Results 3,381-3,400 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald
- Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (6 Jun 2012)
Frances Fitzgerald: The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme, which provides one free pre-school year to each eligible child, is implemented by my Department. The ECCE programme was introduced in January 2010, and a number of transitional measures were included to make it more acceptable to the childcare sector. One of these measures related to the number of weeks over which the free pre-school...
- Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (6 Jun 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 — Early Childhood Education: Early Childhood Education (6 Jun 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. About 65,000 children, that is approximately 95% of children in the year before school, are availing of the free pre-school provision at this time. Children qualify for the free pre-school year...
- Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (6 Jun 2012)
Frances Fitzgerald: The Family Support Agency (FSA), 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...
- Written Answers — Foreign Adoptions: Foreign Adoptions (6 Jun 2012)
Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 790 and 799 together. The Adoption Authority launched an online notification and application system on the Authority's website on 13 April 2012 to allow prospective adoptive parents to apply to the Authority for an extension to their valid Declaration of Eligibility & Suitability in sufficient time before the expiry date of 31 October 2012. The Adoption...
- Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (6 Jun 2012)
Frances Fitzgerald: My Department is leading an initiative to develop and implement a planning model for local interagency working to improve outcomes for children. This is known as the Working Together for Children initiative. The purpose of this initiative is to work towards better developmental outcomes for children through more effective integration of policies and services, in particular through the...
- Written Answers — Foreign Adoptions: Foreign Adoptions (6 Jun 2012)
Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 792 and 804 together. With effect from 1 November 2010, intercountry adoptions can be effected with other countries which have ratified the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (the Hague Adoption Convention) or with countries with which Ireland has a bilateral agreement. Kazakhstan has ratified the...
- Written Answers — Pre-School Services: Pre-School Services (6 Jun 2012)
Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 793 and 795 together. As these are service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy with the most up-to-date information.
- Written Answers — Pre-School Services: Pre-School Services (6 Jun 2012)
Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 794 and 796 together. 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...
- Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (6 Jun 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 — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (6 Jun 2012)
Frances Fitzgerald: I secured â¬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 — Foreign Adoptions: Foreign Adoptions (6 Jun 2012)
Frances Fitzgerald: The Adoption Authority of Ireland is an independent statutory body established under the Adoption Act, 2010. The Authority has responsibility for the operational implementation of enacted legislation and Government policy. As the issue of accreditation of bodies is solely a matter for the Adoption Authority, I have forwarded the request to the Authority for attention and direct reply to the...
- Written Answers — Departmental Funding: Departmental Funding (6 Jun 2012)
Frances Fitzgerald: The information requested by the Deputy is now available. I can advise that funding provided by the HSE to Right of Place since 2005 is as follows: 2005 â¬303,333.00 2006 â¬594,056.29 2007 â¬355,024.00 2008 â¬340,500.00 2009 â¬337,500.00 2010 â¬367,013.14 2011 â¬240,000.00 2012 â¬173,854.00 The HSE receives audited accounts each year which are closely scrutinised in order...
- Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (6 Jun 2012)
Frances Fitzgerald: Section 45 of the Child Care Act 1991 places a statutory duty on the HSE to form a view in relation to each person leaving care as to whether there is a "need for assistance" and if it forms such a view, to provide services in accordance with the legislation and subject to resources. All young people who have had a care history with the HSE, be it foster care, residential care or high...
- Written Answers — Departmental Funding: Departmental Funding (6 Jun 2012)
Frances Fitzgerald: Details of the capital resource allocations made available to my Department in 2012 and related fund disbursements over the period January - May are set out in the following table: Subhead Title Estimate Allocationâ¬000 Amount paid to dateâ¬000 Balance to drawdownâ¬000 A.7 Youth Justice â Children's Detention Centres 350 9 341 B.4 Childcare Programmes 6,500 0 6,500 B.5 Youth...
- Written Answers — Foreign Adoptions: Foreign Adoptions (6 Jun 2012)
Frances Fitzgerald: Adoptions from Russia, 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). Under the provisions of the legislation, such adoptions may take place up to the end of October 2013. As regards adoptions thereafter, Russia has not ratified the Hague...
- Written Answers — Foreign Adoptions: Foreign Adoptions (6 Jun 2012)
Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 806 and 808 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 to the end of October 2012. The...
- Written Answers — Foreign Adoptions: Foreign Adoptions (6 Jun 2012)
Frances Fitzgerald: I have arranged that correspondence, in relation to the issues raised, will issue to the Deputy in the coming days.
- Written Answers — Children in Care: Children in Care (6 Jun 2012)
Frances Fitzgerald: The Health Service Executive (HSE) compiles monthly performance reports which include statistics in relation to children in care. These reports are published on the HSE website at www.hse.ie. The HSE has provided the following information; Number of Children in Care in 2011 Month Jan Feb Mar April May June Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Overall Total 5907 6015 6083 6131 6152 6175 6208 6215...
- Written Answers — Children in Care: Children in Care (6 Jun 2012)
Frances Fitzgerald: The Health Service Executive (HSE) compiles and publishes monthly performance reports which include statistics in relation to children in care. The HSE reported the following information regarding the annual number of children in the care of the State for each of the past ten years; Year Number of Children in Care on 31st December 2002 4921 2003 4984 2004 5060 2005 5220 2006 5336...