Results 2,321-2,340 of 7,359 for speaker:Katherine Zappone

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Preschool Services (11 Apr 2017)

Katherine Zappone: The Deputy has asked specifically about the estimated cost of employing Special Needs Assistants. The Department of Children and Youth Affairs does not fund Special Needs Assistants. The Access and Inclusion Model (AIM), which is a programme of supports to enable children with a disability to access and fully participate in the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme, was...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services (11 Apr 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 799 and 800 together. Budget 2017 provided an additional €19m to enable the introduction of a new single Affordable Childcare Scheme. This is in addition to the existing funding which supports the current targeted schemes and which equates to €87m annually. The full year costs of the scheme will be approximately €150m. The...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Aftercare Services Provision (11 Apr 2017)

Katherine Zappone: My Department is working closely with Tusla to ensure that the provisions of the Child Care (Amendment) Act 2015 can be fully implemented as quickly as possible. The amendment to the Act is primarily concerned with aftercare – 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 or her in making the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Traveller Community (11 Apr 2017)

Katherine Zappone: Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures: the National Policy Framework for Children and Young People (2014-2020) was launched by Government in April 2014. This is a whole of Government framework, implementation of which is overseen by my Department. Individual commitments remain the responsibility of relevant Departments or Agencies. While Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures is a universal...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Data (11 Apr 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I have placed a high priority on addressing the number of children who are without an allocated social worker. I secured additional funding for this purpose in 2017, and Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, is now in the second year of a 3-year plan to ensure the allocation of a social worker to all children and young people who need one. The Deputy should note that all urgent and emergency...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Foster Care (11 Apr 2017)

Katherine Zappone: As these are operational matters, I have asked Tusla – The Child and Family Agency to respond directly to the Deputy with the most up-to-date information.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Children in Care (11 Apr 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I have been informed by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, that at this time all Tusla Children’s Residential Centres in the West are under review to determine how the needs of the young people in the region may be best met. I am advised that consideration is being given to the demands on each service and ensuring that each Centre’s purpose and function fits with the overall...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Funding (11 Apr 2017)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla has advised that in 1994 the Department of Social Welfare opened a grant scheme to provide counselling supports to children who had experienced bereavement or loss. This grant scheme then passed to the Family Support Agency (FSA) when it was established in 2003 and subsequently to Tusla on establishment in January 2014. Up until 2011 applications were invited through an annual...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: School Funding (11 Apr 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 807 to 809, inclusive, together. In 1994 the Department of Social Welfare opened a grant scheme to provide counselling supports to children who had experienced bereavement or loss. This grant scheme then passed to the Family Support Agency (FSA) when it was established in 2003 and subsequently to Tusla on establishment in January 2014. Up until 2011...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Children in Care (11 Apr 2017)

Katherine Zappone: The information sought by the Deputy has been requested from the Child and Family Agency and I will respond directly to the Deputy when the information is received.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Employment Initiative (11 Apr 2017)

Katherine Zappone: Last year, I announced details of the €600,000 Youth Employability Initiative which is funded under the Dormant Accounts scheme. Under the Initiative 28 youth projects have received grants to support innovative programmes that target disadvantaged young people who are most at risk of unemployment and who are not in education, employment or training. The programmes aimed to build...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Services Funding (11 Apr 2017)

Katherine Zappone: My Department administers a range of funding schemes and programmes to support the provision of youth services by the voluntary youth sector, to young people throughout the country. The funding schemes support national and local youth work provision to some 380,000 young people. The voluntary youth sector involves approximately 1,400 paid staff, including youth workers and 40,000 volunteers...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Expenditure Reviews (11 Apr 2017)

Katherine Zappone: The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform has initiated a spending review of expenditure by Government Departments. The focus of the review is the development of an evidence base to inform the prioritisation of current and capital expenditure and it is being undertaken on a targeted basis operating in parallel to the estimates process for 2018. Officials of my Department have been...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Investigations (11 Apr 2017)

Katherine Zappone: The information sought by the Deputy has been requested from the Child and Family Agency and I will respond directly to the Deputy when the information is received.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education Staff (11 Apr 2017)

Katherine Zappone: Officials from my Department sought clarification from the Deputy as to the which contract process is being referred to in the question. An official from the Deputy's office contacted my Department to advise that they intended to withdraw this question, however, it is understood that this request was not issued in time. If the Deputy wishes to provide the Department with clarification...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Education Grants (11 Apr 2017)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla is currently engaged in the second year of a three year recruitment programme to expand the cohort of social workers, social care workers and business support staff. Tusla is identifying gaps in the aftercare service nationally and has undertaken a major recruitment campaign of social care workers to fill aftercare post vacancies. Aftercare is a term used to describe the planning...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Workplace Relations Commission (11 Apr 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I can confirm for the Deputy that there have been no adjudications or findings of the Workplace Relations Commission in respect of public bodies in each of the years 2015 to 2016 and to date in 2017 that have not been accepted by my Department.

Topical Issue Debate: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (12 Apr 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I thank the Deputies for raising this matter and providing me with an opportunity to discuss the publication of the second interim report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes. The commission was set up to inquire into the conditions in mother and baby homes and county homes in the period between 1922 and 1998. Following a short first interim report last July, the...

Topical Issue Debate: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (12 Apr 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I appreciate the additional comments of the Deputies. In response to Deputy Burton with regard to stories on the front page and what they say, I do not have any information on that. I know that oftentimes things-----

Topical Issue Debate: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (12 Apr 2017)

Katherine Zappone: -----are reported that may or may not have happened. I accept and hear what the Deputy is saying, but I just do not have any comment on that. I wish to say very clearly that in terms of the Government's response, it does not mean we have closed off redress for those who have been in mother and baby homes. When the commission finishes its investigations, social history and confidential...