99. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she has engaged with the Minister for Social Protection on providing a State pension for foster carers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13216/26]

Sentiment score: 0.14

I raise again the need for a State pension for foster carers. I appreciate that this mainly comes under the Minister for Social Protection. However, in light of that, what engagement has the Minister had with that Minister with regard to the commitment in the programme for Government, which I acknowledge, to ensure a State pension for foster carers is delivered as quickly as possible?

Sentiment score: 0.40

I welcome that engagement between officials in the Minister's Department and the Department of Social Protection will take place. It is important that we get the State pension put in place for foster carers as quickly as possible. It is wholly unacceptable for any foster carer in this State, many of whom have provided decades of support to provide a loving and caring home to some of the most vulnerable children in the State, to be left at 66 without a State pension or relying on the means-tested State pension. That is not acceptable. It is also important to make the point that this would be a huge amount of money. Money is always a factor because I know it will have to be within the budget or a coming budget, and I hope it will be. Many foster carers will have paid some PRSI contributions. In fact, I would imagine the vast majority will have, so this will be about topping them up to make sure they can access the contributory State pension in full, as they should be and as they are more than deserving of. Time is of the essence and this needs to be delivered as quickly and as early in this term of Government as possible.

Sentiment score: 0.29

I acknowledge what has been brought forward to improve things for foster carers but none of that will matter if someone is 62, 63 or 64, does not have enough contributions to access the State pension and is approaching 66, as quite a number of foster carers are. Again, it is not acceptable that a foster carer who has provided a loving home to some of our most vulnerable children would get to 66 and not have a State pension. It is wholly unacceptable and it needs to be dealt with quickly. I have repeatedly said the pension solution brought forward for family carers has really worked. It was worked on, achieved and delivered and I welcomed it at the time. That could be done for foster carers because, again, we are looking at people who have some, if not nearly all, of the 520 contributions but there is a gap for a lot of them, as was the case for family carers, so I believe that through using that solution, this can be done a lot more quickly. It needs to be, so I ask that this specific solution be looked at.

Sentiment score: 0.23

104. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of special care beds that are open currently; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13218/26]

Sentiment score: 0.25

I ask the Minister to provide details on the number of special care beds currently open. Across the three special care units there is capacity for 26 beds. I do not know if all 26 beds have ever been open but would like to know how many are open today.

Sentiment score: 0.65

It is really alarming to hear that four children in the State need a special care bed but there is not one there for them. I appreciate, understand and welcome the change to the payscale made in 2024 but we need to look at that again to see whether it is enough in the context of recruitment and retention of staff. I have raised with the Minister previously the report of the external review group on special care which raises the same issues around staffing and capacity. That report, published in April 2025, identified that since 2021 a total of 168 staff had been hired but 134 had left. There is capacity for 26 beds across the three special care units but I gather from what the Minister is saying that we only have staff for 15 of those 26 beds. We have four extremely vulnerable children who have no bed, so we need to look at the pay scale again. We need to look at that external report again and at the recommendations within it.

Sentiment score: 0.20

I would like to see a timeline for the implementation of each of the recommendations of the external review group. Fifteen special care beds are open but we should have 26. There are four extremely vulnerable children who have been advised, told and directed to special care but it is not available for them. The report is especially damning. It describes "severe challenges" and talks of a "crisis". The report makes it clear that it looks at "the immediate operational issues", or what needs to be dealt with immediately. It also goes on to discuss the children in dire need of intervention - our most vulnerable children - for whom there is no bed for special care. The recommendations of the review group need to be looked at. It is always important to say that this is not just a matter for Tusla. There are other agencies that need to get around the table on these issues. We need to look at what we can do in relation to special care because what is going on at the moment with beds not being open is just not acceptable.

Sentiment score: 0.13