Results 2,521-2,540 of 7,359 for speaker:Katherine Zappone

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Services Funding (18 May 2017)

Katherine Zappone: My Department administers a range of funding schemes and programmes to support the provision of youth services to young people throughout the country including those from disadvantaged communities. The funding schemes support national and local youth work involving approximately 1,400 youth work staff working in youth services and communities throughout the country. I am pleased to...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Community Childcare Subvention Programme (18 May 2017)

Katherine Zappone: Community childcare facilities are important partners in the delivery of affordable, accessible, high quality childcare. The majority of community childcare services are operating well and have been able to manage issues they face within the structures available, including by availing of support from County and City Childcare Committees, Pobal and my Department. Nevertheless, I have...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Services (18 May 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 312 and 313 together. My Department administers a range of funding schemes and programmes to support the provision of youth services to young people throughout the country including those from disadvantaged communities. The funding schemes support national and local youth work involving approximately 1,400 youth work staff working in youth services and...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Years Sector (23 May 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 643 and 677 together. In 2017, I made €4m in funding available under the Early Years Capital Programme and a separate €3 million in capital funding for services providing school age childcare. The application process for both funds has now closed. Pobal is responsible for administering capital programmes on behalf of my Department. In...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency (23 May 2017)

Katherine Zappone: As previously outlined, the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) initiated a Governance Review of Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, in early 2016. The findings of this review will inform the results of the statutory investigation into the management of allegations of child sexual abuse against adults of concern by Tusla. HIQA has indicated that it anticipates that the statutory...

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

Katherine Zappone: There are currently 3 special care units in the country. One in Dublin, which has a capacity to cater for 10 children, one in Limerick with a capacity for 4 children and one in Cork, which can cater for 3 children

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

Katherine Zappone: The commencement of the legislative provisions to allow for HIQA to register special care units is governed by the Health Act 2007, with associated provisions in the Child Care (Amendment) Act 2011, the Child and Family Agency Act 2013, the Child Care (Amendment) Act 2015 and the Health (Amendment) Act 2016 all being of relevance. The interplay between these bodies of legislation is complex....

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Protection Services Provision (23 May 2017)

Katherine Zappone: The latest data available (end of February 2017) is contained in the following table. Unfortunately, the data is not collated in the form requested by the Deputy. I will be requesting that Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, revert with the data the Deputy has requested with regard to the length of time the cases referred to have been awaiting the allocation of a social worker. Open cases...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Protection Services Provision (23 May 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 648 to 651, inclusive, together. My officials have requested the information from Tusla and I will forward the reply to the Deputy once I have been furnished with it.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Abuse (23 May 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I have requested information from Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. I will forward the reply to the Deputy once I have been furnished with this information.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Protection Services Provision (23 May 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I have requested information from Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. I will forward the reply to the Deputy once I have been furnished with this information.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Protection Services Provision (23 May 2017)

Katherine Zappone: The further reduction and elimination of open cases awaiting the allocation of a social worker is a high priority for me as Children's Minister, for Tusla and for my Department. This will be achieved through the recruitment and retention of social workers and the ongoing reform of Tusla’s structures and delivery through its standard business processes. I secured additional funding...

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

Katherine Zappone: The Deputy refers to sustainability audits of community services and recommendations. I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department is unaware of the sustainability audits to which the Deputy refers. Perhaps the Deputy is referring to the initiative taken by the sector of commissioning and completing research highlighting the challenges that they face. This is a complex issue; and in 2017...

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

Katherine Zappone: I assume that the question relates to the cost of the proposed universal subsidy within the Affordable Childcare Scheme (ACS). The universal element of the ACS provides a €0.50 per hour subsidy for children aged 6-36 months, for up to a maximum of 40 hours per week. Only families who use the full 40 hours of childcare or more per week will receive an €80 per month subsidy....

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education Programmes (23 May 2017)

Katherine Zappone: AIM is a model of supports designed to ensure that children with disabilities can access the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme. Its goal is to empower pre-school providers to deliver an inclusive pre-school experience, ensuring that every eligible child can fully participate in the ECCE programme and reap the benefits of quality early years care and education. AIM is a...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education Funding (23 May 2017)

Katherine Zappone: AIM is a model of supports designed to ensure that children with disabilities can access the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme. Its goal is to empower pre-school providers to deliver an inclusive pre-school experience, ensuring that every eligible child can fully participate in the ECCE programme and reap the benefits of quality early years care and education. AIM is a...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Years Sector (23 May 2017)

Katherine Zappone: My Department is very much aware of the current issues affecting the childcare sector and, in conjunction with Pobal and Childcare Committees Ireland, keeps these matters under constant review. The issue of sustainability in childcare services is multifaceted and encompasses broad challenges – the rate of subvention funding received for the Department’s childcare schemes is at...

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

Katherine Zappone: Wages in the early years sector are unacceptably low and working conditions are poor. This affects the quality of service offered to children. Addressing these issues is a priority for me as Minister for Children and Youth Affairs. As my Department is not the employer, however, I have no direct control over wages or working conditions. Similarly, as my Department is not the employer, there is...

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

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 661 to 664, inclusive, together. I like to thank Deputy Rabbitte for her questions. PQ Numbers: 24219/17, 24220/17, 24221/17 and 22422/17 are of a similar nature and so, for the Deputy’s ease of reference, I will answer them together. As I have previously announced, the Affordable Childcare Scheme (ACS) will not be introduced in September 2017,...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Children in Care (23 May 2017)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla has advised me that all residential care services are operated to the same standard. Recent changes in the payment of overnight staff has had no impact on the continued equal treatment of private and State residential care services for foster children.