Results 4,581-4,600 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Legislative Programme (16 Apr 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I assure the Deputy that a very significant amount of work has been done with regard to Children First and the agency, and this work is ongoing. Those are two priority Bills for us and we are working on them. I have already explained that I am linking with the Department of Justice and Equality on the Children First legislation and ensuring coherence between the Vetting Bill and the Children...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Bullying in Schools (16 Apr 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: The implementation of the Action Plan on Bullying, which is being led by the Department of Education and Skills, is an important step in the Government’s absolute commitment to working with a broad base of interests to protect children and ensure a safer childhood. I understand that the plan has been well received by the education partners, including school management bodies, teacher...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Bullying in Schools (16 Apr 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I was happy to be able to support the work of BeLongTo by increasing its resources for 2013 in order to do this type of work in its local groups throughout the country. The funding I have made available to those youth services will ensure that BeLongTo's local and regional work will continue. That is very much part of the action plan on bullying. Additional information not given on the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Bullying in Schools (16 Apr 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I thank the Deputy. I do not underestimate the scale of the challenge. The Deputy has outlined how hidden bullying has been in the past and how facing up to it in schools, for example, can be quite challenging for them. A school sometimes may even feel ashamed it is happening in that school and this probably has been the traditional attitude, which is what we must change. Work is under...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Bullying in Schools (16 Apr 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I reiterate it is a scourge that destroys lives. It also undermines people's confidence and ability to learn and even to engage with life. I accept what the Deputy says. Many initiatives are needed to deal with it. The recent UNICEF report was very worrying as it highlighted very high levels of bullying in Ireland compared with some other countries. The guidelines issued by the National...

Other Questions: Action Plan for Jobs (16 Apr 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I proposed to take Questions Nos. 114 and 140 together. Action Plan for Jobs 2013 contains actions relating to my Department in two specific areas: child care and youth work. With regard to the action relating to child care, including action 235 in the current 2013 plan, I can confirm that in budget 2013, I announced, together with the Minister for Social Protection, a new €14...

Other Questions: Action Plan for Jobs (16 Apr 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: The overall policy areas we are examining in the context of implementing a national strategy for children and young people involve the early years group as well as the older age group. The early years group has met and worked hard on its report and much work has been done. We consulted thousands of children. I received a report following a consultation with 68,000 children in primary...

Other Questions: Action Plan for Jobs (16 Apr 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I referred to consultation in the context of the development of the national plan and the Deputy will agree it is necessary to consult young people and hear their views about what needs to change. However, I agree with him about the need to focus on youth unemployment. Clearly, it is a critical area but matching skills is a challenge at European level as well with 2 million jobs available...

Other Questions: Inter-Country Adoptions (16 Apr 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I met representatives of the group in question in December 2012 to discuss a number of issues it raised regarding inter-country adoption with Bulgaria. Issues of particular concern included the role of the agencies, Arc Adoption and the ANIDO Association, which have been accredited to facilitate adoptions from Bulgaria, and concerns regarding the expiration of declarations of eligibility and...

Other Questions: Inter-Country Adoptions (16 Apr 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I discussed this issue at meetings with representatives from the HSE and the Adoption Board and with officials within my Department. I realise that this is a matter of major concern to many potential adoptive parents, particularly as our signing of the Hague Convention - which was clearly the correct route to take - has led to a change in the position with regard to inter-country adoptions...

Other Questions: Inter-Country Adoptions (16 Apr 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I will circulate the information in question. It is worth making the point that this is a public information and education issue. There are large numbers of parents in Ireland who would like to adopt. It is possible that next year up to 1,000 couples may wish to adopt. The reality is that the number of children available for inter-country adoption is far lower than was the case in recent...

Other Questions: Inter-Country Adoptions (16 Apr 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: Yes.

Other Questions: Child Care Services (16 Apr 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: The issue of local authority commercial rates comes within the remit of the Department of Finance, which has responsibility for fiscal policy, and the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, which has responsibility for the local authorities. The Valuation Office, which comes under the remit of the Department of Finance, is responsible for the implementation and...

Other Questions: Child Care Services (16 Apr 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: As I said in reply to the Deputy's earlier question on the development of a child care infrastructure, we are not going to correct the issue overnight. However, we intend to work on ensuring that we have a more comprehensive child care system. Local authorities are under a statutory obligation to levy rates on any property used for commercial purposes. The Act maintains that commercial...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services (16 Apr 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: As of 31st December 2012, there were a total of 1,457 young people in receipt of aftercare services. The HSE Children and Family Services has developed a National Policy and Procedures Document which sets out eligibility, assessment and service available to young people on reaching 18 years. A key focus is the care planing review process which identifies children as they approach 16 years...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: EU Youth Conference (16 Apr 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am delighted to report to the Deputy on the EU Youth Conference which was the flagship event in the Irish EU Presidency Youth Programme 2013. The European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, Ms Androulla Vassiliou, joined me at the opening of the Conference to hear what young people have to say about matters that affect them. The Conference is the highlight...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Children's Strategy (16 Apr 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: My Department is developing a new strategy for children and young people. It will build on Our Children - Their Lives, Ireland’s first children’s strategy which was published in 2000 and it will cover the 5-year period from 2013 to 2018. In keeping with my Department’s responsibilities for children and young people, the new Children and Young People’s Policy...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: UN Convention on Children's Rights (16 Apr 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: The third Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child was opened for signature by member states in February 2012. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) was adopted by the UN General Assembly on 20 November 1989 and entered into force on 2 September 1990. The UNCRC is the most widely ratified human rights treaty, enjoying almost universal ratification by...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Reports (16 Apr 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I very much welcome the publication of the UNICEF's Report Card 11 titled "Child well-being in rich countries". Indeed I was delighted to accept the invitation from UNICEF to launch this report last Wednesday. This was an important event and it was appropriate that it took place in Dublin during Ireland's EU Presidency. The league table represents the latest available overview of child...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Children in Care (16 Apr 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: National high support units offer a residential service to children and young people who are in need of specialised targeted intervention. Special care units provide secure residential services to children and young people who are in need of specialised targeted intervention. I am advised that there were currently 10 children placed in national high support units and 15 in special care...