Results 5,721-5,740 of 7,359 for speaker:Katherine Zappone

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services Regulation (2 Apr 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 481 and 483 together. 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 all questions and concerns raised by services very seriously. My Department funds a number of early learning and care and school age childcare programmes. Given the large amount of...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Affordable Childcare Scheme (2 Apr 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The National Childcare Scheme is a new, national scheme of financial support to help parents with the cost of quality childcare. It will ultimately replace all previous targeted childcare programmes with a single, streamlined and user-friendly scheme, providing both universal and targeted childcare subsidies. The development of this scheme is a significant move forward in delivering quality,...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education (2 Apr 2019)

Katherine Zappone: In December 2017, I announced my decision to pause the proposed rule changes on overage exemptions in the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) pre-school programme to allow for a consultation process where the voice of parents of children with disabilities could be heard in relation to the proposed change. This consultation process, which was conducted by the National...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education (2 Apr 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Officials from my Department have sought more information from the Deputy's office about the child in question in order to address the specific concern raised.  Since September 2018, the duration of the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme is two full programme years. In order to be eligible for the ECCE programme in September, a child must have turned 2 years 8 months...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Protection (2 Apr 2019)

Katherine Zappone: When deciding whether to apply to the Courts for a care order (emergency, interim or full) in respect of a child or entering into a voluntary agreement with a parent or guardian,  Tusla, the Child and Family Agency consider a range of factors focusing on the child's safety,  well being and best interest.  Tusla is the statutory agency responsible for child protection, it does...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Communications (2 Apr 2019)

Katherine Zappone: My Department has availed of an OGP (Office of Government Procurement) multi supplier framework agreement relating to the provision of creative and digital campaign services.  My Department is currently in the process of procuring from another multi supplier framework agreement relating to the provision of Republic of Ireland media, strategy, planning and buying...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Communications (2 Apr 2019)

Katherine Zappone: My Department's Press Office manages the social media account of my Department and issues social media messages in relation to my Department's business, and on Government of Ireland initiatives. On occasion policy units of my Department may issue social media information messages, in relation to specific campaigns or initiatives undertaken by my Department. For Government of...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (2 Apr 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 489 and 490 together. The Collaborative Forum is the bespoke mechanism that I established to facilitate the active participation of former residents by identifying their concerns and recommending actions and solutions to address these matters. The Forum's membership is comprised of a majority of former residents of Mother and Baby Homes and...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Irish Language (2 Apr 2019)

Katherine Zappone: As required under Section 11 of the Official Languages Act 2003, my Department has an operating language scheme, which was agreed with the then Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and published on 13th November, 2013. The Scheme includes commitments to using Irish in a number of areas, including press releases, speeches, correspondence, application forms, brochures and leaflets,...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption Data (3 Apr 2019)

Katherine Zappone: As the Deputy's question refers to operational matters, it has been referred to both Tusla and the Adoption Authority for direct reply. Each agency will respond individually to the Deputy. 

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption Data (3 Apr 2019)

Katherine Zappone: This data is not collected. The Deputy may be interested to know that a range of other data in relation to adoption in Ireland is available in the Annual Reports of the Adoption Authority of Ireland, which are available on its website. 

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Commissions of Investigation Expenditure (3 Apr 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters was established by Government on 17th February 2015 (S.I. No. 57 of 2015). In establishing the Commission, the Government noted that the investigation and associated additional demands on the Department of Children and Youth Affairs were estimated to cost, to completion, were in the order of...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Childcare Services (4 Apr 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Assisting families to access high-quality, affordable early learning and care, ELC, and school age childcare is a priority for me as Minister. My Department funds a number of ELC and school age capital, SAC, programmes and I want to see investment in this area continue to increase significantly in the coming years. I am delighted that First 5, the whole-of-Government strategy for babies,...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Childcare Services (4 Apr 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I appreciate the Deputy's response. As he knows, we always prepare a script, which is what I have shared with the House. Going beyond it, I am aware of the issues. The Deputy will appreciate that I fully understand the community not-for-profit childcare sector and its challenges, having set up a number of such services myself. Those involved the sector would not want to do anything that,...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: State Bodies Data (4 Apr 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The number and percentage of women on each State board under the remit of my Department on 8 March 2016 and 8 March 2019 is set out in the following table. No. of Women March 8th 2016 % No. of women March 8th 2019 % Adoption Authority Ireland 4 57% 4 57% Oberstown  4 36% 6 46% Gaisce 5 55% 7 50% Tusla 4 44% 4 44% I am pleased to advise the Deputy that the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education (4 Apr 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) overage exemptions were introduced at the onset of the ECCE programme in 2010.  At that time ECCE operated for a 38 week period, or one programme year.  For some children with special/additional needs, attending preschool five days a week was not feasible and therefore an allowance was made. Their ECCE place was split over two years, e.g. a...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Illegal Adoptions (4 Apr 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I had expected that the final report of the review of a sample of adoption records being overseen by the Independent Reviewer Marion Reynolds would be submitted to me by Easter. I have just received a third interim report from Ms. Reynolds dated 1 April informing me that this will now be delayed to end May.  I understand that the reason for the delay is that the fieldwork being carried...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Foster Care (4 Apr 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 312 and 313 together. Any decision by a Tusla social work team to place a child outside the State must be approved by the Agency's Chief Operations Officer. In addition to this, each child placed out of state has a care order in place in Ireland and as such consent must also be provided by the District Court and in some instances the High Court, depending...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Education and Training Boards Staff (4 Apr 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The Deputy may wish to be aware that the City of Dublin Youth Services Board (CDYSB) is a statutory sub-committee of City of Dublin Education and Training Board which comes under the remit of the Department of Education and Skills.  Consequently, this matter is more appropriate to my colleague, the Minister for Education and Skills.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Services Data (4 Apr 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The Local Youth Club Grant Scheme (LYCGS) supports youth work activities at a local level.  In 2019, my Department provided an additional 12% in overall funding for this scheme, bringing the total allocation to over €2m.  The increased funding will provide small volunteer-led youth clubs with greater capacity to reach more young people during 2019. The allocation for 2019...