I join in welcoming Deputy O'Connor's guests. I hope they find the debate beneficial in what we are seeking to find a pathway forward through, which is very important. It is about putting children at the centre of the country and the services we provide for them. I sincerely welcome the opportunity to speak with the House today on this very important motion. I thank my Fianna Fáil colleagues for putting forward this motion. I also thank everybody here in the Chamber who has contributed, of all persuasions and none,…

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." As Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, I am pleased to introduce to the House today the Disability (Amendment) Bill 2026. This Bill is the first legislative reform of the assessment of need process since it was established in the Disability Act 2005, over 20 years ago. This Bill is an acknowledgement by Government that the current assessment of need process has to become a source of deep frustration for applicants, both children and young adults, and in…

I join the Deputy in sending best wishes to my constituency colleague, Deputy Michael Healy-Rae. We are mindful of what he has had to endure and we wish him the speediest of recoveries. I am also mindful of his family. This is a traumatic time for them too. I know the whole House sends our best wishes. On the Deputy's question, substantial progress has been made in the State-led early learning and childcare capital programme, which was launched at the end of January. The full business cases are being developed for …

The Deputy is right. I appreciate that there are many eyes on this and there is great interest in this initiative, it being the first time that the State is actually stepping in this area with the State-led early learning and childcare initiative. I intend to make the announcement in the coming weeks. I am conscious of the case the Deputy makes about her own area. She has made it eloquently and consistently. I acknowledge Deputy Martin Daly has also made it eloquently and consistently, as have many local councillor…

I agree with the Deputy on looking at every possible mechanism that we have to extend capacity. The building blocks scheme is one. In terms of it being State-led, the State is stepping in, particularly with the purchase of buildings. The State will continue to purchase buildings or build them, if that is required in an area. There is also the building blocks scheme for extensions. We are looking at a suite of measures that will, in the quickest timeframe possible, deliver availability or additional availability by …

I thank the Deputy and appreciate the question. As Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, I am always conscious of the potential impacts of the work of the Department and others on the rights of children, women and girls. Indeed, my work has a very strong focus on improving conditions for women and children across this country. Equally, the Department of public expenditure and reform leads on the equality budgeting programme, which seeks to identify the impacts of policies and expenditure across a broad ra…

To reiterate, in terms of the book the Deputy referenced, the Department has no role in the oversight or recommendation of any of the books referenced. There is no role for the Department to do that. On the Deputy's specific question on what exactly happens regarding assessments that are made of impacts on children, women and girls from an equality point of view, I have made very clear to him that when any Department is bringing forward any kind of policy or strategy, there must be a robust interrogation of it. If …

To be very clear, the Department of Children, Disability and Equality has no role in the publication of books. The Department neither publishes the books, and nor does it recommend them. That has nothing to do with the Department. Deputy O'Flynn referred to an account given by a former Deputy. I have said that I do not share that account. I have a different remembrance of the engagement I had with the former Deputy, and it is completely at odds with what he has suggested. Notwithstanding that, Deputy O'Flynn asked …

The Government's youth justice strategy 2021-2027 identifies family support, early intervention and community-based diversion programmes as key components in preventing offending and promoting desistance. Enhanced family engagement through Garda youth diversion projects, Tusla services and reintegration planning is regarded as an essential element of effective youth justice practice in Ireland. It is important to note that Tusla's remit is primarily focused on child protection rather than on the prevention of crime…

I absolutely appreciate the Deputy’s concern. I think we all share the concern. However, I must also speak to the fact and the fact is the vast majority of children who are in the care of the State never, ever come into contact with An Garda Síochána. In fact, I would say they thrive with positive intervention and it is not appropriate to suggest otherwise. There is a close working relationship between the Department of justice and my Department, with my Department looking at it from a child welfare point of view a…

To reiterate, we are all concerned with any young people who find themselves in difficult situations. I am mindful there is a percentage of children, and not just children in State care but children who are not in State care, who find themselves involved with An Garda Síochána or who find themselves involved with crime or whatever. That is not just exclusive to the children-----

That is not exclusive to the very small minority who are in State care who find themselves in very similar circumstances. Other children outside State care find themselves in similar situations. For that reason, there are significant supports being made available from a family point of view to support families and young people so that they can readjust their lives, whether that is by way of counselling and therapeutic supports, a strengthening of the family resource centres - the Deputy will be aware that service h…

I thank the Deputy for the question on this important matter. Since core funding was introduced in 2022, it has been incrementally increased year on year through funding secured in the annual budget cycle. When first introduced in 2022, core funding had an annual allocation of €259 million, of which €210.8 million was entirely new funding for the sector. That annual allocation has increased each year and now, in the scheme's fifth year, is worth over €482 million. That is an increase of over 86% in core funding ove…

I want to be clear that I am absolutely committed to continuing to engage with the sector and all concerned to continue to develop the scheme in order that it can support providers to deliver high-quality early learning and childcare to children that is sustainable. I think that is the rub of the Deputy's question - sustainability. To address concerns surrounding service sustainability, targeted measures including a flat rate for sessional-only services and a minimum core funding allocation were introduced in year …

I reiterate that there is unprecedented investment by the State in this sector. I think €1.7 billion speaks to the determination of the State to support early learning and childcare provision. That is in terms of supporting providers, the workforce and parents. We are moving into budget 2027 where there are negotiations, which I imagine will be ongoing to the eleventh hour, to see how we can advance in each of those areas. It is unprecedented in terms of this sector to speak even at this point in terms of €1.7 bill…

There have been significant developments in entitlements for parents of working families in recent years. The combined durations of maternity, paternity and parent's leave and benefit now equate to 46 weeks of paid leave for a two-parent family, supplemented by an entitlement to 16 weeks of unpaid maternity leave and 26 weeks of unpaid parental leave per parent. Under the Parent’s Leave and Benefit Act 2019, working parents are entitled to nine weeks of paid parent's leave, to be taken in the first two years after …

Programme for Government - Securing Ireland's Future commits to examining the extension of parent's leave and benefit and additional flexibilities. The first action plan under the new national strategy for women and girls, published in August, includes measures to support working families in balancing work and family responsibilities, including extending parent's leave. The Department is taking forward work to implement that measure and to look at and examine it. The programme for Government also commits to introdu…

While I appreciate what the Deputy has said about the nine weeks, it is important to reiterate that up to 46 weeks of paid leave is available to two-parent families. The programme for Government contains a commitment to examining the extension of parent's leave and benefit and other flexibilities, as does the national strategy for women and girls. My Department is in the very early stages of looking at that. There will be engagement and consultation on that. The pay-related model is also important. That is to be un…

I thank the Deputy. I announced €135 million in capital investment in buildings for high-quality, accessible State-led early learning and childcare up to 2030. This is a ground-breaking initiative for Government and it began this year. Capital funding will be used to acquire and fit out the buildings, depending on requirements. The State-led initiative will provide thousands of places up to 2030, with the funding provided through the national development plan. The level of investment will ramp up over the lifetime …

To be clear, proposals to the city or county childcare committees are not all from providers. They can be from anyone. Deputy Wall will appreciate that there has to be some form of a process and the first line of the process has been identified to be the local on-the-ground mechanism of the county and childcare committees. It is free to anybody to make a proposal. In the first instance, this year we are looking at provision of buildings and primarily where a building might be available. I am aware that community gr…