Results 4,461-4,480 of 7,359 for speaker:Katherine Zappone

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

Katherine Zappone: The Deputy will be aware that it is not appropriate for me to comment on individual cases, in particular where it may lead to the identification of a child. I have written to Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, and asked if the case is known to them, and if so, to give the matter the appropriate attention. I must also remind the Deputy that I am not in a position to intervene in matters...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Staff (19 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I am informed by Tusla that as of 30 June 2018 there were 77.80 WTE social work posts in Donegal, which includes 9 WTE vacant posts. Tusla has advised that these vacancies are at various stages of the recruitment process and it is anticipated that the nine vacant social work posts will be filled in Q4 2018. In the meantime, Tusla has employed seven agency social workers to...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Reports (19 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: The analysis of records is being carried out by Tusla and the Adoption Authority of Ireland, and overseen by an Independent Reviewer, who is a former Deputy Director of Social Services in Northern Ireland. Representatives from both agencies and the reviewer have met regularly since June. The work to date has focused on agreeing the sampling methodology, in consultation with a...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Affordable Childcare Scheme (20 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I thank the Deputy. It is great to be back and working with her also. I welcome also the children in the Public Gallery. My Department is working hard to develop the new national affordable childcare scheme and I am pleased to say we are making good progress. The scheme will establish and provide financial support for parents and will also provide a sustainable platform for investment...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Affordable Childcare Scheme (20 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: The delay in the ICT system is regrettable at one level, but it is really important to get this right as it will provide a sustainable platform for generations of families to come. It is one of the most ambitious ICT projects the Government is currently undertaking and will provide a model for future approaches to new ICT platforms, including the one my colleague in the Department of...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Affordable Childcare Scheme (20 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: That is a very important question and I am sure it influences and impacts many other children inside as well as outside of the Deputy's constituency. As the Deputy is fully aware, there are three primary objectives to this radical approach to childcare. Our ambition is that it will be accessible, affordable and of high quality. It is the accessible aspect about which the Deputy is speaking....

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Childcare Costs (20 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I welcome the ESRI's report which highlights the challenges childcare costs present for families in Ireland, particularly for women who wish to return to or remain in work. Providing a childcare infrastructure that enables accessible, affordable and quality childcare is a cornerstone of my work as Minister for Children and Youth Affairs. I have stated on numerous occasions that the cost of...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Childcare Costs (20 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: The primary focus of the question is on where Ireland is in relation to other countries in terms of investment in childcare and, therefore, reducing the cost. It is a critical question. I support research that demonstrates that we are not yet there. That is really important as it helps me in my negotiations with the Government to increase the level of investment, even though, as I have...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Childcare Costs (20 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I am not at liberty to say exactly how much money I am looking for from the Minister for Finance, but what I will say - this is an equally important response to the Deputy's question - is that the two main barriers to women re-entering the workforce include not only childcare costs but also capacity in the school-age sector. As the Deputy knows, there are now two years of free pre-school,...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Early Childhood Care and Education Programmes (20 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I understand the Deputy's question refers to capacity under the ECCE scheme, the fact that service providers may prioritise full-time children over ECCE scheme-only children and that service providers do not always guarantee a childcare place in the second year of the ECCE scheme. From September this year, the annual number of ECCE enrolments will be approximately 114,000. Given that more...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Early Childhood Care and Education Programmes (20 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I wish we could to that. What we can do is call for it and encourage childcare providers, who generally do an excellent job in providing quality childcare places across the country, to do so. Decisions on prioritising full day places and guaranteeing places for a second ECCE year are primarily matters for the service providers who are free to set their policies in these areas. The...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Early Childhood Care and Education Programmes (20 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: We are making plans for capital investment in 2019. While the amount of funding is important, of equal importance is what we do with that money and the way in which we target it to best meet identified needs. Pobal and the Department are engaged in ongoing research and monitoring. The Deputy and other Deputies also do great work in letting us know where gaps exist and where there is local...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Child Poverty (20 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I have a strong personal commitment to reducing child poverty. It is a key priority for the Government. When we set ourselves a target, in 2014, of reducing consistent poverty in children by two thirds of the 2011 level, it was a challenging ambition. It would have meant lifting 70,000 children out of poverty by 2020. This baseline target against 2011 means that today we need to lift...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Child Poverty (20 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: To have a comprehensive and sustainable impact on child poverty, future strategies must, in conjunction with cash transfers, also focus on improving service provision. That comprises much of my vision. Doing what I describe can have a meaningful impact on reducing the cost of living for families with children. Our radical new approach to childcare is benefiting families in poverty and those...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Child Poverty (20 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: The design and implementation of the affordable childcare scheme are rooted in the fundamental principle of reducing children's poverty and its impact on households. That underlies the objectives of having affordable, accessible and quality childcare. We can see the result of our investment. It is not a question of how much money is spent but of where it goes. When talking about children...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services Funding (20 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 7 and 21 together. Supporting the childcare sector through the provision of capital funding where it is most needed continues to be of the utmost priority for me as Minister for Children and Youth Affairs. As part of this commitment, I have allocated significant grant funding in recent years for the creation of new childcare places in areas of need. This...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services Funding (20 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I fully appreciate that the Deputy understands this so well, not just because he is a Deputy representing his people now but because he also had my job. Therefore, he understands what is happening from the inside. He also realises the impact larger-scale grants can make. I accept his points, therefore. I indicated in my response to other Deputies that the Department will consider the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services Funding (20 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: That is fine, yes.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services Funding (20 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I support fully the sentiments that Deputy Brendan Smith is outlining. We have got significant investment. As the Deputy knows so well, we make decisions on what is current and what capital we will need taking into account demographic changes and what the gap might be. All of that analysis is going on and is informed by research but also through conversations with people in the local...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Quality and Capacity Building Initiative (20 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: The quality and capacity building initiative, QCBI, funded under dormant accounts, aims to take a coordinated approach to enhance capacity, knowledge and quality in prevention and early intervention for children, young people and their families. It focuses on those at risk of developing poor outcomes. At the core of the initiative is a desire to foster persistent curiosity among those...