Results 4,041-4,060 of 7,359 for speaker:Katherine Zappone

Priority Questions: Children and Family Services Provision (1 May 2018)

Katherine Zappone: With regard to the Deputy's question, the children who are in direct provision with their families are in the care of their families. Even though they are in the care of their families, there are a number of services available to them through Tusla. We have a dedicated Tusla person who regularly works with all direct provision centres throughout the country to ensure they have access to...

Priority Questions: Children and Family Services Provision (1 May 2018)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla provides dedicated aftercare supports to the group of young adults who reach 18, after they are 18. It uses its resources to do that. On the question on children in direct provision who are in the care of their families, some of the questions relate to direct provision, which is under the remit of another Ministry. Perhaps some of the Deputy's questions are appropriate in that...

Other Questions: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (1 May 2018)

Katherine Zappone: Bethany Home is one of the institutions included within the terms of reference of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes. This particular institution was one of the first identified for inclusion when the scope of the investigation was being decided. Decisions on the issues to be investigated by the commission were informed by the serious concerns about the care and...

Other Questions: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (1 May 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I have a deep understanding of how upset and disappointed the survivors, especially of the Bethany Home institution, feel. I understand what the Deputy has described. I am aware of it and fully aware of what the commission of investigation stated in its second interim report and brought those arguments to the Government. That is why we took a long time to deliberate on the report, with a...

Other Questions: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (1 May 2018)

Katherine Zappone: The commission is independent. I have had meetings and conversations with it and it has insisted that it needs more time to speak to and hear from the people involved. Many more have come forward than initially anticipated. It needs time to consider their histories and conduct investigations before it can state what are the facts and its findings. All I can say is the commission has...

Other Questions: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (1 May 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I am deeply conscious that giving testimony to a commission and revisiting difficult personal experiences will be distressing for many former residents. I know that some people may need to access various supports around this time. I also acknowledge that the Deputy has raised this issue recently and thank her for highlighting this important matter. I have previously advised that any...

Other Questions: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (1 May 2018)

Katherine Zappone: If the Deputy has a specific cases she wants to bring to my attention, I will be happy to bring it to the Minister for Health, specifically as I understand the women may require counselling as a result of engaging with the commission and offering their testimony. Health and well-being supports are under discussion and consideration for those who were resident in the institutions and would...

Other Questions: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (1 May 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I thank the Deputy for raising that very specific practical issue. I know from personal experience that it is very important. That kind of issue has been and will continue to be considered in the context of how we can offer these supports once we have discussed the matter and decided we can do it. The practical issues take time to sort out but they are important in order that all of the...

Other Questions: Voluntary Sector Funding (1 May 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 29 and 32 together. I have not yet received a copy of the Elliott report into the handling of allegations involving the alleged serious sexual assault by an adult volunteer. Scouting Ireland commissioned Mr. Ian Elliott to carry out a review into the organisation’s handling of this allegation of a serious sexual assault on an adult volunteer by...

Other Questions: Voluntary Sector Funding (1 May 2018)

Katherine Zappone: On the timeframe, as I stated in my earlier response I have met the board of Scouting Ireland. We had a strong and robust conversation. I put a number of questions to the board and it indicated the actions that it proposes to implement to reform the governance of the organisation. The drawdown which the organisation has will continue to resource it. The board also indicated to me that it...

Other Questions: Voluntary Sector Funding (1 May 2018)

Katherine Zappone: In light of the conversation I had with the board, I believe it is honest and that its ambition and intention is to make the necessary changes. I know from its description of the processes that the putting in place of the necessary reforms is dependent on a number of factors and people. As the Deputy is aware, subsequent to my meeting with the board, a number of board members agreed to...

Other Questions: Child and Family Agency Funding (1 May 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I was pleased to secure an additional €40.6 million for Tusla in 2018. This is the third year in succession that Tusla has received a significant increase in its funding, which now amounts to more than €753 million. I am satisfied that Tusla has sufficient resources to act on mandatory reporting. I support the work of Tusla and I am committed to supporting the agency in...

Other Questions: Child and Family Agency Funding (1 May 2018)

Katherine Zappone: Of course I am aware of the CEO's remarks. The CEO, my officials and I have continued the conversation throughout this time. The Deputy is aware that I made the decision to bring mandatory reporting of child abuse concerns into effect on 11 December 2017. I do not think the sky fell in. In advance of the commencement, Tusla put in place the structures and processes necessary to...

Other Questions: Child and Family Agency Funding (1 May 2018)

Katherine Zappone: My reference to the sky not falling in referred to the system. The system did not crash. With regard to the unallocated cases, I have already acknowledged that where there are cases of children and families not being assigned a social worker, it does not mean that social workers are not communicating with them. Duty social work teams are ensuring those families are being communicated with...

Other Questions: School Completion Programme (1 May 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I am very conscious that the school completion programme delivers a valuable service for some of our most vulnerable young people. However, the ESRI review referred to by the Deputy highlighted the need for a fit for purpose structure with effective governance and employment models in place. With this in mind, the board of Tusla convened an expert panel to identify and examine a...

Other Questions: School Completion Programme (1 May 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I concur with everything Deputy O'Sullivan has said. Subsequent to the larger event to which I referred, I have been to a number of schools. I always seek out the school completion co-ordinators to hear from them directly about any concerns they may have about their own position, the project workers, contract workers and sometimes teachers who work with them on the programme, how it is and...

Other Questions: School Completion Programme (1 May 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I agree with the Deputy that it is important to look at this in the context of the education welfare officer's and the home school community liaison work, so that we move forward with a holistic view. I agree with the Deputy that the space for flexibility and innovation in the context of the delivery of the school completion programme is absolutely key. I know, within the context of Tusla's...

Other Questions: Early Childhood Care and Education Programmes (1 May 2018)

Katherine Zappone: Since the inception of the early childhood care and education programme, ECCE, age limits have been used to determine eligibility for the scheme. These rules are a necessary component of any Government scheme and ensure that Exchequer funding is used for its intended purpose. In 2010, only one ECCE year, or 38 weeks, was available. I enhanced this in 2016 and, on average, children...

Other Questions: Early Childhood Care and Education Programmes (1 May 2018)

Katherine Zappone: My Department is looking at all sorts of possibilities. I understand the Deputy's concerns and think they are real. She represents her constituents very well. I thank her for acknowledging that we have almost got over that exemption issue. We are finalising the consultation and expect to come forward with some results in light of that. I have indicated that it is possible that the...

Other Questions: Early Childhood Care and Education Programmes (1 May 2018)

Katherine Zappone: That is what I am trying to describe to the Deputy. These considerations are happening in the context of that other consultation. I understand that if the policy is to offer two years, parents hope to be able to access that. To give the Deputy a practical response, specific to what we were speaking about there with regard to the January issue, to resolve the concerns being raised, my...