requires that a review of the operation and effectiveness of the Act must take place no later than five years after its commencement. That review will be extensive, will consider all aspects of the Act, and, most importantly, will be informed by those with lived experiences of the provisions of the Act and by wider stakeholders.
I look forward to continued engagement with all stakeholders to ensure that those who face diminished decision-making capacity are enabled to retain as much autonomy over their lives as possible, and have their wishes documented and respected.
670. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her attention is drawn to the fact that the operation of the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015 is, in practice, creating significant barriers for adults with lifelong intellectual disabilities and their families in accessing basic services such as healthcare, dental treatment, and banking. [51592/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra671. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she accepts that requiring formal decision-making representative orders in circumstances where capacity is clearly and permanently limited is placing an undue administrative and financial burden on ageing family carers, many of whom are already under severe financial pressure. [51593/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra672. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the assessment that has been made of the impact of DMR application costs, legal complexity, and court-based processes for ordinary families seeking to continue long established caring arrangements for adult children with significant intellectual disabilities. [51594/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 670, 671 and 672 together.
The Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015, which commenced in April 2023, represents a major change in the way capacity is viewed in the State. It brought about an end to wardship for adults, by repealing the Lunacy Regulation (Ireland) Act 1871 and replacing the wards of court system with the new rights-based framework for appointing tiered decision support arrangements that is now in effect.
Furthermore, it represents a crucial shift away from a ‘best interests’ approach to a rights-based approach to capacity, privileging a person’s will and preferences. The Act places individuals at the centre of decisions that affect them and provides for the necessary supports to enable persons with capacity difficulties to retain as much control as is possible over their own affairs and the decisions which affect them. As a reform it was long called-for by disability groups, safeguarding groups, civil society, wards of court and their committees, and was welcomed as a significant step towards promoting choice, autonomy and dignity.
The Act realises Ireland’s ambitions to meet certain requirements under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and its implementation is underpinned by a set of guiding principles arising from those obligations. In that regard, the Act is based on the long-established principle that every adult is presumed to have capacity unless it is shown otherwise in relation to a particular decision at a particular time. Capacity is therefore decision-specific and time-specific rather than determined by a person's diagnosis or disability. The guiding principles also require that every practicable effort be made to support a person to make their own decisions before any formal decision-making support arrangement is considered. This includes drawing on the adult’s own network of support including family.
The Act does not make it mandatory to assess capacity where it was not necessary to assess capacity before. It is not the intention of the 2015 Act to require families to apply to court to become decision-making representatives in order to navigate day to day decision-making, and the operation of the Act over the past three has demonstrated that it is operating as intended in this regard.
Treatment has always been based on consent, and the 2015 Act should not impede access to necessary treatment. The HSE National Consent Policy provides detailed guidance on how healthcare providers should proceed when a person’s capacity is in question. The Decision Support Service (DSS) has also published a Code of Practice for Healthcare Professionals (www.decisionsupportservice.ie/resources/codes-practice/code-practice-healthcare-professionals) which provides guidance to healthcare professionals in carrying out their functions and duties when interacting with a relevant person in the context of the Act.
In relation to banking, a person may not be denied banking services on the basis of a disability. Furthermore, a person cannot be assessed as lacking capacity to open a bank account without first being supported as far as possible to make decisions in that regard. A bank’s vulnerable customer unit should have good knowledge of the 2015 Act and should be able to assist where issues arise. As part of its statutory functions the DSS engages with the banking sector to promote a good understanding of the 2015 Act and has published a Code of Practice for Financial Service Providers (www.decisionsupportservice.ie/sites/default/files/2023-04/11.%20COP_for_financial_service_providers.pdf).
Where, as a matter of last resort, it is necessary for a formal decision support arrangement to be put in place, this must be the least restrictive on a person’s rights and freedoms, and will be determined by the adult’s capacity and tailored to their decision support needs. Such arrangements, including co-decision-making agreements and decision-making representation orders, may cover decisions regarding personal welfare and/or property and affairs, and are monitored and overseen by the DSS to ensure that they are operating as intended. It is important to note that parents and carers are not excluded from becoming a decision supporter for an adult under any of these arrangements. It is frequently the case that decision supporters who are appointed are close family members of the adult.
