Results 4,641-4,660 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Strategies (16 Apr 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: My Department is currently developing a new Children and Young People’s Policy Framework which will set out high-level goals for both my own and other Departments for the next five years. The Policy Framework is expected to be published in mid 2013 and will build on Our Children - Their Lives, Ireland’s first Children’s Strategy which was published in 2000. The National...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Death Review Group Report (16 Apr 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I indicated when I published the report of the Independent Child Death Review Group (ICDRG) that I welcome the findings and recommendations of this report, and that I accept fully the need for action in the areas identified. At an operational level the HSE has developed an implementation plan which responds to each of the recommendations in the Review Report. This plan identifies persons...

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

Frances Fitzgerald: My Department implements the Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) programme which provides funding to community childcare services to enable them to charge reduced childcare rates to low income and disadvantaged families. Community childcare services qualify for grant aid based on the level of service they provide and the profile of the parents benefiting from their service. Parental...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Ministerial Travel (16 Apr 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: As part of the Government's St Patrick's Day Programme, which presents a significant opportunity for the promotion of the country, including with respect to tourism and trade: I visited the four cities of New Delhi, Calcutta, Pune and Chennai in India. The cost incurred by my Department to date is €5,746.07. The trip took place between the period of 13 March 2013 to 21 March 2013. I...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Inter-Country Adoptions (16 Apr 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: In September 2012 the AAI and the Vietnamese Central Authority for Adoption signed an Administrative Arrangement for intercountry adoption. The Administrative Arrangement is the first international arrangement for intercountry adoption entered into by the AAI and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam since both countries ratified the Hague Convention. One of the agencies accredited by the AAI...

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

Frances Fitzgerald: I have been successful in securing €2.75m in capital funding in Budget 2013 to support the ongoing improvement of the childcare sector. Community/not-for-profit and private childcare providers/childminders that are currently providing services under one or more of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs funding programmes - the Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) programme, the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: School Completion Programme (16 Apr 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: The School Completion Programme (SCP) aims to retain young people in the formal education system to completion of senior cycle and to generally improve the school attendance, participation and retention of its target cohort. The SCP is one of three service strands, which also includes the Home School Community Liaison and the Education Welfare Service, being integrated under the remit of the...

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

Frances Fitzgerald: Childminders who take care of less than three children in their own homes are exempt from the Regulations provided under the 1991 Childcare Act. A number of initiatives were introduced to encourage childminders exempt from notification under the Regulations to voluntarily notify their services. In 2002, the Health Service Executive (HSE) agreed to fund a Childminding Advisory Officer post...

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

Frances Fitzgerald: The latest available information available from the HSE indicates that the HSE West Regional Director of Operations and the Regional Director of Children and Family Services requested HSE's Quality and Patient Safety Audit unit to undertake an assessment of progress to provide assurance to HSE senior management regarding the extent to which recommendations arising from the Roscommon Child...

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

Frances Fitzgerald: Since the establishment of my Department on 2nd June, 2011 and 31st December 2012, my Department has spent almost €4.944 million on the implementation of the Prevention and Early Intervention (PEIP) initiative. Some €800,000 of this has been allocated to the PEIP in 2013, its final year. The PEIP is co-funded by my Department and Atlantic Philanthropies (AP) to examine...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption Legislation (16 Apr 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: The outcome of the case referred to by the Deputy has been noted by my Department. Section 37(1) of the Adoption Act 2010 provides that a person habitually resident in the State, or a married couple married to each other, each of whom is habitually resident in the State, may apply to the Health Service Executive for an assessment of eligibility and suitability to adopt. The Deputy will be...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Education (16 Apr 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Prevention and Early Intervention Programme (PEIP) is co-funded by the Department and Atlantic Philanthropies (AP) to examine innovative and integrated ways to improve outcomes for children. PEIP supports projects in Tallaght, Ballymun and Darndale. These projects involve a range of pilot programmes to improve outcomes in areas such as literacy, speech and language, parenting, health...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Inter-Country Adoptions (16 Apr 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: According to information provided by the Adoption Authority, there have been no applications for registration of foreign adoptions from Belarus since 2007, when one application relating to an adoption effected in 2002 was made. Belarus has ratified the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption. However, the National Central Authority of...

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

Frances Fitzgerald: As previously advised to the Deputy in a response Question No. 157, also for answer today, the savings required under the Comprehensive Review of Expenditure in respect of 2013 amounted to €5.393m, which equated to almost a 10% reduction on 2012 funding available for the provision of youth services. Having regard to the savings requirements identified in the Comprehensive Review of...

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

Frances Fitzgerald: My Department (DCYA) is leading an initiative to develop and implement a planning model for local interagency working to improve outcomes for children. The purpose of this initiative is to work towards better developmental outcomes for children through more effective integration of policies and services, in particular through the Children’s Services Committees at local level. The...

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

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1098 and 1099 together. The Youth Affairs Unit of my Department provides a range of funding schemes, programmes and supports to the youth sector. Funding of some €53.173m is available in 2013 to support the provision of youth services and programmes to young people throughout the country including those from disadvantaged communities. Targeted supports...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Education (16 Apr 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme was introduced in January 2010 and provides for one free pre-school year for all eligible children in the year before commencing primary school. The Government has made a very significant commitment in maintaining the pre-school year on a universal and free basis despite the current budgetary situation. The universal nature of this...

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

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1101 to 1105, inclusive, and 1110 together. Funding of €53.173m, including €1.75 for a new capital funding programme, has been provided to my Department in 2013 for the provision of youth services and programmes to young people throughout the country through a number of schemes. These schemes include the Youth Service Grant Scheme, the...

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

Frances Fitzgerald: My Department is committed to evidence-based research and has a strong comprehensive research programme in place; this includes funded research and capacity building programmes, as well as a research infrastructure and dissemination programme. Flagship initiatives such as the Growing Up in Ireland Study are focused on securing good evidence on children’s and young people’s lives...

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

Frances Fitzgerald: The HSE's Review of Adequacy of Children and Family Services for 2011, which is available to view on the HSE website, includes the following information in relation to the number of child protection concerns received in the period 2009 - 2011. The category of child protection includes physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse and neglect. 2009: 12,013 2010: 12,825 2011: 15,818 The review...