Results 5,021-5,040 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services Provision (2 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: Pobal, which administers the childcare support programmes on behalf of my Department, compiles an Annual Survey of the Early Years Sector. For the 2012 Annual Survey, approximately 3,137 of these services responded and provided information on the enrolment levels in the different age categories in these services. The survey shows that the total enrolment in the 3,137 childcare services...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Qualifications (2 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: Pobal, which administers the childcare support programmes on behalf of my Department, compiles an Annual Survey of the Early Years Sector. For the 2012 approximately 3,137 of these services responded and provided information on the level of training/qualifications of 12,838 staff working directly with children. The survey established that the level of staff qualifications for those...

Leaders' Questions (3 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: Hear, hear.

Leaders' Questions (3 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: Does he not want the answer?

Topical Issue Debate: Child Care Reports (3 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I welcome the publication by the HSE of the report entitled A Review of Practice and Audit of the Management of Cases of Neglect. The report was received by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs in May 2013 and was published on the HSE website two weeks ago. The report follows the publication in October 2010 of the report of the Roscommon child care inquiry, which catalogued a...

Topical Issue Debate: Child Care Reports (3 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: There is at least a 30 year legacy concerning Ireland not dealing as effectively as it should have with vulnerable children. My Department's goal is to ensure that children do not fall through the cracks. That is why we are changing the way these services are being delivered. We are developing a focused management team and national leadership which was not there before. I would point out...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Missing Children (3 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: The issue of human trafficking and the rights of victims of this abhorrent crime was a focus of discussions at the European Council during the Irish Presidency. The discussions centred on the Commission publication in April 2013 of a document entitled 'The EU rights of victims of trafficking in human beings' as provided for by Priority A, Action 4 of the EU Strategy towards the Eradication...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: School Completion Programme (3 Jul 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 being integrated into a continuum of education welfare services under the remit of the National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB)....

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Preschool Services (3 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: The free Pre-School Year in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme was introduced in January 2010 and provides a free pre-school year to all eligible children in the year before commencing primary school. In line with the Programme for Government, my Department has made a significant commitment to maintaining this universal programme and some 68,000 children are availing of it...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: After-School Support Services (3 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: As part of Budget 2013 I, together with my colleague, the Minister for Social Protection, was pleased to announce a new After-school Childcare initiative which will be targeted at low-income parents availing of employment opportunities. Lack of access to affordable, quality childcare is a significant barrier to many low income and disadvantaged families seeking to avail of work...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Child Care Services Inspections (4 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I welcome the greater priority focus being afforded to the early years and child care sector, as evidenced by the first two questions today. I have previously stated my commitment and that of the Government to improving quality in preschool services. Improving quality also represents an essential building block toward the extension of universal early years provision. As previously...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Child Care Services Inspections (4 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: In the context of changing the inspection regime, it is clear that what will have the greatest impact will be the implementation of new standards with regard to the inspection of facilities. The new national quality standards will have precisely that impact. Work has been ongoing on those standards for many years. This area has been hugely neglected by previous Governments. We are now...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Child Care Services Inspections (4 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: Unfortunately, money was not invested in developing a national inspection system. Neither was it invested in quality measures. Both the Deputy and I have spoken about such measures recently. There is no doubt that money was not invested in a national service or in examining issues relating to quality. That is what we must do now. I accept that some work was done and that the Aistear and...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Child Care Services Inspections (4 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: As I stated in response to questions posed at committee meetings, I want a mentoring programme to be put in place. The Deputy also inquired about the expansion of the directorate and further recruitment. I am currently involved in discussions with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Howlin, in respect of that matter in order to ensure that there will be sufficient...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Child Care Services Regulation (4 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I have previously outlined to the Oireachtas that I found the scenes broadcast on the "Prime Time" programme distressing, shocking, and absolutely unacceptable. There is no question about that. The mistreatment of young children is currently, and rightly, the subject of a thorough and comprehensive investigation by the HSE and Garda. The owners and managers of child care services, in...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Child Care Services Regulation (4 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I can confirm that Pobal is in contact with the particular providers because it provides the compliance for my Department in regard to the early child care and education scheme. Those providers provide the ECCE scheme, so it would be appropriate that Pobal meet the providers and investigate the various issues in regard to compliance which arose. It is in the process of doing that and has...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Child Care Services Regulation (4 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: In regard to the Deputy's question about access to inspection reports online, I have asked that any recent reports, reports prior to 1 July, which can be put online are put online. I have asked that any other reports, which are ready and are suitable, are put online, although there is a question about, and much background work to be done on, formats and there are legal, insurance issues etc....

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Child Care Services Regulation (4 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: This is linked to the way the inspection reports are done. We need a very clear statement in those reports as to whether a prosecution is taking place. If a prosecution is deemed necessary, that must be very clearly indicated. We must start to put a range of sanctions in place because there is not a range of sanctions in place currently. There were three prosecutions last year, of which I...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Missing Children (4 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I welcome the launch of the 116000 missing children hotline in Ireland which is being funded by my Department together with the EU. The 116000 missing children hotline is an EU-wide initiative designed to provide a single point of contact across the European Union for missing children and their families. The number is currently operational in 23 EU countries and the number has been...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Missing Children (4 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: During the initial set-up of the hotline, the ISPCC focused on community-based promotion of the service, holding many presentations for local community groups and producing posters, flyers and business cards for distribution to all Garda stations from headquarters. The Garda has been very co-operative in the development of this hotline and many businesses have also been informed. The ISPCC...