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Norma Foley

Norma Foley (born 1970) is an Irish politician serving as Minister for since January 2025. She previously held the position of Minister for from June 2020 to January 2025 and has represented the Kerry constituency as a (TD) in since her election in the February 2020 general election. A native of , Kerry, Foley worked as a before entering , following in the footsteps of her late father, Denis Foley, a former TD and . She was first elected to Kerry in 2004, serving the area until her Dáil election. As Minister for Education, Foley oversaw the phased reopening of schools amid the COVID-19 pandemic and introduced policies aimed at improving access and support, including the provision of free schoolbooks for primary and secondary students funded at €50 million annually and €6 million in additional funding to promote school attendance. She also advanced anti-bullying initiatives in schools and increased investments in early learning and disability services. Her tenure faced scrutiny over persistent teacher shortages, which she described as an "opportunity" for innovation, drawing criticism for downplaying the issue, as well as debates on curriculum content including social, personal and health education (SPHE) materials and responses to historical abuse in religious schools. In her current role, Foley continues to prioritize child protection, disability inclusion, and equality policies.

Early life and background

Education and pre-political career

Norma Foley was born in 1970 in , . She received her early education at Primary and in before attending , from which she graduated. Foley began her professional career as a teacher of and English at St Aloysius in , , accumulating over 20 years of experience in . She later returned to her alma mater, in , where she continued teaching, gaining firsthand insight into challenges such as curriculum implementation and student engagement within the secondary school system.

Political career

Local politics

Norma Foley was first elected to Kerry County Council in June 2004 as a Fianna Fáil representative for the Tralee local electoral area, securing 1,471 first-preference votes and taking the fourth seat in a seven-seat contest. She represented the Tralee Municipal District continuously from that point, focusing on local governance issues in the region. Foley was re-elected to the council in subsequent local elections in 2009, 2014, and 2019, demonstrating sustained voter support within ranks; in the 2019 poll, she topped the with the highest first-preference vote share. During her tenure, she served two terms as of , advancing municipal priorities such as and local services. In June 2018, she was elected (chairperson) of , becoming only the fourth woman to hold the role, which positioned her as the county's ceremonial head and elevated her profile within the party's local organization. As , Foley contributed to initiatives promoting economic and cultural growth, including welcoming announcements of 100 new jobs at Central Pharma in and launching the Kerry Cultural Archive Award to preserve local heritage. Her leadership underscored her advocacy for and broader Kerry interests, solidifying her grassroots foundation ahead of national contention.

Election to Dáil Éireann

Norma Foley was selected as Fianna Fáil's candidate for the Kerry constituency ahead of the , leveraging her prior experience on Kerry to contest the five-seat area. The election took place on 8 February 2020, resulting in a that necessitated negotiations for a new government. Foley secured 6,856 first-preference votes, representing 8.83% of the valid poll in a constituency with 77,666 valid votes cast and a quota of 12,945. Elected on the eighth count, she captured Fianna Fáil's only seat in Kerry, ahead of incumbents from and independents, amid transfers from eliminated candidates including other Fianna Fáil hopefuls. This victory marked her transition from local to national politics, topping the party ticket in a competitive field dominated by the Healy-Rae independents and . As a newly elected (TD) entering the on 8 February 2020, Foley aligned with Fianna Fáil's parliamentary strategy during the post-election period, supporting the party's and reform-oriented platform in initial votes and debates. Between February and June 2020, amid the onset of the , she participated in Dáil sessions addressing emergency responses, including measures and economic supports, reflecting her focus on practical priorities. Foley's contributions emphasized regional concerns for Kerry, such as sustaining rural communities and , which complemented Fianna Fáil's broader center-right emphasis on balanced budgets and targeted investments over expansive spending. Her active role in these early proceedings, combined with the party's coalition negotiations—culminating in a historic agreement with and the on 27 June 2020—underscored her integration into national decision-making, positioning her for subsequent prominence.

Minister for Education (2020–2025)

Appointment and key priorities

Norma Foley was appointed Minister for Education on 27 June 2020, following the formation of a coalition government comprising Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, and the Green Party after the February 2020 general election. This appointment came amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which had led to nationwide school closures starting in late March 2020, disrupting education for over three months and creating immediate pressures on the system. Foley's initial priorities centered on facilitating a safe and full return to in-school teaching and learning, with an August 2020 roadmap outlining protocols for reopening while sustaining operations under public health guidelines. She inherited empirical challenges from the pandemic-induced disruptions, including strains on teacher availability—exacerbated by recruitment difficulties that became evident as prepared to resume—and backlogs in infrastructure projects delayed by the crisis. Funding allocations were directed toward recovery efforts, though pre-existing gaps in areas like persisted, with transition rates to third-level noted at 66.1% in 2020 amid efforts to remove access barriers. Foley's agenda emphasized evidence-based approaches to address these issues, focusing on measurable outcomes such as restoring attendance levels—impacted by remote learning transitions—and bolstering core skills like and , which faced risks from prolonged closures without ideological overhauls. This reflected a causal focus on mitigating effects through targeted, data-informed interventions rather than expansive reforms, prioritizing system stability and empirical recovery indicators over the longer term.