In respect of the cost of the DMR court-based application process, the Department does not determine the costs of legal or medical fees. The Legal Aid Board supports family members and others in making applications to the Court, subject to financial eligibility. They also provide independent legal representation to the relevant person who does not have to be financially eligible for legal services.
The 2015 Act requires that a review of the operation and effectiveness of the Act must take place no later than five years after its commencement. That review will be extensive, will consider all aspects of the Act, and, most importantly, will be informed by those with lived experiences of the provisions of the Act and by wider stakeholders.
I look forward to continued engagement with all stakeholders to ensure that those who face diminished decision-making capacity are enabled to retain as much autonomy over their lives as possible, and have their wishes documented and respected.
673. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether she will consider urgent reform to introduce a streamlined, affordable, and proportionate decision making pathway for adults with lifelong and profound intellectual disabilities; and whether she will address the lack of provision for successor decision-makers in the current system. [51596/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015, which commenced in April 2023, represents a major change in the way capacity is viewed in the State. It brought about an end to wardship in the State for adults, by repealing the Lunacy Regulation (Ireland) Act 1871 and replacing the wards of court system with the new rights-based framework for appointing tiered decision support arrangements that is now in effect. In that regard it provides a clear pathway for decision-making by adults with diminished decision-making capacity where it is necessary for a formal decision support arrangement to be put in place.
Furthermore, it represents a crucial shift away from a ‘best interests’ approach to a rights-based approach to capacity, privileging a person’s will and preferences. The Act places individuals at the centre of decisions that affect them and provides for the necessary supports to enable persons with capacity difficulties to retain as much control as is possible over their own affairs and the decisions which affect them. As a reform it was long called-for by disability groups, safeguarding groups, civil society, wards of court and their committees, and was welcomed as a significant step towards promoting choice, autonomy and dignity.
The Act realises Ireland’s ambitions to meet certain requirements under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and its implementation is underpinned by a set of guiding principles arising from those obligations. In that regard, the Act is based on the long-established principle that every adult is presumed to have capacity unless it is shown otherwise in relation to a particular decision at a particular time. Capacity is therefore decision-specific and time-specific rather than determined by a person's diagnosis or disability. The guiding principles also require that every practicable effort be made to support a person to make their own decisions before any formal decision-making support arrangement is considered.
Where it is necessary for a formal decision support arrangement to be put in place, this must be the least restrictive on a person’s rights and freedoms, and will be determined by the adult’s capacity and tailored to their decision support needs. Such arrangements, including co-decision-making agreements and decision-making representation orders, may cover decisions regarding personal welfare and/or property and affairs, and are monitored and overseen by the Decision Support Service to ensure that they are operating as intended.
The fee to register a co-decision-making agreement with the Decision Support Service is €90. Some people may not have to pay this fee, depending on their individual circumstances, including income and dependents. There may also be a fee payable to a doctor or other healthcare professional in respect of the capacity assessment. The Department does not determine the cost of such medical fees.
There is no cost for registering a decision-making representation order with the Decision Support Service. Court fees will apply for applications to court for a declaration about a person’s capacity in order to make a decision-making representation order. These fees are set by the Courts Service (www.courts.ie/). There will also be legal and medical fees associated with an application. The Department does not determine such fees.
The Legal Aid Board supports family members and others in making applications to the Court, subject to financial eligibility. They also provide independent legal representation to the relevant person who does not have to be financially eligible for legal services. Applications for legal services to the Legal Aid Board seeking legal representation in respect of applications to Court for the appointment of a decision-making representative are treated with priority by the Legal Aid Board.
In relation to the provision for ‘successor decision-makers’, it is possible for the court to appoint more than one decision-making representative and to state they are to act jointly and severally. It should be clarified with the court when the order is being granted whether this allows a surviving decision-making representative to continue to act if one decision-making representative dies. This would remove the need for a new application.
674. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 704 of 30 June 2026, in which her Department confirmed that permanency planning data is recorded in individual care plans but is not collated or reported nationally by Tusla; the reason no national system exists to aggregate this data given its centrality to the welfare of children in care; whether the development of a national permanency data system is being considered as part of the National Policy Framework for Alternative Care; and the timeline for any such system being put in place. [51619/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI would like to thank the Deputy for this question regarding permanency and stability for children in the care of the State.
Tusla has developed a policy and operational document relating to permanency planning 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.
I can further advise that officials within the Department are currently in the process of developing a National Policy Framework for Alternative Care. As part of this process matters relating to permanency are being considered. The framework will also consider how data relating to children in care can be more effectively utilised to support improved outcomes for these young people.
Detailed information in relation to permanency and placements for children in care is available through Tusla’s annual Review of Adequacy report, available on the Tusla website: www.tusla.ie/publications/review-of-adequacy-reports/. Tusla also publishes data through its Data Hub, available online at: www.data.tusla.ie/.
675. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 485 and 486 of 28 May 2026, if room closures, rather than the service overall closure has any impact on core funding payable; if in the case of a multi-room service where different rooms close at different times, almost on rotation, whether this breached core funding rules, given the service remains open but rooms are closed continually; if this impacts core funding payable; if not, if she will review this in terms of core funding given the impact it has on parents and children; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51634/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraTo become a Partner Service and receive Core Funding grant allocations, an approved provider must first enter into a Core Funding Partner Service Funding Agreement with the Department, and in doing so agree to all the terms and conditions of the grant.
To generate Core Funding allocations, Partner Services are required to submit an application and service profile, which detail their operations and the services they provide. The Department understands that Early Learning and Childcare services have to be dynamic and flexible in their day-to-day staffing arrangements. Therefore, Partner Services describe a “typical week” in their application to reduce the administrative burden of maintaining an application. The Department’s definition of a Typical Week is a period representing an average operating week, where the more typical staff rostering is evident. Within the context of Core Funding, the Department defines a material or significant change as one which affects the Typical Week for a period greater than 4 weeks. This is under the assumption that the Staffed Capacity of the typical week as declared on the Core Funding Application is maintained.
The Funding Agreement also defines “Operating Hours per Week” as the time the service is open and available to children; it does not include hours where the service is open but not available to children. It also defines “Operating Weeks per Year” as the number of weeks the service is open and available to children; it does not include weeks where the service is open but not available to children. For the purpose of Core Funding a service must be open for at least 3 days for that week to be considered an operating week.
It should be noted that inputting data on the basis of the Typical Week clause does not exempt a Partner Service from having to comply with other terms and conditions of the grant, including the need to ensure that staffed capacity is genuinely available to parents for all operating hours per week and operating weeks per year.
The closure of rooms within a Partner Service ensures that these rooms are not available to parents and should therefore be reflected in a change to an Application Module or Service Profile. Where a room is not open for at least 3 days for that week, this should be reflected in a change to a Partner Service’s Service Profile and Application Module, by decreasing the Operating weeks of Term Time Only service and/or decreasing the Operating weeks of Out Of Term Only service, associated with the relevant room.
Partner Services must update their application when such a material change has occurred and must change their operating weeks per year in their application if service is not open and available to children for at least 3 days of a week.
In addition, through the Funding Agreement the Partner Service agrees that if the amount of service offered is decreased, the Fee Charged must also decrease by at least the same proportion. Any such decrease in service offering and Fees must occur at the same time.
Where such changes in a Partner Service’s offering is not reflected in the Application Module or Service Profile, this may result in overclaims of Core Funding and breach of the Funding Agreement. As described in Clause 7.7, “Failure to comply with any of the terms of this Funding Agreement may result in the withholding or suspension, claw-back and recoupment of the Funding and/or a termination of this Funding Agreement.”
If someone has concerns about a potential breach of Core Funding fee management conditions by a Partner Service, which has occurred during the 2025/2026 Programme Year, they may seek to have this examined and a conclusion reached through the Core Funding Fee Review Process.
