Results 421-440 of 1,047,317 for in 'Dáil debates' OR (speaker:Damien English OR speaker:Mark Ward OR speaker:Seán Sherlock OR speaker:Niall Collins OR speaker:Dessie Ellis OR speaker:Gino Kenny) in 'Committee meetings'

Committee on Drugs Use: Family and Community: Discussion (24 Oct 2024)

Gino Kenny: The committee produced a very comprehensive report based on hearings with witnesses who came before us. It was an interim report, although it may end up being the final report of the committee because there will be a general election in a number of weeks. The report is very progressive. One of the main areas it touches on is repealing the Misuse of Drugs Act. We cannot really discuss...

Committee on Drugs Use: Family and Community: Discussion (24 Oct 2024)

Gino Kenny: Thanks for that. The staff here have been fantastic and all the members have been really good about getting that report out.

Committee on Drugs Use: Family and Community: Discussion (24 Oct 2024)

Gino Kenny: That person will have a criminal record for the rest of his life. It is unbelievable really.

Committee on Drugs Use: Family and Community: Discussion (24 Oct 2024)

Gino Kenny: Very good. Did Mr. Perth want to come in?

Committee on Drugs Use: Family and Community: Discussion (24 Oct 2024)

Gino Kenny: I will call Ms Kelly. I will go around to everybody.

Committee on Drugs Use: Family and Community: Discussion (24 Oct 2024)

Gino Kenny: Does Mr. McCann want to come in?

Committee on Drugs Use: Family and Community: Discussion (24 Oct 2024)

Gino Kenny: I thank Mr. McCann. We will probably end on that positive note. I thank everybody for coming in today and engaging with the committee, Mr. McCarthy, Mr. Collins, Ms Kelly, Mr. Ducque, Mr. Perth, Mr. Whiteley, Mr. D'Arcy and Mr. McCann. Their contributions have been very valuable. I also thank Senator Lynn Ruane. Senator Ruane's contribution over the lifetime of this committee has...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Disability Services (24 Oct 2024)

Disability Services

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Disability Services (24 Oct 2024)

Rose Conway-Walsh: 5. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to provide an update on children’s disability network teams in Mayo, including staff vacancies, recruitment and waiting lists for assessment and therapy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43583/24]

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Disability Services (24 Oct 2024)

Rose Conway-Walsh: Too many children are waiting for therapies and assessment in County Mayo. I am trying to get a grasp on the staff vacancies in the children's disability network teams, CDNTs, and the waiting lists for assessment and therapy in County Mayo.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Disability Services (24 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank Deputy Conway-Walsh for raising this question. I acknowledge the challenges faced by children and young people in terms of accessing services, particularly essential therapy services, in Mayo. The lead agencies there are experiencing ongoing challenges in recruiting across a range of disciplines and grades to fully staff the CDNTs. Recruitment is ongoing for administrative and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Disability Services (24 Oct 2024)

Rose Conway-Walsh: I thank the Minister. The reality is that there are still too many vacancies. I take what the Minister is saying in terms of trying to attract staff. However, continually having vacant posts puts pressure on the workers who are there already. Last week, I was at a wonderful initiative with Mayo Autism Camp and Manulla FC. There were many parents and children there. Although the day was...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Disability Services (24 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I fully agree with the Deputy on the challenges of recruitment. It is the big challenge in disabilities services right now. The core solution to that is to train more health and social care professionals, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, physiotherapists and psychiatrists. We need more of them because the level of demand and need has increased, both because of...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Disability Services (24 Oct 2024)

Rose Conway-Walsh: That is part of the problem. Fine Gael has been in Government for the past 13 or 14 years and now we are looking to address these situations. The workforce planning should have been in place well before now. It is not a big surprise that there is such a high number of children with disabilities in need of support. I would say that this Government has failed children with disabilities and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Disability Services (24 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank Deputy Conway-Walsh for her passionate advocacy on behalf of that child and his family. What I have done as Minister is to recognise that for so long disability was the poor relation within the Department of Health. We have taken it out of the Department of Health and brought it into my Department. That applied from March 2023, more than 18 months ago. There is so much more...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Early Childhood Care and Education (24 Oct 2024)

Early Childhood Care and Education

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Early Childhood Care and Education (24 Oct 2024)

Claire Kerrane: 7. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to provide an update on the publication of the early childhood care and education review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43559/24]

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Early Childhood Care and Education (24 Oct 2024)

Claire Kerrane: I wish to ask the Minister about the publication of the review of the early childhood care and education, ECCE, scheme. I believe it has been published and I welcome that. Will the Minister give us some detail on his response to that review? I understand it was completed in April. Why did it take so long to publish it? It is something for which the sector has been asking for quite some time.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Early Childhood Care and Education (24 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy. It was published on Tuesday. We are delighted to publish it. I am delighted to have published it because I asked for this to be undertaken. There is a lot happening in the early years section in my Department. We had a busy summer negotiating another really successful budget. We have been bringing out extra support for AIMS, rolling out equal start and the new DEIS...

Committee on Drugs Use: Family and Community: Discussion (24 Oct 2024)

Gino Kenny: I now invite Ms Kelly to make her opening statement.