Results 3,861-3,880 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

Seanad: Thirty-First Amendment of the Constitution (Children) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (3 Oct 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: I thank Senators for their contributions. Everyone engaged so positively in the debate on the amendments. I thank those Senators who tabled amendments. As a number of speakers noted, discussing the matters relating to those amendments will assist people in understanding the proposed constitutional amendment during the referendum campaign. I thank the members of the various political...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Missing Persons Hotline (4 Oct 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: Under EU telecommunications rules agreed in 2009, the 116000 number is reserved in all EU member states for a missing children hotline. My Department established and is leading a cross-sectoral Project Team, including representatives of my own Department, the Department of Justice and Equality, ComReg and An Garda Síochána, to advance this matter. Following cross departmental...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Public Services Provision (4 Oct 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 214 and 215 together. My Department engages and works with Local Authorities as follows: The Children's Services Committees bring together a diverse group of agencies in local county areas to engage in joint planning and co-ordination of services for children.These include representatives from the Local Authorities, HSE, An Garda Síochána, VECs,...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services (9 Oct 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 families where one or both parents are in receipt of a social welfare payment or are in low income employment. For the purpose of the CCS programme, low income is determined by reference to a range of...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Education Welfare Service Staff (9 Oct 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 544 to 546, inclusive, together. The National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB), which operates under the auspices of my Department, has a statutory remit to ensure that ‘each child attends a recognised school or otherwise receives a certain minimum education’. The Education Welfare Service, and its network of Education Welfare Officers (EWOs),...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Children's Rights Referendum (9 Oct 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: The matter of resources for services to children will be considered by the Government in the context of the overall budgetary arrangements for 2013. While it is not open to me, in that context, to pre-empt decisions to be made by Government, I would point out that the Government continues to invest very significantly in services for children. It will continue this approach, to the greatest...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption Services Provision (9 Oct 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 548 and 557 together. These issues are being considered in the preparation of the Adoption (Information and Tracing) Bill. It is intended that the Adoption (Information and Tracing) Bill will provide a structured and regulated way of providing access to adoption information and contact and for the safeguarding and maintenance of all adoption records in...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Ministerial Responsibilities (9 Oct 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: In March 2012, the Government published the first Annual Report in relation to the Programme for Government and it is the intention of the Government to publish the second Annual Report in March 2013, which will set out specific progress on implementation during the second year. Below is a list of my Department's commitments in the Programme for Government and their current implementation...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption Services Provision (9 Oct 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 550 and 551 together. The expiration of declarations is covered under Section 41 (1) of the Adoption Act, 2010. The section provides that a declaration of eligibility and suitability expires after 24 months from the date of issuance of the declaration or after a further period of not more than 12 months that the Adoption Authority may specify. The Adoption...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Inter-Country Adoptions (9 Oct 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: Ethiopia is not a signatory of the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption. In these circumstances, future adoptions from Ethiopia would require a bilateral agreement between Ireland and Ethiopia. The negotiation of bilateral agreements on intercountry adoption with states who have not ratified the Hague Convention is governed by...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption Services Provision (9 Oct 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: Ethiopia is not a signatory of the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption. In these circumstances, future adoptions from Ethiopia would require a bilateral agreement between Ireland and Ethiopia. The negotiation of bilateral agreements on intercountry adoption with states who have not ratified the Hague Convention is governed by...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services (9 Oct 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: My Department currently provides funding to support three childcare programmes - the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme, the Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) programme and the Childcare Education and Training Support (CETS) programme. As the Deputy is aware, the CCS programme provides funding to community not-for-profit childcare services to allow them to charge...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Services (9 Oct 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: My Department has a range of services in place for young people. Funding of some €56.806m is available from my Department in 2012 to support the provision of youth services and programmes throughout the country through a number of schemes. These include the Youth Service Grant Scheme, the Special Projects for Youth Scheme, the Young People’s Facilities and Services Fund and...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption Services Provision (9 Oct 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: Under Adoption legislation, all domestic and inter country adoptions registered in Ireland are what are referred to as "closed adoptions". An "open adoption", whereby some level of ongoing contact is maintained between the natural family, usually the mother, and the child, is not currently provided for in Irish legislation. The upcoming Children's Referendum and associated draft...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Croke Park Agreement (10 Oct 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: The National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB), which operates under the auspices of my Department, has a statutory remit to ensure that ‘each child attends a recognised school or otherwise receives a certain minimum education’. The Education Welfare Service, and its network of Education Welfare Officers (EWOs), is a key resource for the Board in delivering on this statutory...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Inter-Country Adoptions (10 Oct 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 — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services (10 Oct 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: As this is a service issue, I have asked the Health Service Executive to provide me with the information sought. I will respond to the Deputy on receipt of this information.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Legal Costs (10 Oct 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: Expenditure incurred by my Department on legal costs to date in 2012 amounts to €78,000. Such costs relate to settlements in respect of legal actions involving the Department, and the provision of legal advice. It is not anticipated that further significant legal costs will arise in 2012. However if notified of any such costs my Department will endeavour to settle same from within...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Investigations (11 Oct 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: An Investigation and Inquiry into Historical Institutional Abuse has been established by the Northern Ireland Executive. The Inquiry will include a confidential 'Acknowledgement Forum' in which victims and survivors can recount their childhood experiences of living in institutions to members of the Inquiry Panel. The Inquiry is similar to the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse (Ryan...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Children in Care (11 Oct 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 6,259 children in the care of the state in July 2012, the vast majority of whom were in...