Results 5,141-5,160 of 7,359 for speaker:Katherine Zappone

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Legislative Process (16 Jan 2019)

Katherine Zappone: It is the Minister’s intention to progress to Committee Stage of the Adoption (Information and Tracing) Bill 2016 in the Seanad Éireann as quickly as possible. This is an important piece of legislation as it provides adopted people and other relevant people with statutory rights to information and to a tracing service. It will also protect relevant records by bringing them...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Legislative Process (16 Jan 2019)

Katherine Zappone: It is my intention to progress to Committee Stage of the Adoption (Information and Tracing) Bill 2016 in the Seanad Éireann as quickly as possible. It is intended that a number of Government amendments will be proposed at Committee Stage or Report Stage. These are still being finalised. Some of these amendments seek to address concerns raised about elements of the Bill during the...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (17 Jan 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I thank my Independent colleagues for raising the fourth interim report of the commission of investigation into mother and baby homes and certain related matters, which deals with the questions being asked today. The commission was established to investigate the conditions in mother and baby homes and county homes in the period from 1922 to 1998. The scope of the investigation is broad. It...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (17 Jan 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I thank the Deputies, most of whom asked when the request came in. It was received in December.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (17 Jan 2019)

Katherine Zappone: It is an interim report. There are procedures in terms of the establishment of the independent commission and the commission has requested an extension for the completion of its work. That request must be presented to Government, which must agree or not to it. Once that has happened, there will be the publishing of the report. That is the process and those are the procedures. I intend to...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services (17 Jan 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Each year Pobal conducts research on behalf of my Department to examine a number of factors related to childcare services in Ireland, including the monitoring of capacity. The Early Years Sector Profile report, which was published in November and relates to the 2017/2018 programme year, indicates that existing childcare provision, in general, meets current needs nationwide in terms of...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education (17 Jan 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) is a model of supports designed to ensure that children with disabilities can access the ECCE programme. AIM is a child-centred model, involving seven levels of progressive support, moving from the universal to the targeted, based on the needs of the child and the pre-school service. The model is designed to be responsive to the needs of each individual...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Data (17 Jan 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I am advised by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, that it has procured and implemented a portal for handling subject access requests. The portal allows an individual to submit a request to access information on a personal file held by Tusla. The portal is a secure online tool that is accessible through the Tusla website at Tusla has advised that when a data access request is received...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services Funding (17 Jan 2019)

Katherine Zappone: It is the duty of an Early Learning and Care (ELC) service provider to take all reasonable measures to safeguard the health, safety and welfare of the children attending the service and to comply with the Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years Services) Regulations 2016. The Child and Family Agency, Tusla, has a statutory responsibility to assess levels of compliance with these Regulations, and has...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Expenditure (17 Jan 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The Deputy might note that my Department administered a number of capital programmes and schemes over the past five years. An examination is underway to identify what costs, if any, were incurred on accountancy and consultancy services and I will revert to the Deputy on the matter again in the near future when the required information is available.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (22 Jan 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I will address that question. On the Government's decision with regard to the Bethany Home survivors and the commission's recommendation, it is correct that the other Governments made decisions not to include the Bethany Home survivors in the original redress scheme. This Government confirmed and agreed with that even though the commission recommended it should be considered to be included...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services Provision (22 Jan 2019)

Katherine Zappone:  My Department funds 30 City and County Childcare Committees across the country. Part of their role is to advise my Department on capacity issues. I have asked officials to make contact with Fingal Childcare Committee to follow up on your question. Your constituent may also wish to make contact with them seeking assistance. Also, if your constituent is considering childminding services,...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Local Authority Facilities (22 Jan 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The maintenance of playgrounds is in the main a matter for local authorities to make provision for and therefore the matter does not come under the remit of my Department . However, my Department does administer a Capital Grant Scheme for Play and Recreation. The purpose of the Scheme is to support new and existing play and recreation facilities for children and young people. This...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Illegal Adoptions (22 Jan 2019)

Katherine Zappone: As the subject matter of the Deputy's question relates to an operational matter for Tusla, I have referred the matter to Tusla for their direct reply.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Domestic Violence Refuges Provision (22 Jan 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, has statutory responsibility for the care and provision of services to victims of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence (DSGBV), whether in the context of the family or otherwise.  The refuge to which the Deputy refers was closed in September 2017 following a Health and Safety audit, initiated by Tusla, which highlighted potential electrical...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Investigations (22 Jan 2019)

Katherine Zappone: As the Deputy is aware it is not appropriate for me to comment on individual cases. I have referred the matter to Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, and Tusla have confirmed that the matter is receiving appropriate attention. 

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Illegal Adoptions (22 Jan 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The review of adoption records is to determine if similar evidence of illegal registration can be identified from the records of other former adoption agencies and other relevant bodies as was identified in the St. Patrick's Guild files. It is not possible at this stage to anticipate the type of information that will emerge from the review. Given the sensitive personal data...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services Staff (22 Jan 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Under the Child Care Act 1991 (Section 58L), childminders are currently exempt from regulation if they: 1. Care for one or more children to whom they are related; 2. Care for one or more children of the same family and no other children (other than the childminder's own children) in the childminder's home; or 3. Care for not more than 3 children of different families (other than the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Ministerial Meetings (22 Jan 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 586 and 587 together. As Minister, I have committed a significant amount of my time to meeting users and providers of services that we support and those who advocate for new and alternative policies in these programme areas; including stakeholders in the early learning and care and school age childcare sectors. The Early Years Division of my Department...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Domestic Violence Refuges Provision (22 Jan 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I am aware of the media report referenced by the Deputy. Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, has statutory responsibility for the care and protection of victims of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence (DSGBV). The Council of Europe's document on minimum standards for support services for victims of domestic violence, "Combating Violence Against Women: Minimum Standards for...