Results 2,001-2,020 of 7,359 for speaker:Katherine Zappone

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Staff Data (22 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 263 and 293 together. The Press Office in my Department is part of the Governance and Performance Division which is staffed by civil servants. It does not have a specifically designated Press Officer. Tusla has advised that there are currently two senior press officers employed by them through their HR recruitment partners. I am further informed by Tusla...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services Funding (22 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I am aware that some services have been impacted by the full implementation of the Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years Services) Regulations 2016, which require that all staff should hold a minimum FETAC level 5 qualification, when working directly with children. In several cases, services have been utilising staff working on Community Employment (CE) schemes, Tús and Rural Social Scheme...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education Data (22 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 265 to 269, inclusive, together. When introduced, the ECCE scheme provided free-preschool for 38 weeks of the year, the 38 weeks broadly mirrored the primary school academic year. When ECCE was expanded as a result of Budget 2016, it enabled all children to attend ECCE from the age of three, entering at one of three entry points after their third...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Services (22 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I am committed to implementing the Child Care (Amendment) Act 2015 which entitles eligible young people to a formal aftercare plan, prepared by Tusla in collaboration with the young person leaving care. My Department is working closely with Tusla to ensure that the provisions of the Act can be fully implemented as quickly as possible in the coming months. In terms of funding, I secured...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Services (22 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I am committed to implementing the Child Care (Amendment) Act 2015 which entitles eligible young people to a formal aftercare plan, prepared by Tusla in collaboration with the young person leaving care. I am pleased that the Act creates an explicit, as opposed to a current implicit, statement of Tusla’s duty to satisfy itself as to the young persons need for assistance and support as...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Data (22 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla has informed me that in 2015 a total of 542 young persons left care on reaching 18 years of age. In 2016, a total of 605 young persons left care by reason of reaching 18 years of age. Tusla has informed me that the data was not collated prior to 2015. The available data refers to all young persons moving out of care on turning 18 years of age and data is not returned by care...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Services (22 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: Aftercare is a term used to describe the planning and support put in place to meet the needs of a young person who is leaving statutory care at 18 years of age, to assist him/her in making the transition to independent living. Every year approximately 450 young people leave the care of the State. These young people are offered a wide range of services from different sectors including income...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Services (22 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: The Child Care (Amendment) Act 2015 imposes a statutory duty on Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, following an assessment of need, to prepare an aftercare plan identifying relevant aftercare supports for an eligible child or eligible young person. For young people with a disability, aftercare planning forms the basis of discussions between Tusla and the HSE to effectively manage the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Services Provision (22 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board has requested funding from my Department for the provision of a full time youth officer for County Kildare. My Department is engaging with the ETB in this regard and I hope to be in a position to make a determination on this request in the coming weeks. In the interim, the ETB has a Youth Officer who is...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Commissions of Investigation (22 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 276 to 278, inclusive, and 281 together. At the outset it is important to state that the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes (and certain related Matters) is independent in the conduct of its investigations. Therefore, the advertising strategy is a matter for the Commission to decide and I do not have any role or influence in this...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Commissions of Investigation (22 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 279 and 280 together. I would strongly encourage any person, including those living outside the jurisdiction, who believes they may have relevant information to contact the Commission directly. I know the Commission would welcome such contacts. The Commission has written to a range of Irish groups in the UK and the USA inviting relevant people to come...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (22 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I am on record of this House as encouraging any person with information which may be relevant to the investigation to contact the Commission directly. All relevant information is on the Commission's website and can be accessed at . Following the public consultation process to inform the development of the Commission's terms of reference, my Department passed on the submissions and...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services Data (22 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: The Policy Paper on the Development of the Affordable Childcare Scheme includes a sensitivity analysis that examines the potential impact of wage increases on the unit cost per hour of childcare, including analysis of the impact of moving to a wage of €11.50 per hour for childcare workers. As stated on pages 109-110 of the Policy Paper, “While a process of...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Data (22 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: The matters referred to by the Deputy are operational matters for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency and I have no involvement in the day to day running of the service. Also, Tusla is a data controller in its own right and I would not expect to be consulted about the actions it takes in this regard. I have stated previously in the Oireachtas that Tusla has advised me that it has deleted the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services (23 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I have been advised by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency that the person, who is a child, referred to by the Deputy is not currently in statutory care, but Tusla is providing assistance to the child and the family. Tusla would welcome contact from the family in order to clarify any issues they may have in this case.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Commissions of Investigation (23 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: In accordance with section 9 of the Commissions of Investigation Act 2004, it is essential to recognise that the Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) is independent in the performance of its functions. The preparation of draft reports is a matter for the Commission and I do not have any role or influence in this regard. The Commission is tasked...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Visiting Teacher Service (23 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: As the Deputy may be aware, the Visiting Teachers Service for Travellers was discontinued with effect from September 2011, in line with Department of Education and Skills policy on the phasing out of segregated Traveller provision. The Department of Education and Skills have advised that the funding costs for the programme in the final full year of the programme in 2010 were €2,716,737.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: School Completion Programme (23 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: As the Deputy may be aware, responsibility for the National Educational Welfare Board which included the School Completion Programme was transferred to my Department on its establishment in 2011. Upon the establishment of Tusla, the Child and Family Agency on January 1 2014, operational responsibility for the School Completion Programme was transferred to the Agency. Funding information in...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (23 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 440 to 442, inclusive, together. It is my intention to publish the Second Interim Report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes in conjunction with the Government's response to the Report. Given the broad scope of the Commission's work a number of issues in the Report extend beyond the remit of the Department of Children and Youth...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services (23 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: The policy paper for the introduction of the Affordable Childcare Scheme was approved by Government in October 2016. Since then, officials of the DCYA and Pobal have been working intensively to plan for the implementation of the Affordable Childcare Scheme. I am committed to the earliest possible introduction of the Affordable Childcare Scheme. We are working to an ambitious deadline...