Results 4,441-4,460 of 7,359 for speaker:Katherine Zappone

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Expenditure (7 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla has advised that the average monthly spend on Agency Staff for 2016, 2017, and to date in 2018 is as follows:  2016 2017 2018 YTD July €'m €'m €'m Agency Pay 18.622 25.216 17.646 Average Monthly 1.552 2.101 2.521

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Family Support Services (7 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I wish to thank the Deputy for his question, and can confirm that I have referred the matter to Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, for their direct reply.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption Authority of Ireland (7 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1173 and 1179 together. I am aware the Adoption Authority of Ireland has made a number of reports to my Department on the issue of illegal birth registrations.   The Adoption Authority of Ireland undertook a review in 2010 of cases where information had been received through the National Adoption Contact Preference Register...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption Registration (7 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: As the Deputy is aware, Tusla is actively engaged in the process of contacting those individuals affected by the recent discovery of evidence of incorrect registration in the St. Patrick's Guild records.  People have the right to know of their true origins and, where we have clear evidence, I have stated that I believe we have an obligation to tell the people affected. It is vital...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption Registration (7 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I take it that the Deputy is referring to the review of adoption records that I requested be undertaken, in the first instance, to establish whether there is sufficient reliable evidence of the practice of incorrect registration that can be extracted from the records of adoption agencies.  This Review is not an audit of the National Adoption Contact Register. It is a targeted...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption Registration (7 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: The State must reach a high level of certainty that an illegal birth registration has taken place before contacting the individuals concerned.  While there have been suspicions about the practice of illegal registrations for many years, that threshold of certainty has to date only been reached in the case of the 126 Saint Patrick's Guild cases that I announced in May of this year. ...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption Registration (7 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: The Deputy will be aware of the analysis of adoption records that is currently being undertaken under my instruction.  An exercise to see if the extent of incorrect registrations of birth can be established has commenced.  The independent Chair, Ms. Marion Reynolds, is overseeing a process whereby the Adoption Authority of Ireland and Tusla are...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption Registration (7 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: It is not clear what court case the Deputy is referring to, but I am assuming that the reference is to a recent High Court case relating to St Patrick's Guild. This case was settled and no judgement issued. In the absence of a judgement the issue of accepting evidence does not arise. The State has a responsibility to reach a high level of certainty that there is in fact evidence that...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption Records Provision (7 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I am keenly aware of the importance of identity and of the significance for adopted people of access to their adoption records and early life information.  The Adoption (Information and Tracing) Bill 2016, which, as the Deputy knows, passed Second Stage in the Seanad last year, will for the first time give adopted persons and other relevant individuals, birth parents and relatives a...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption Data (7 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: The Adoption Act 1952 established a statutory basis for adoption in Ireland and provided for the establishment of the Adoption Board, which is now the Adoption Authority of Ireland. The Authority holds all the records relating to domestic adoptions in Ireland from 1953 to the present day, which number approximately 45,000. Prior to 1952 there was no legal basis for adoption in Ireland. ...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption Data (7 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: Following the discovery of clear evidence of incorrect registration in the St. Patrick's Guild records, I directed that an analysis of adoption records be carried out to establish whether there is sufficient reliable evidence of the practice of incorrect registration that can be extracted from the records of adoption agencies. This review is being overseen independently by Marion...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption Data (7 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: The Adoption Authority of Ireland holds all the records relating to domestic adoptions in Ireland from 1953 to the present day, of which are approximately 45,000. In addition there are approximately 100,000 records in the care of Tusla and the Adoption Authority of Ireland from former adoption societies. While the records the Deputy has referenced are not adoption records, the Adoption...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption Data (7 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I am advised by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, that figures on the number of siblings placed in foster care are not centrally collated at this time. The National Standards for Foster Care specify that siblings should be placed together where this is in their interest and within the advised limits of the number of children that can be placed in a foster home. When a child enters...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Action Plan for Rural Development Implementation (18 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: The Affordable Childcare Scheme is ambitious in its objectives: to establish a sustainable platform for investment in the childcare sector for decades to come and, through this, to support labour market activation, contribute to poverty reduction and continue to invest in giving our children the best start in life. To meet these objectives, the scheme is also ambitious in scale and design....

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Ministerial Advisers Data (18 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: Following commencement of this Government on the 6th May 2016, I was appointed as Minister for Children and Youth Affairs. I appointed two Special Advisers, Ms Patricia Ryan and Mr Jerry O'Connor, who commenced employment on the 16th May 2016 and the 10th June 2016 respectively. Both appointments were made in accordance with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform Instructions for...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Charitable and Voluntary Organisations (18 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: The information requested in respect of the number of registered charities and organisations that are in receipt of direct funding from my Department is currently being collated and will be forwarded to the Deputy in the near future.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education (18 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: From September 2018, all children meeting the minimum age requirement of 2 years and 8 months will be eligible for two full programme years on the Early Childhood Care and Education programme (ECCE), and the number of entry points reverted to one from that date. This measure enhances the previous provision, and increases the duration of each registered child on ECCE from a current average of...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Payments (18 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency administers funding to support the provision of counselling services to vulnerable children and families. Tusla provides funding to voluntary organisations offering the following types of counselling/psychotherapy and support: - Marriage and Relationship Counselling; - Child Counselling; - Rainbows peer support programme for children; - Bereavement...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services Provision (18 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: As the Deputy is aware, my Department does not directly provide childcare - rather we administer a number of schemes and initiatives to support accessible, affordable and high quality childcare. These schemes are available to regulated childcare providers which include individuals, companies and community/not-for-profit groups. Following the closure of the existing childcare provider in...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Legislative Measures (18 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: The Sections of the Youth Work Act 2001 not yet commenced are Sections 8 to 16, 19 to 23 and 25 to 37. Since the enactment of the Youth Work Act, in 2001 there have been significant policy and legislative developments that are relevant to the provision of youth services. These include the publication of the Value for Money and Policy Review of Youth Funding Schemes, the National Youth...