Results 3,521-3,540 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

Child Care Services (10 Jul 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: Preschool services, including child minding 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 child care facilities, was assigned to the Health Service...

Child Care Services (10 Jul 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: I agree that we must have a very clear focus on quality and standards in early years. Significant improvements have been made but there must be ongoing work to ensure there is a robust system of regulation and inspection. That is one of the reasons I have included in the terms of reference of the new early years group to review the inspection regime and make recommendations on how it can be...

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

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 27 and 35 together. 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...

Written Answers — Children's Rights Referendum: Children's Rights Referendum (10 Jul 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 28 and 44 together. The Programme for Government 2011 - 2016 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 (JCCAC). Both myself and officials of my Department have engaged...

Written Answers — Departmental Functions: Departmental Functions (10 Jul 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that towards the end of 2011, following discussions at Ministerial and Official level and in consultation with the Attorney General, it was agreed that certain youth justice functions would transfer from my colleague the Minister for Justice and Equality to myself as the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs. Advices were received from the Office of the...

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

Frances Fitzgerald: The Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption entered into force in Ireland on 1 November 2010 with the enactment of the Adoption Act 2010 and the establishment of the Adoption Authority of Ireland (AAI). Therefore, since then, adoptions have been ongoing from Hague contracted countries and 35 such adoptions have taken place in the period 1 January 2011 to end June 2012. Under section 72 of...

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

Frances Fitzgerald: The Adoption Authority of Ireland (AAI) seeks to proactively engage with its counterparts in countries identified for intercountry adoption purposes, including Kazakhstan. While direct contact and diplomatic channels are used to promote such contact, the success of these efforts is obviously contingent upon the preferences of such other countries regarding intercountry adoption relationships....

Written Answers — Child Abuse: Child Abuse (10 Jul 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: I can confirm that in preparing the policy position to underpin the introduction of legislation to place Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children on a statutory footing due regard was paid to a range of international experience of relevant legislation, including that of New South Wales. I note that, while changes have been made to the reporting regime in...

Written Answers — Child Protection: Child Protection (10 Jul 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: Responsibility for matters relating to An Garda Siochana rests primarily with my colleague the Minister for Justice and Equality. Children, who are not being arrested or detained, may come into the care of An Garda Síochána for a number of reasons: · lost children brought to a Garda station; · child of an arrested person - where the child remains in the control of the An Garda Síochána...

Written Answers — Child Protection: Child Protection (10 Jul 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Report of the Independent Child Death Review Group highlights in the most serious way our national problems with alcohol and drug abuse. The report highlights a significant number of individual cases where alcohol and drugs were prevalent in the home, and the devastating impact of drug and alcohol misuse on children and young adults, both through their own direct use and as a result of...

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

Frances Fitzgerald: Under the Child Care Act, 1991, the Health Service Executive has a duty to promote the welfare of children who are not receiving adequate care or protection. The policy of the HSE is to place children in care settings, preferably in foster care, as close as possible to their home and community. There were 6,236 children in the care of the state in April 2012, the vast majority of whom were in...

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

Frances Fitzgerald: It is important to note that the Independent Child Death Review Group conducted what was in essence a desktop review of HSE files. This was in accordance with the terms of reference for the Group. The Group did not interview staff and did not make specific findings regarding individual staff members. Consequently right of reply or opportunity was not afforded to the HSE, or indeed any of the...

Written Answers — Child Care Reports: Child Care Reports (10 Jul 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: I have been informed by the HSE that the audit referred to by the Deputy has now been completed in the former Roscommon, Waterford and Dublin South East Local Health Offices. The HSE intends to publish a composite report of the findings relating to this phase of the audits. This report is nearing completion and it is expected to be published in late summer / early autumn. There are currently...

Written Answers — Youth Services: Youth Services (10 Jul 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 39 and 57 together. Work has commenced in my Department on an overarching Children's and Young People's Policy Framework. A public consultation on this Framework is underway at present. It is anticipated that the Children's and Young People's Policy Framework will be available in 2012. This will include a high level policy statement on youth. It is my...

Written Answers — Child Protection: Child Protection (10 Jul 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Report of the Special Rapporteur on Child Protection was received by my Department on the 7th of February this year. The report was distributed to relevant Ministerial colleagues for observations on the range of issues highlighted by the report. This consultation process has now been completed and my Department is currently finalising the necessary arrangements to have the report laid...

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

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 41 and 53 together. My Department has sought the information requested by the Deputy from the HSE. I will provide the information to the Deputy when it becomes available.

Written Answers — Foster Care: Foster Care (10 Jul 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: The HSE has advised me that 249 children were placed in private foster care at a cost of €6,727,698 in 2009, 304 children were placed in private foster care at a cost of €9,581,360 in 2010 and 360 children were placed in private foster care at a cost of €12,893,243 in 2011. The information requested for 2007 and 2008 is not available at this time. While the HSE was unable to provide...

Written Answers — National Children's Research Programme: National Children's Research Programme (10 Jul 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: The type of research initiated through my Department's National Children's Research Programme and, in particular through the National Longitudinal Study of Children - Growing Up in Ireland - is providing us with a wealth of valuable data on all aspects of children's development, including their psychological development. Since 2006, Growing Up in Ireland has been following the development of...

Written Answers — Children Detention Schools: Children Detention Schools (10 Jul 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: On 2 April this year I announced a series of measures that set out a clear timetable to end the use of St. Patrick's Institution for the detention of under 18 year olds in the next 2 years and a number of intermediary steps that would support the commitment made in the Programme for Government in this regard. These included extending the children detention school model up to 16 year of age,...

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

Frances Fitzgerald: In 2011 a total of 188 adoptions were entered into in the Register of Intercountry Adoptions of which 21 were from countries who have ratified the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-Operation in respect of Intercountry Adoption and 167 were from non-Hague countries. To date in the current year 69 adoptions were entered into the Register of Intercountry Adoptions of which 14...