Results 5,521-5,540 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (24 Oct 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I move amendment No. 65: In page 53, subsection (1), line 13, after “day” to insert “or days”.This amendment corrects an omission in the Bill, to refer to the transfer of staff taking place on one or more days. The effect of the amendment is to enable the transfer of staff from the HSE on such days as may be deemed appropriate, rather than on one particular day....

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (24 Oct 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: Yes.

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (24 Oct 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: This is about the transfer of staff. As the Deputy knows, more than 4,000 staff have been identified who will transfer to the agency. This measure is to allow for the possibility of other staff, who may also move, for whatever reason. An enormous amount of work, including HR work, has been done in the past year and a half and further validation may be needed in respect of certain...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (24 Oct 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: To reiterate, an enormous amount of work has been done to identify the staff involved in areas that will henceforth be the responsibility of the new agency. After letters issued in January, the staff identified have been agreed and have agreed. Where necessary there has been a strong HR process; the work has been done and there is continuing validation in regard to some staff. This is...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (24 Oct 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: This is not about the establishment of the agency which will, of course, take place on a given date. It is about allowing the transfer of staff to the agency to take place on a number of days.

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (24 Oct 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: No, it does not refer to the establishment day. There was an omission in the Bill in respect of the transfer of staff taking place on one or more days after the establishment of the agency. The effect of the amendment is to enable the transfer of staff from the HSE on such days as may be deemed appropriate, rather than on one particular day. It is not about the day the agency will be...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (24 Oct 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: If I may, I will address aspects of sections 84 to 86, inclusive. I am currently engaging with the Office of the Attorney General and the OPC on whether it is necessary to expand sections 84 and 86 to facilitate the sharing of contractual services. If I am advised that such an amendment is required I propose to introduce it on Report Stage.

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (24 Oct 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I move amendment No. 66: In page 54, before section 89, to insert the following new section: 89.--(1) A delegation or a sub-delegation made under the Health Act 2004 (amended by the Health Service Executive (Governance) Act 2013), which relates to a function transferred to the Agency under this Act, shall continue to have effect where the employee to whom the function was delegated or...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (24 Oct 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I move amendment No. 67: In page 54, before section 91, but in Part 11, to insert the following new section: “PART 12 AMENDMENT OF CHILD CARE ACT 199191.--The Child Care Act 1991 is amended by the insertion of the following after Part VII: “PART VIIA SUPERVISION OF EARLY YEARS SERVICES58A.-- In this Part --'Agency' has the same meaning as it has in the Child and Family Agency...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (24 Oct 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: Do we not need to know what area they relate to?

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (24 Oct 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: The proposals with regard to registration have provoked a great deal of comment on childminding. I would like to comment on them as well. I have advocated the introduction of a register of early years services as part of the package of reforms aimed at improving quality in the early years sector. While the HSE has introduced registration on an administrative basis, this section of the Bill...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (24 Oct 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: Those exemptions are unchanged.

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (24 Oct 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: There is a huge amount of work to be done.

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (24 Oct 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: Childminding is an area I intend to look at, but I do not propose to approach it in a piecemeal way. There is significant work to be done in regard to the early years services. I am beginning that work today, in the context of ensuring there is proper registration, inspection, national standards and that people who work in the sector are qualified. This is the first time that this series...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (24 Oct 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I move amendment No. 68: In page 54, before section 91, but in Part 12, to insert the following new section:91.-- Any person who is, immediately before enactment --(a) appointed an educational welfare officer or an authorised person or designated a liaison officer under the Education (Welfare) Act 2000; (b) a person authorised to carry out functions under section 12 of the Adoption Act 2010;...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (24 Oct 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I move amendment No. 69: In page 55, after line 20, to insert the following new section:94.--The Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 is amended by the insertion of the following after section 896B (inserted by the Finance Act 2010):“896C. -- (1) In this section -- 'Acts' has the meaning assigned to it by section 1078(1); 'Agency' means the Child and Family Agency.(2) The Agency shall, at such...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (24 Oct 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I move amendment No. 70: In page 55, after line 20, to insert the following new section:95.--The enactments specified in Schedule 2 are amended as indicated in that Schedule.”.

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (24 Oct 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: It is not me.

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (24 Oct 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: The amendment has been ruled out of order but I gave a commitment that I was going to deal with the issue of after-care and put it on a statutory basis that a young person in care could have an assessment of his or her need done. I intend to do that and I am working very hard on the amendment. I am disappointed that I do not have it to present today. A good deal of work is going on with...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (24 Oct 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am doing it and I will do it.