If there is a possibility of a potential breach, the City/County Childcare Committee can, with the permission of the individual, assist with initiating the Fee Review Process.
The first point of contact before any Fee Review Stage is initiated is with your local CCC. If your local CCC receives a query where a potential fee increase is raised, they can get this examined through the Core Funding Fee Review Process.
Contact details for all CCCs can be found on https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-children-disability-and-equality/publications/city-and-county-childcare-committees/.
676. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether core funding is paid for childcare capacity that is frequently though non-consecutively unavailable due to room closures; if her Department monitors cumulative room closures across a programme year; the safeguards in place to ensure that public funds are protected where services are unable to deliver their funded capacity; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51651/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraTo become a Partner Service and receive Core Funding grant allocations, an approved provider must first enter into a Core Funding Partner Service Funding Agreement with the Department and comply with its terms and conditions. These conditions are primarily designed to support affordability, quality, transparency, and sustainability in the sector and to safeguard public funds. Requirements of the grant include fee management conditions, offering the National Childcare Scheme and the Early Childhood Care and Education programme to eligible children and the requirement to submit financial returns to the Department.
To generate Core Funding allocations, Partner Services are required to submit an application and service profile, which detail their operations and the services they provide. The Department understands that Early Learning and Childcare services have to be dynamic and flexible in their day-to-day staffing arrangements. Therefore, Partner Services describe a “typical week” in their application to reduce the administrative burden of maintaining an application. The Department’s definition of a Typical Week is a period representing an average operating week, where the more typical staff rostering is evident. Within the context of Core Funding, the Department defines a material or significant change as one which affects the Typical Week for a period greater than 4 weeks. This is under the assumption that the Staffed Capacity of the typical week as declared on the Core Funding Application is maintained.
The Funding Agreement also defines “Operating Hours per Week” as the time the service is open and available to children; it does not include hours where the service is open but not available to children. It also defines “Operating Weeks per Year” as the number of weeks the service is open and available to children; it does not include weeks where the service is open but not available to children. For the purpose of Core Funding a service must be open for at least 3 days for that week to be considered an operating week.
It should be noted that inputting data on the basis of the Typical Week clause does not exempt a Partner Service from having to comply with other terms and conditions of the grant, including the need to ensure that staffed capacity is genuinely available to parents for all operating hours per week and operating weeks per year.
Partner Services must update their application when a material change has occurred and must change their operating weeks per year in their application if service is not open and available to children for at least 3 days of a week.
In addition, through the Funding Agreement the Partner Service agrees that if the amount of service offered is decreased, the Fee Charged must also decrease by at least the same proportion. Any such decrease in service offering and Fees must occur at the same time.
If someone has concerns about a potential breach of Core Funding fee management conditions by a Partner Service, which has occurred during the 2025/2026 Programme Year, they may seek to have this examined and a conclusion reached through the Core Funding Fee Review Process.
If there is a possibility of a potential breach, the City/County Childcare Committee can, with the permission of the individual, assist with initiating the Fee Review Process.
The first point of contact before any Fee Review Stage is initiated is with your local CCC. If your local CCC receives a query where a potential fee increase is raised, they can get this examined through the Core Funding Fee Review Process.
Contact details for all CCCs can be found on https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-children-disability-and-equality/publications/city-and-county-childcare-committees/.
677. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether governance arrangements within city and county childcare committees would prevent a chairperson from simultaneously holding a senior management position with a childcare provider, and whether this would represent a conflict of interest; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51652/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraCity and County Childcare Committees are independent voluntary organisations, each with a distinct legal identity and board of directors. The Board are the legal entity and governance structure of the Childcare Committee and are mandated by the Childcare Committees own Memorandum and Articles of Association or Constitution as required by the Company’s Registration Office and, where applicable, the Charities Regulator. Members of Childcare Committee Boards individually and collectively as company directors and as a legal entity are subject to governance responsibilities and accountabilities under common law and the Companies Act 2014. As such, the Department holds no role in the membership of individual boards or committees and it is a matter for each committee to select their own membership.
