Results 5,381-5,400 of 7,359 for speaker:Katherine Zappone

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: General Scheme of the Miscellaneous Provisions (Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union on 29 March 2019) Bill 2019: Minister for Children and Youth Affairs (19 Feb 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I acknowledge the Chairman's eloquence. It has been helpful to be with the committee and I appreciate the questions the members have asked. My officials have listened carefully and we will take those forward. There are not as many significant issues for my Department as there are for many others but, at the same time, we are here to assure the committee that, to the best of our ability, we...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services Funding (20 Feb 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I have secured €6.106m in funding for the 2019 Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare Capital programmes. This funding will be delivered in three strands, as follows: €4.231m has been allocated to Strand A, which will offer grants of up to €50,000 in value to early learning and care providers for the creation of new 0-3 places where demand for these is clearly...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Affordable Childcare Scheme Data (20 Feb 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The estimated costs per annum across the Affordable Childcare Scheme of increasing the universal subsidy in 50 cent intervals up to €7 are set out in the following table. The figures are based on the full cost to the Affordable Childcare Scheme, assuming that the minimum targeted subsidy is increased so as never to be below the universal subsidy in all cases. The costs are arrived at...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education (20 Feb 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme provides for a programme of early learning for children before commencing primary school. With effect from September 2018, all children meeting the minimum age requirement of 2 years and 8 months will be eligible for a full two programme years on the ECCE scheme. This further enhancement delivers fully on a commitment in the Programme...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Irish Language (20 Feb 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Under the Education theme of the 20 Year Strategy for the Irish Language 2010 to 2030, my Department is committed to supporting the provision of services in the Irish language to children at an early age; and supporting the role pre-schools and crèches can play in promoting Irish as a living language. There are no specific commitments in the strategy relating to bodies under the remit of...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Abuse Reports (20 Feb 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 222 to 224, inclusive, together. The National Review Panel (NRP) for the investigation of serious incidents, including the deaths of children and young people in care or known to the child protection system, was set up in 2010 as part of the Implementation Plan associated with the Report of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse (the Ryan Report). The...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services Data (20 Feb 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I thank Deputy Rabbitte for her question. The Learner Fund for Early Learning and Care practitioners first opened for applications by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs in March 2014. Between 2014 and 2016, four strands of funding were opened. The Learner Fund at that time had two primary aims: 1. To support Early Learning and Care practitioners working directly with...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Community Childcare Subvention Programme (20 Feb 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Assisting families to access high quality, affordable early learning and care and school age childcare is a priority for me as Minister and hence I take these issues raised in your question very seriously. My Department funds a number of early learning and care and school age childcare programmes. Given the large amount of public money that is used in funding these programmes, there needs...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Funding (21 Feb 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, has statutory responsibility to support and promote the development, welfare and protection of children. Tusla provides funding to numerous organisations that provide child and adolescent counselling and psychotherapy services. The Deputy's question refers to an operational matter for Tusla. I have requested Tusla to respond directly to the Deputy on this...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Abuse (21 Feb 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 179 to 185, inclusive, together. In early February, a detailed update was provided to my officials for my attention about the current status of the review of historic files and updated figures in terms of the number of victims of abuse, the alleged perpetrators and the reporting of same. I have been assured by Scouting Ireland that they are providing the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Office of Public Works Expenditure (21 Feb 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The Office of Public Works (OPW) had oversight of the delivery of the capital project at Oberstown Children Detention Campus on behalf of my Department. As the OPW is the appropriate body to supply the information requested by the Deputy, I have requested same from that office. I will revert to the Deputy in due course.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Residential Institutions Redress Scheme (21 Feb 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 187 and 188 together. When the Ryan Report was published in 2009 there were a number of calls for the Residential Institutions Redress Act to be extended to include additional institutions, including the Bethany Home. As the Deputy will be aware, my colleague the Minister for Education and Skills is responsible for the Redress Act legislation and related...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Services (21 Feb 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, provides funding through its Domestic Sexual and Gender Based Violence (DSGBV) Programme to 16 organisations throughout the country that deliver counselling and support services to victims of sexual violence. The organisation to which the Deputy refers is one of the 16 funded services for victims of sexual violence, and has received the following funding...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Services Funding (26 Feb 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 573 and 574 together. My Department is responsible for ensuring that Exchequer monies used to fund childcare are spent responsibly and with the appropriate level of oversight. All childcare services in receipt of Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) funding from the Department of Children and Youth Affairs must sign a CCS grant funding agreement which...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Domestic Violence Refuges Provision (26 Feb 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, has responsibility for the provision of funding, co-ordination and support to 59 organisations nationally that deliver a range of services to victims of domestic, sexual and gender based violence, one of which is the organisation to which the Deputy refers. I have not had any engagement with Tusla or the Health Service Executive (HSE) in relation to...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Family Resource Centres (26 Feb 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The Family Resource Centre (FRC) Programme is administered by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. I am aware that the organisation to which the Deputy refers made an application for inclusion in the Programme last year but was unsuccessful. I have secured an increase of €34 million in funding for Tusla in 2019, which will include targeted funds for the further investment and...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency (26 Feb 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency has advised me that the Board of Tusla was not furnished with a copy of the report referred to by the Deputy. A copy of the report was furnished to the Chairperson of the Special Inquiries Committee, a sub-committee of the Board, in April 2018. I can assure the Deputy that I have sought written clarification from Tusla in relation to a number of matters...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency (26 Feb 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The report referred to by the Deputy was commissioned by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. I am informed by Tusla that the purpose of the report was to inform management in Tusla in relation to certain events, and was accordingly described as an internal management report by the Chairperson of the Tusla Board sub-committee dealing with these issues.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Staff Data (26 Feb 2019)

Katherine Zappone: In relation to my Department, the number of conferences, the total cost for attendance at conferences and the number of staff who attended conferences for each year from 2017 – 2019 are set out in the following table:- Year Number of Conferences Number of staff Attended Costs incurred by Department 2017 25 38 €14,985.58 2018 25 52 €22,593.50 2019 to date 5 12...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Expenditure (26 Feb 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Details of the conferences sponsored directly by my Department are set in the following table: Sponsorship of Conferences 2017 2018 University College, Cork – Biennial Conference on National Child Protection and Welfare Social Work €11,000 Empowering People In Care (EPIC) - National Aftercare Conference €8,000 Irish Foster Care Association (IFCA) –...