Results 3,241-3,260 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

Written Answers — Consultancy Contracts: Consultancy Contracts (8 May 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: My Department was established on 2 June 2011. To date the Department of Children and Youth Affairs has not spent any money on external marketing consultants.

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (8 May 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: I would like to advise the Deputy that no retired staff have been rehired by either my Department or agencies under its remit.

Written Answers — State Banking Sector: State Banking Sector (8 May 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: No services were provided by the company concerned to my Department and the agencies under its remit.

Written Answers — Inter-Country Adoptions: Inter-Country Adoptions (9 May 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: 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 to the end of October 2012. The Adoption Act 2010 also contains provision for a one year...

Written Answers — Inter-Country Adoptions: Inter-Country Adoptions (9 May 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 165 and 169 together. The Hague Convention is a co-operative agreement drawn up to allow countries to mutually support one another in protecting the best interests of children in the intercountry adoption process. It sets out minimum standards regarding intercountry adoption and covers issues such as subsidiarity, consent and financial considerations. It is...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (9 May 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: Both my Private and Constituency Offices are staffed in accordance with the Guidelines on Staffing of Ministerial Offices as issued by the Department of Finance in April 2011. These guidelines set out the maximum numbers of staff that can be employed in each office and I can confirm that staffing of my offices are fully compliant with the guidelines. The specific details requested by the...

Written Answers — Inter-Country Adoptions: Inter-Country Adoptions (9 May 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: Belarus has ratified the Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption. However, adoptions between Ireland and Belarus cannot take place due to compatibility issues between the laws of Ireland and Belarus, in particular in relation to the Belarussian requirement for legislative underpinning of post placement reporting.

Written Answers — Inter-Country Adoptions: Inter-Country Adoptions (9 May 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Adoption Authority of Ireland (AAI) is an independent statutory body charged with implementing the Adoption Act, 2010. The Authority has responsibility for the direct operational implementation of legislation and Government policy. In November 2011 the AAI commenced a review of the adoption law(s) of Panama, which has ratified the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and...

Written Answers — Inter-Country Adoptions: Inter-Country Adoptions (10 May 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Hague Convention is a co-operative agreement drawn up to allow countries to mutually support one another in protecting the best interests of children in the inter-country adoption process. It sets out minimum standards regarding inter-country adoption and covers issues such as subsidiarity, consent and financial considerations. It is designed in such a way as to allow for mirrored...

Written Answers — Children in Care: Children in Care (10 May 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: Under the Child Care Act, 1991, the Health Service Executive (HSE) has a statutory duty to promote the welfare of children who are not receiving adequate care and protection. If any child is in need of care and protection and is unlikely to receive it at home, the HSE has a duty to ensure they receive appropriate care. Where a child is coming into care the allocated social worker undertakes...

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (10 May 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: My Department implements the Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) programme which provides funding to community childcare services to enable them to charge reduced childcare rates to low income and disadvantaged families. Parents who are in receipt of a Widows or Widowers Pension are eligible for subvention under the CCS programme. Parental returns are submitted to my Department by...

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (10 May 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: I secured €6m capital funding in Budget 2012 to fund a maintenance programme for childcare facilities. The funding will provide for urgent and essential repairs to childcare facilities to ensure that they are in a position to remain open and continue to provide the three childcare programmes implemented by my Department. The maximum grant available to individual services under the...

Written Answers — Inter-Country Adoptions: Inter-Country Adoptions (10 May 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: 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 to the end of October 2012. The Adoption Act 2010 also contains provision for a one year...

Written Answers — Family Support Services: Family Support Services (10 May 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Family Support Agency, under my Department, operates the Family Resource Centre Programme. The aim of the Family Resource Centre Programme is to combat disadvantage and improve the functioning of the family unit. There are 107 family resource centres throughout the country funded under the programme. The programme emphasises involving local communities in tackling the problems they...

Constitutional Amendment on Children (15 May 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: Officials in my Department and I are continuing a substantial engagement with the Attorney General and her officials to progress the Government's commitment to hold a referendum to amend the Constitution to ensure children's rights are strengthened along the lines recommended by the Joint Committee on the Constitutional Amendment on Children. The immediate focus of this engagement is the...

Constitutional Amendment on Children (15 May 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: I made a decision shortly after taking office when I examined the issues involved relating to the referendum that it would be in the public interest to publish the heads of the Bill, the legislation on adoption that would accompany the referendum, to give the public more information on the implications of the referendum. I agree with the Deputy that there is a need to consider carefully and...

Child Care Services (15 May 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: As part of the ongoing change agenda in child and family services, I am committed to developing the capacity of our child protection services to address appropriately and effectively the needs of children who present in emergencies outside of normal working hours. At present, the Health Service Executive provides out-of-hours emergency services for children at risk in the greater Dublin area...

Child Care Services (15 May 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: I absolutely agree that Garda stations are not the place for young children in need of care. However, I wish to pay tribute to the work done by gardaí who are dealing with this issue. I have met their representatives who have expressed their concerns to me. That is why it is important we had two pilot projects last year. We had different models in Cork and Donegal, with a different...

Adoption Services (15 May 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Deputy has asked for information on records about persons who were told or believed they had been adopted and in respect of whom there are no adoption records. It must be understood the Adoption Authority of Ireland like its predecessor, the Adoption Board, has no statutory responsibility in the matter raised but has endeavoured to assist persons affected to the extent open to it. The...

Adoption Services (15 May 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: I take the Deputy's point. I assure her it is intended that the Bill will provide for the Adoption Authority of Ireland to have access to records currently held by a wide range of information sources, give the authority an oversight role with regard to the maintenance of adoption records, and place the national contact preference register on a statutory basis. The Bill will also provide for...