Results 2,781-2,800 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

Written Answers — Asylum Support Services: Asylum Support Services (11 Jan 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 768 and 776 together. The immediate and ongoing needs of separated children seeking asylum (SCSA) as well as their application for refugee status are the responsibility of the Health Service Executive (HSE) in accordance with the Refugee Act, 1996 (as amended) and the Child Care Act, 1991. Where children are identified by An Garda Síochána, at the point of...

Written Answers — Foster Care: Foster Care (11 Jan 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy with the most up-to-date information.

Written Answers — Foster Care: Foster Care (11 Jan 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy with the most up-to-date information. Question No. 771 withdrawn.

Written Answers — Inter-Country Adoptions: Inter-Country Adoptions (11 Jan 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 772 and 773 together. The Adoption Authority informs me that currently, there are no intercountry adoptions completed and registered in respect of applicants who received new Declarations of Eligibility and Suitability under Section 40 since 1 November 2010. It should be noted that waiting times between the sending of an application pack and the actual...

Written Answers — Constitutional Amendments: Constitutional Amendments (11 Jan 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Programme for Government 2011 states that the Referendum on Children's Rights is a priority, and that the wording of the proposed referendum will be along the lines of that proposed by the All Party Joint Committee on the Constitutional Amendment on Children. Since taking office, both myself and officials of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs have had a number of meetings with...

Written Answers — Inter-Country Adoptions: Inter-Country Adoptions (11 Jan 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 775, 778 to 780, inclusive, 782, 801, 802 and 804 together. Adoptions from Ethiopia, effected under the transitional arrangements provided for in the Adoption Act 2010, are ongoing and are currently being examined, and recognised, by the Adoption Authority of Ireland (AAI). These transitional arrangements may lead to adoptions from Ethiopia taking place up...

Written Answers — Children in Care: Children in Care (11 Jan 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: Section 5 of the Child Care Act, 1991 (as amended) provides that the Health Service Executive (HSE) shall take all reasonable steps to provide suitable accommodation for a child who is homeless. There is no statutory requirement for a care plan as the child is not taken into care under the Child Care Act, 1991. The HSE recently undertook a review of services provided to homeless children...

Written Answers — National Children's Strategy: National Children's Strategy (11 Jan 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: My Department is developing a new strategy for children and young people. It will build on Our Children - Their Lives, Ireland's first children's strategy which was published in 2000 and it will cover the period from 2012 to 2017. The new children and young people's policy framework is being developed in a holistic way to comprehend the continuum of the lifecourse from infancy, through...

Written Answers — Early Childhood Education: Early Childhood Education (11 Jan 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Childcare Education and Training Support (CETS) programme was introduced in September 2010 and is implemented by my Department. The CETS programme provides free childcare places to qualifying FÁS and Vocational Educational Committees (VECs) trainees and students. Under the CETS programme, funding is provided by my Department to participating childcare services in return for the...

Written Answers — Ministerial Staff: Ministerial Staff (11 Jan 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: My Department was established on the 2 June 2011 and the details requested by the Deputy are set out in tabular form below. Name Grade WTE (Wholetime Equivalent) Salary € Marion Mannion Special Advisor 1 80,051 Jennifer Carroll Special Advisor 0.5 40,025 William Lavelle Special Advisor 0.5 40,025 Emer Higgins Personal Assistant (Constituency Office) 1 43,715 Meagan NíChuirc...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (11 Jan 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: My Department is participating in the JobBridge National Internship Scheme which provides work experience placements for interns for a 6 or 9 month period. The aim of the National Internship Scheme is to assist in breaking the cycle where jobseekers are unable to get a job without experience, either as new entrants to the labour market after education or training or as unemployed workers...

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (11 Jan 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme, which is implemented by my Department, was introduced in January 2010 and provides for a free pre-school year to all eligible children in the year before they commence primary school. A capitation payment is provided under the ECCE programme to participating services for each eligible child enrolled for the free pre-school year. The...

Written Answers — Early Childhood Education: Early Childhood Education (11 Jan 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 787 and 788 together. My Department is responsible for the implementation of the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme, which was introduced in January 2010 and provides for one free pre-school year for all eligible children before they commence primary school. In line with the Programme for Government, my Department has made a significant...

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (11 Jan 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: Pre-school services, including childminding services, are currently regulated under the Child Care (Pre-School Services) (No. 2) Regulations 2006, as provided for under Part VII of the Child Care Act,1991. Operational responsibility for the management and delivery of health and personal social services, including the inspection of childcare facilities, was assigned to the Health Service...

Written Answers — Early Childhood Education: Early Childhood Education (11 Jan 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme was introduced in January 2010 and provides a free pre-school year to all eligible children in the year before commencing primary school. My objective is to incrementally develop the ECCE programme over the term of this Government as resources permit. A key element of this is the implementation of the Workforce Development Plan by the...

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (11 Jan 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: I would like to assure the Deputy that the inspectors from both the HSE and the Department of Education and Skills, who are collaborating in a number of joint inspections during 2012, are professional evaluators with the necessary skills and competencies. When the joint inspection programme has been finished it will be reviewed and the result of that review will contribute to future plans for...

Written Answers — National Children's Strategy: National Children's Strategy (11 Jan 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: The 2000 National Children's Strategy has served the country well in the past decade. The successor to the 2000 Strategy which will be developed during 2012 will for the first time include a particular focus on the early years of a child's life. This focus is based on the recognition of the importance of the early years for all aspects of a person's development and also on the widely...

Written Answers — Early Childhood Education: Early Childhood Education (11 Jan 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 793 and 794 together. The evaluation of Síolta was designed to test the methodology used for its implementation and also designed to field test the materials developed for its implementation. Specifically, the evaluator was asked to: Assess the extent to which engagement with the Síolta Quality Assurance programme (QAP) has supported participating early...

Written Answers — National Lottery Funding: National Lottery Funding (11 Jan 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: Subhead G of Vote 43 for my Department contained a funding provision of €500,000 in 2011 to support community groups and organisations with an involvement in the provision of supports and services under the application based National Lottery Funding Scheme. The Deputy might note that this resource allocation transferred from the former Department of Health and Children to my Department upon...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (11 Jan 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy with the most up-to-date information.