Results 5,801-5,820 of 7,359 for speaker:Katherine Zappone

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Residential Institutions (8 May 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I recognise the value and importance of sensitively developed memorialisation to honour and remember the mothers and children who resided in these institutions. When I recently published the recommendations of the First Report of the Collaborative Forum, I was pleased to announce Government approval for the development of a series of memorialisation measures to contribute to local and...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (8 May 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I would like to place on the record of the House my sincere thanks and appreciation to the outgoing Chair, Mr Gerry Kearney, for his personal commitment in supporting the work of the Collaborative Forum. The Chair had stated his intention to step down once the Forum's first report was concluded. This milestone has been reached and I have already signalled to the Forum that it would now...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Foster Care Data (8 May 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I am advised by Tusla that, in 2017, there were 395 children placed with non statutory fostering agencies. In 2018, there were 390 children placed with non-statutory fostering agencies. This amounts to approximately 6% of all children in care in each of those years. Tusla remains the primary provider of fostering services in Ireland. I have asked Tusla to reply directly to the Deputy with a...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Foster Care Expenditure (8 May 2019)

Katherine Zappone: As the Deputy's question relates to operational matters for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, I have requested that Tusla respond directly to the Deputy on this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption Legislation (8 May 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The Adoption (Information and Tracing) Bill 2016 has passed Second Stage in the Seanad. I am hoping that Committee Stage in the Seanad will be scheduled for end May, and thereafter, I intend to proceed to enactment as quickly as possible. As I am sure the Deputy is aware, the Bill seeks to balance the rights to identity and to privacy, which sometimes conflict with one another. Given the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency (8 May 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The interim Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, Mr Pat Smyth, was appointed by the Tusla Board on 1 October 2018. The interim CEO reports directly to the Board. I have met the interim CEO on a number of occasions at events that we both attended. I formally met the Interim CEO at my most recent quarterly meeting with the Chairperson and other...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education Programmes (8 May 2019)

Katherine Zappone: My Department funds the following early learning and care programmes: Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) The ECCE programme is a universal two year programme available to all children within the eligible age range. It provides children with their first formal experience of early learning prior to commencing primary school. The programme is provided for three hours per day, five days...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education (8 May 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1358 and 1359 together. The Department of Children of Youth Affairs provides funding for the Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare sector through a wide range of schemes and initiatives. The largest annual funding stream is for the universal pre-school programme, or Early Childhood Care and Education programme. This programme resources...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Registration of Births (8 May 2019)

Katherine Zappone: There is currently no legal basis for the State to gain access to records held by private bodies or individuals. It is estimated that there are approximately 50,000 records held privately. The Adoption (Information and Tracing) Bill, 2016 will provide the necessary statutory basis for these relevant records to be transferred to the State for safekeeping by the Adoption Authority of Ireland....

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services Staff (8 May 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The Early Learning and Care (ELC) sector is one in which low pay and poor working conditions for staff are common. This impacts on the quality of ELC provision through its effect on the recruitment and retention of qualified staff. The lack of consistency of care together with high staff turnover impact directly on the quality of service children receive, while low wages are a constraint on...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education (8 May 2019)

Katherine Zappone: From September 2018, all children meeting the minimum age requirement of 2 years and 8 months are eligible for a full two programme years on the Early Childhood Care and Education programme (ECCE). This measure refines the development introduced the previous year and increases the duration of each registered child on ECCE from a current average of 61 weeks, to a potential duration of 76 weeks...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Work Projects Funding (8 May 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1363 to 1366, inclusive, together. My Department was established in 2011 and I am happy to supply the Deputy with information relating to the period 2011 to 2019. As the Deputy is aware my Department is managing the most significant reform of youth services ever undertaken. This will provide an opportunity to identify need and to focus funding on young people...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Services (8 May 2019)

Katherine Zappone: My Department administers a range of funding schemes and programmes to support the provision of youth services to young people throughout the country including those from disadvantaged communities. The funding schemes support national and local youth work involving approximately 1,400 youth work staff working in youth services and communities throughout the country. These schemes include the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Work Projects Funding (8 May 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The Youth Employability Initiative provides funding to voluntary youth services to support programmes that target young people to improve their employability and achieve career goals. The Initiative is specifically designed to support projects that emphasise additionality and non-duplication of services currently provided by youth projects. The aim of the Initiative is to target 16 to...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Ministerial Appointments (8 May 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I can confirm to the Deputy, that in the past three years, I have not made any State Board appointments to the boards of bodies under the aegis of my Department where I have reappointed a person that has already served two full terms.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Work Projects Funding (8 May 2019)

Katherine Zappone: My Department administers a range of funding schemes and targeted programmes that support the provision of youth services for young people who are at risk of drugs, alcohol misuse, early school leaving, homelessness or who are living in disadvantaged communities. In line with the Department’s strategic objective of ensuring high standards of compliance on governance and accountability,...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Expenditure (8 May 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Details of the expenditure incurred by my Department in each of the years 2011 to 2018 and to the end of March in 2019 can be found in the table below: 2011 €000 2012 €000 2013 €000 2014 €000 2015 €000 2016 €000 2017 €000 2018 €000 2019 €000 (end of March) Gross 214,322 422,366 407,160 ...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Funding (9 May 2019)

Katherine Zappone: In 2018, my Department allocated €16.5m to Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, for the Family Resource Centre Programme. This funding increased to €18m in 2019. Tusla’s Family Resource Centre Programme provides the financial support which typically covers the employment of two to three members of staff and some overhead costs for each FRC. 120 Family Resource...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Crèche Facilities Provision (9 May 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Thank you for your question in relation to the closure of this crèche due to take place in August. While my Department funds a wide range of initiatives to support the quality, affordability and accessibility of early learning and care services, it does not operate or direct Early Learning and Care services. The service referred to by the Deputy is an independent...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services Funding (14 May 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I am committed to ensuring childcare is affordable, accessible and of a high quality. Capital funding is aimed at increasing the capacity of services, creating new services and maintaining and improving existing services. Each year my Department reviews the capital programmes as a whole and determines the priorities for Early Learning and Care and School Age Capital grants. The capital...