Parliamentary questions

Departmental Schemes

Kathleen Funchion

46. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he requested his departmental officials to conduct a review specifically into the continual discrimination of disadvantaged children through the under allocation of hours under the national childcare scheme, NCS, given comments he made during parliamentary questions in May 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36216/21]

Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries

Holly Cairns

47. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the steps he is taking to ensure that the experiences of the 550 persons who gave evidence before the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes and Certain Related Matters confidential committee are recognised and officially reflected. [36297/21]

Early Childhood Care and Education

Pauline Tully

48. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the steps he is taking in relation to assessing the childcare needs of parents in County Cavan where service providers are indicating that they are no longer taking children under two years of age due to the financial strain in meeting the Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years Services) Regulations 2016; the consideration that is being given in this regard to forward planning of the provision of places or services or both at both local level in County Cavan and national level; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36217/21]

Early Childhood Care and Education

Matt Carthy

49. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his proposals to improve the pay and conditions of professionals in the childcare sector. [36211/21]

Early Childhood Care and Education

Kathleen Funchion

50. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth when he expects the survey on income and costs for the childcare sector being compiled by Pobal to be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36208/21]

Direct Provision System

Holly Cairns

51. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the immediate steps he is taking to address the child safeguarding concerns raised in the report of the Ombudsman for Children, Safety and Welfare of Children in Direct Provision. [36288/21]

Direct Provision System

Martin Browne

52. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his views on the decision not to implement the recommendations in the McMahon report on direct provision; the reason those recommendations were not implemented; if the recommendations of the Ombudsman for Children in his report on the safety and welfare of children in direct provision will be implemented before the new system of direct provision is in place; his views on the report by the Ombudsman for Children; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35954/21]

Childcare Services

Ruairí Ó Murchú

53. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the steps he plans to take to fully address the devastating impacts that the national childcare scheme will have on the provision of care to disadvantaged children; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36034/21]

Departmental Strategies

Violet-Anne Wynne

54. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his views on the development and implementation of a national autism strategy. [36231/21]

Adoption Services

Holly Cairns

55. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if clarity will be given on the rights of mothers to access their own care or adoption file and the rights of siblings to information about each other in forthcoming birth information and tracing legislation. [36285/21]

Departmental Strategies

David Cullinane

56. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his plans to advance an autism empowerment strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35503/21]

Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

57. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the steps he has taken to progress a thorough investigation of the grounds at the former Bessboro Mother and Baby Home, Cork. [36263/21]

Direct Provision System

Éamon Ó Cuív

58. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of persons admitted to direct provision since January 2020; the number who left direct provision in that time; the arrangements being made to provide independent living units for all these residents; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35624/21]

Emergency Accommodation

Niamh Smyth

59. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the status of the plans for a women’s refuge in counties Cavan and Monaghan. [30190/21]

Direct Provision System

Violet-Anne Wynne

60. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the status of the commitments of the White Paper published in February 2021 in relation to ending direct provision; and the action that has been taken by his Department since then to progress this objective. [36230/21]

Departmental Schemes

Richard Bruton

61. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of children in after-school care that are supported by schemes operated by his Department; and the distribution of these children between community facilities, private facilities, and public facilities such as schools. [36204/21]

Child and Family Agency

Bernard Durkan

62. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the extent to which the number of reports received affecting the safety and well-being of children of all ages received during the lockdown period or since the beginning of the pandemic have been fully investigated to the satisfaction of the complainants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36213/21]

State Bodies

Richard Bruton

63. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the progress made in developing the concept of a childcare development agency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36205/21]

Disability Services

Pauline Tully

64. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No. 266 of 27 May 2020, if his Department has developed a United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities implementation plan to co-ordinate the delivery of Ireland’s commitments to implementing the UNCRPD; if the plan has been published and is publicly accessible; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30069/21]

Direct Provision System

Bríd Smith

65. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he has read the recent report on deaths in direct provision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36225/21]