Results 4,221-4,240 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

Other Questions: School Completion Programme (18 Dec 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: 2013.

Other Questions: School Completion Programme (18 Dec 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: The current information on school completion is interesting. For those who entered second level between 2001 and 2006 in the schools in question, the average leaving certificate retention rate increased substantially from 68.2% to 80.1%. Last year, the proportion of early school leavers in Ireland was 10.6%, down from 13% in 2004, and was well below the EU average of 14%. Whatever about...

Topical Issues: Inter-Country Adoptions (18 Dec 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: I thank Deputy Charles Flanagan for raising this issue and appreciate the reasons he has done so. I assure the Deputy I am addressing this issue. The Hague Convention and Adoption Act 2010 are designed to provide a framework to ensure all adoptions are effected in the best interests of the child and to the highest possible standard. The interests of the child must be paramount throughout...

Topical Issues: Inter-Country Adoptions (18 Dec 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: Yes, such adoptive parents are expected to deal with the agency. We can, however, examine the terms and conditions, as it were, under which they are entering the arrangement to ascertain whether we can facilitate them to a greater degree than has been the case thus far. Given the slow pace of inter-country adoption, I am highly conscious of the issue of sustainability of accredited bodies....

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services (18 Dec 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 appropriately and effectively address the needs of children who present in emergency situations outside of normal working hours. Two out-of-hours pilot projects, one in Donegal and the other in Cork, were commenced by the HSE in...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Ministerial Responsibilities (18 Dec 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: My Department was set up to drive the delivery of key commitments in relation to children and young people. The Department was established in June 2011 with a mandate to put in place a unified framework of policy, legislation and provision across Government in respect of children and young people. My priorities for 2013 relate primarily to the ongoing implementation of the Programme for...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Combatting Cyberbullying (18 Dec 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: As Minister for Children & Youth Affairs I am concerned about the impact that bullying of any kind. My Department’s 'Growing Up in Ireland' study has found that over 24% of 9 to 17 year olds have reported been bullied. A recent EU study to examine the safety of children on the internet found that 4% of children between the ages of 9 and 16 in Ireland experienced online bullying...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: National Aftercare Service (18 Dec 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Deputy will be aware that I am currently examining options, in association with the Attorney General, to strengthen legislation to make explicit the HSE's obligations in the provision of aftercare. In this regard, the National Director for Children and Family Services in the HSE was asked to prepare a report on aftercare to guide the development of policy to underpin the strengthening of...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Special Care Placements (18 Dec 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: There are three designated special care units in the country where children are detained on order of the high court for their own safety. There is a unit in Ballydowd in Dublin, Gleann Álainn in Cork and Coovagh House in Limerick. There are two National High Support Units in Ireland, Rath Na nÓg, Castleblaney and Crannóg Nua, Portrane. As of the 23rd October 2012, there...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Support Agency (18 Dec 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Government has given approval to the drafting of a Bill to establish the Child and Family Support Agency. Work on the preparation of the legislation is proceeding as a priority and the intention is that the Agency will be established in early 2013. This will involve the transfer of over 4,000 staff. I welcome the allocation of €546 million in the HSE vote for 2013 in respect...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services (18 Dec 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 74 and 105 together. As part of Budget 2013, together with my colleague, the Minister for Social Protection, I was pleased to announce the introduction of two new initiatives for children's services, which together are expected to receive funding of up to €16.5 million in 2013. The first of these is the new 'Area Based Approach to Child Poverty'...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Benefit Payments (18 Dec 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: The issue of Child Benefit payments is a matter for the Minister for Social Protection. My Department currently provides support to parents to assist them with the cost of childcare through the implementation of two targeted childcare support programmes, the Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) programme and the Childcare Education and Training Support (CETS) programme. The total cost of...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services (18 Dec 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 76 and 92 together. As part of Budget 2013, together with my colleague, the Minister for Social Protection, I was pleased to announce a new After-School Childcare initiative which will be targeted at low-income families and supporting parents availing of employment opportunities. The initiative is expected to receive full year funding of €14 million...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Support Agency (18 Dec 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am firmly committed to the transformation of Ireland’s child protection and welfare services, and to the establishment of a new Child and Family Support Agency (CFSA). The Government has approved the Heads of the Child and Family Support Agency Bill and has also agreed to the priority drafting of this Bill. The necessary legislative and organisational preparations are being...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Foster Care (18 Dec 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: The immediate and ongoing needs of separated children seeking asylum (SCSA) as well as their application for refugee status are the responsibility of the Health Service Executive (HSE) in accordance with the Refugee Act, 1996 (as amended) and the Child Care Act, 1991. Where children are identified by An Garda Síochána, at the point of entry as unaccompanied minors, the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Corporal Punishment (18 Dec 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: Amongst the Conclusions on Ireland by the European Committee of Social Rights (ECSR) of the Council of Europe (CoE) in respect of Article 8 of the Revised European Social Charter is that the situation in Ireland is not in conformity with Article 17.1 of the Charter on the grounds that corporal punishment of children is not explicitly prohibited in the home. It is important to note that...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childhood Obesity (18 Dec 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Government shares with many other agencies and professional groups, concerns about the growth and nutrition of children and teenagers and the immediate and longer term health risks posed by obesity. Understanding factors associated with physical activity levels and overweight/obesity in Irish children is therefore critical to effective prevention efforts. The large scale study,...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Children in Care (18 Dec 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 6,249 children in the care of the state in September 2012, the vast majority of whom...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse (18 Dec 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Ryan Report Implementation Plan - Third Progress Report was laid before both Houses of the Oireachtas on 12 November 2012. This Report contained full details of the implementation status of each of the 99 actions specified. Of the ninety-nine actions detailed in the Plan, 37 actions had a timeframe of ‘ongoing’. These are, by their nature, not once off actions and while...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Homelessness (18 Dec 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: My Department has engaged the Centre for Effective Services (CES) to undertake a high level review of the implementation of the 2001 Youth Homelessness Strategy. The purpose of the review is to establish the extent that the strategy has been successful, to identify blockages and challenges to its implementation in respect of any outstanding actions and to make recommendations for future...