Major policies and initiatives

In December 2022, Foley launched Cineáltas: Action Plan on Bullying, a whole-of-education strategy to prevent and tackle bullying in primary and post-primary schools, which updated anti-bullying procedures to explicitly address cyberbullying, racist bullying, homophobic and transphobic bullying, and gender identity-related incidents, while incorporating metrics for schools to monitor and report reductions in incidents. The plan emphasized a collective approach involving students, staff, parents, and the wider community, with implementation guidelines distributed to all schools and supported by professional development for educators. To address educational disadvantage, Foley commissioned an review in July 2023, culminating in the July 2024 publication of the OECD Review of Resourcing to Address Educational Disadvantage in Ireland, which evaluated the Delivering of in (DEIS) programme's resource allocation model and recommended enhancements for targeted support to students at risk of underachievement based on socioeconomic indicators. In parallel, she established a Scoping into Historical in Day and Boarding Run by Religious Orders on 7 2023, which by 2024 had documented 2,395 allegations involving 884 alleged perpetrators across 308 institutions, informing subsequent statutory investigations and redress considerations. Foley oversaw expansions in school infrastructure, including the October 2024 announcement of five new special schools to deliver up to 2,700 additional places for children with special educational needs, alongside recruitment drives that added 610 places to primary initial programmes in 2023 and 2024 to bolster the teaching workforce. On Irish-medium education, she advanced a dedicated policy framework for provision outside areas, completing public consultations by June 2024 to identify actions for expanding access and teacher training, aiming to increase enrollment opportunities beyond traditional regions.

Controversies and criticisms

Foley's defense of sustained Leaving Certificate in , where she intervened to align results with 2022 levels, resulted in 71% of grades being increased despite pre-pandemic baselines showing significantly lower averages, such as H1 grades at around 10-15% versus over 20% post-inflation. This approach, justified as ensuring equity for pandemic-disrupted cohorts, drew warnings from third-level institutions like universities, which highlighted risks to credential credibility, including strained enrollment capacities and misalignment with European norms where grade recovery had advanced further. Critics, including stakeholders, argued the policy perpetuated artificial elevation of CAO points, potentially devaluing qualifications without addressing underlying assessment disruptions through alternative metrics. In 2024, the Department of Education under Foley fielded dozens of public complaints about SPHE textbook content, including caricatures portraying traditional families—such as those involved in GAA or —as stereotypical or mocked, which complainants labeled as "bigoted" and "anti- racism." Publisher Edco subsequently withdrew the book following backlash, with Foley asserting the depictions did not represent typical families, though the incident underscored perceived deficiencies in pre-approval oversight for materials amid broader concerns over ideological biases in educational resources. Teacher unions, including the and , and opposition figures repeatedly criticized Foley for chronic underfunding in the sector, pointing to inadequate per-pupil allocations—particularly disadvantaging smaller rural schools under existing criteria that cap support regardless of geographic isolation or higher operational costs—and exacerbating issues like teacher shortages, with over 500 posts vacant in 2024. Foley's November 2024 remark framing shortages as an "opportunity" for schools to innovate was condemned as "shameful" by unions, who attributed recruitment failures to stagnant pay scales and rather than fiscal constraints cited by the , which allocated €10.5 billion overall in 2024 yet faced claims of insufficient targeted relief. On historical abuse inquiries, while Foley initiated a scoping exercise in March 2023 yielding a June 2024 report documenting 2,395 allegations in religious-run schools, opposition and survivor advocates faulted the pace of advancing to a full statutory , contrasting assurances of with delays in legislative establishment amid resource debates.