Therefore, it is for the membership of each CCC Board to identify and adjudicate on whether holding a senior management position with a childcare provider represents a conflict of interest in respect to their position on the board of the CCC.
In addition to being the Childcare Committees’ primary funding provider, the Department has both an oversight and governance role in CCC administration. While the committees are independent, voluntary entities, the Department has a responsibility to ensure the proper management of public funds and that governance structures, such as appropriate boards of management, are in place to administer them.
The Department manages the annual statement of work process which involves the identification of actions to be carried out by the Childcare Committees based on Departmental priorities, the agreement of those actions with Childcare Committee representatives, ensuring appropriate reporting arrangements and a mid-year review to confirm ongoing commitment to Department goals.
On 29th March 2022 Government accepted the findings of the independent Review of the Early Learning and Childcare Operating Model in Ireland that a dedicated State Agency is the optimal operating model for the early learning and childcare sector for the years ahead.
Significant progress has already been made in advancing this ambitious and transformative reform programme. A Programme Oversight Board was established to oversee this important work. It was comprised of interdepartmental representatives alongside several external experts with experience at senior level in change management, large-scale reform, leadership, governance, public policy, and a knowledge of the sector.
The Department engaged independent consultants Indecon in December 2023, on foot of a competitive procurement process, to undertake an initial phase of research, analysis and stakeholder engagement to inform the design of the Agency. The Department committed to ongoing and extensive consultation with stakeholders as to how best to design and implement the recommendation to establish a new Agency. In December 2023 the first of a series of stakeholder consultation sessions attended by Pobal, City/County Childcare Committee managers, staff and board members along with wider stakeholders in the Early Years sector with the focus on the Agency vision, mission and values. A report has been compiled from these initial consultations and the report has been circulated to the participating stakeholders and published to the Agency web page. Consultation events also took place throughout 2024 with the focus on function mapping for the Agency and mapping of the workforce across the operating model.
Indecon’s work is largely complete and in November 2025 a draft consolidated report was approved in principle by the Agency Programme Oversight Board. Those final edits are being concluded.
In the coming weeks further consultation and engagement with key Government Departments on the findings of the report is planned. This will be in advance of returning to update government, as was committed to in the decision of March 2022.
678. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the total amount paid to date and the total amount committed, to Maynooth University or to individuals in support of the commissioning of research titled "Beyond Gender Quotas: Addressing the Political Exclusion of Traveller Women in Ireland", which was published recently; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51653/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department of Children, Disability and Equality provides funding to the National Traveller Women's Forum (NTWF) to work on supporting and progressing Traveller women's inclusion and equality in Irish society. As part of this work, the NTWF commissioned this research to examine the structural exclusion of Traveller women from political and public decision-making and to present evidence based recommendations to support the political inclusion of Traveller women in Ireland. They have confirmed that €10,500 has been paid by the NTWF to an independent researcher for this research.
679. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will confirm whether providers who have left core funding (details supplied) will be penalised; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51654/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraCore Funding is a supply-side grant to early learning and childcare providers towards their operating costs. It is designed to promote affordability for parents and sustainability for providers through increased funding to the sector, paid on a consistent and equitable basis.
As Core Funding is an optional scheme, providers have the autonomy to withdraw from or choose not to participate in the scheme.
While the State cannot mandate providers to participate in the scheme, Core Funding has been designed with maximum participation of providers in mind as reflected in the year-on-year growth of investment in the Scheme (rising from €259 million in 2022 to over €390 million in 2025). This represents an increase of over 50% in Core Funding in three years.
Core Funding has enjoyed high participation from the sector since its launch in September 2022.
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. Over 70% of services who left the scheme at one point have returned to the Scheme.
334 eligible services, from a total of 5296, are currently not participating. These services are welcome to join Core Funding at any stage. The Department/CCC can support services with further information on how to join.
Currently, services that provide the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme and/or the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) are not required to take part in Core Funding.
680. Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the total cost of engagement with a company (details supplied) in each of the years 2020 to 2025, across her Department, by project, year and value; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51760/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department is currently collating the information requested and a reply will issue directly to the Deputy on this matter as soon as possible.