Minister for Children, Disability and Equality (2025–present)

Appointment and departmental overview

Norma Foley was appointed Minister for Children, Disability and Equality on 23 January 2025, succeeding Roderic O'Gorman in the cabinet reshuffle following the 2024 general election and the formation of a new coalition government led by Micheál Martin. The Department of Children, Disability and Equality oversees key areas including child protection through Tusla, the Child and Family Agency; disability services delivered via the Health Service Executive; and equality policies promoting inclusion across diverse communities. Its mission centers on improving outcomes for children, young people, families, and those with disabilities by addressing systemic needs in welfare, integration, and support frameworks. Foley assumed the role amid persistent pressures, including approximately 5,500 children in state care placements and over 10,900 children awaiting first contact with disability services as of June 2025, reflecting strains from rising referrals—exceeding 96,000 in 2024—and limited capacity in residential and foster care options. Her initial focus has aligned with Fianna Fáil priorities on enhancing core service delivery, evidenced by Budget 2026 allocations targeting child welfare and disability supports to mitigate waiting lists and improve data-informed resource allocation.

Policy developments and funding

In Budget 2026, announced on 7 October 2025, the Department of Children, Disability and Equality secured over €7 billion in total funding, with €3.9 billion allocated to specialist disability services—a 20% increase from prior levels—to address complex needs through expanded supports and integration measures. This package also included €1.48 billion for early learning and childcare, enabling the creation of 35,000 additional places to boost accessibility and participation rates among families. On 3 September 2025, Foley launched the , a five-year framework committing all government departments to targeted actions for enhancing access to , , and , with specific goals to reduce waiting lists and promote societal based on rights-based metrics. The strategy emphasizes empirical monitoring of outcomes, such as improved service delivery timelines and participation in community programs, to drive verifiable progress in disability supports. To stabilize costs and encourage provider uptake, maximum fee caps for early learning and childcare were extended to all participating services effective September 2025, limiting the highest fees to €295 per week for full-day placements (40-50 hours), supported by €390 million in annual allocations. This measure, building on voluntary guidelines for parental affordability, achieved 90% enrollment of services in the scheme by mid-September 2025, correlating with stabilized fee growth and higher enrollment data indicating cost efficiencies for families without commensurate reductions in quality standards.

Recent challenges in child protection

In October 2025, Minister Foley ordered an urgent independent review by Tusla into the alleged sexual assault of a 10-year-old girl in state care, which occurred in Saggart, west Dublin, amid reports that the child had absconded from a Tusla placement in the Citywest area. A 26-year-old man was charged with the assault under Section 2 of the Criminal Law (Rape) Act 1990, prompting Taoiseach Simon Harris to publicly acknowledge a "failure" in the child's care, stating that the State had not met its duty to protect her. Foley described the incident as a "very worrying case" but emphasized ongoing efforts to strengthen safeguards, while opposition figures, including Sinn Féin housing spokesperson Eoghan Ó Broin, demanded detailed accountability from Tusla and the Department, highlighting local community fears exacerbated by the event. This case underscored broader systemic vulnerabilities in Tusla's oversight of children in care, particularly the high incidence of abscondments. As of June 5, 2025, 38 children were reported missing from Tusla care, with 29 being separated children seeking international protection (SCSIP), reflecting a pattern where unaccompanied migrant minors constitute the majority of such cases due to factors including placement instability and challenges. Earlier from February 2025 showed 36 missing children, 33 of whom were SCSIP, while HIQA inspections in mid-2025 noted rates of missing episodes outpacing referral growth, with critiques pointing to insufficient tracking protocols and resource strains as causal contributors rather than mere excuses. outlets like Gript have pressed Foley on these patterns, citing dozens of unresolved disappearances and arguing for structural reforms to enforce causal , such as mandatory real-time monitoring, over attributions to demand alone. Government defenses have highlighted Tusla's recruitment drives and funding increases, yet empirical trends reveal persistent gaps: from 2023 to 2025, missing SCSIP cases numbered in the dozens annually, often linked to hotel placements lacking secure oversight, prompting calls from bodies like the for Children for independent audits to address root causes like inadequate vetting and follow-up. While Foley has maintained confidence in Tusla's capacity to self-correct through reviews, critics across political lines, including in debates, contend that repeated incidents indicate deeper institutional inertia, necessitating legislative mandates for external intervention to prioritize child safety over internal assurances.

Personal life

Norma Foley was born in 1970 in , , , where she grew up in a politically active family. She is the daughter of Denis Foley, a TD for Kerry North from 1981 to 1989 and 1992 to 2002 who died in 2013, and Hannah Foley (née O'Halloran) from . The couple had four children, including Norma and her siblings Billy, Margaret, and Denise. Foley married Denis Maguire, a teacher from Fermanagh, in 2005 at St. John's Church in Tralee. The couple resides in Tralee, and Maguire has occasionally accompanied her at public events, such as polling stations during elections.

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    Feb 8, 2020 · EARLY RISERS! Polling Stations are now OPEN across the Constituency of Kerry until 10:00pm tonight! Myself and my husband Denis pictured here at ...