Results 5,821-5,840 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

Seanad: Child and Family Agency Bill 2013: Report Stage (5 Dec 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: To be helpful in this regard, I advise that it is my intention to carry out a review of the Child Care Act 1991 and to revisit the whole of the part in regard to inspections to ensure that the legislation and regulations that are made subsequently reflect those key national frameworks of Síolta and Aistear which we intend to ensure get implemented. They have been framed in principle but...

Seanad: Child and Family Agency Bill 2013: Fifth Stage (5 Dec 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I thank Senators who contributed to the debate on this legislation and repeat my thanks to Deputies who contributed to it as it proceeded through the Dáil. It is very heartening that there is such a positive response to the establishment of the new Child and Family Agency which has a very big task ahead of it. We have all the historic reports of the failings in child protection and we...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services Provision (10 Dec 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I have been advised by the HSE that Crannóg Nua in Portrane, Co. Dublin will cease providing High Support services in May 2014 once the current residents complete their interventions and move on to their next placements. Crannóg Nua will then undergo a period of refurbishment and enhancement in order to bring the standard of the current facilities up to the level of security...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption Legislation (10 Dec 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Adoption Act, 2010, which entered into force on 1 November 2010, gives force of law to the Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption. The Act was written against the backdrop of the of the Hague Convention and a commitment to improving standards outlined in the Convention. The Hague principles of subsidiarity, support for birth...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Qualifications (10 Dec 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: As part of my Pre-School Quality Agenda, I will be introducing new qualification requirements for childcare workers. All staff caring for children in a pre-school service will be subject to a minimum qualification requirement of FETAC Level 5, while pre-school leaders delivering the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme will require a Level 6 qualification. These requirements...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Expenditure (10 Dec 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: The information sought by the Deputy is currently being collated and I will provide the information directly to the Deputy later this week.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Foster Care Supports (10 Dec 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: The information requested by the Deputy has been sought from the HSE and I will be in further contact with the Deputy later this week.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Poverty (10 Dec 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 460 to 462, inclusive, together. On 27 November last, with my colleague the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Mr. Eamon Gilmore T.D., I announced that an additional nine areas have been selected to enter the design stage of the Area Based Childhood (ABC) Programme 2013-2016, in line with a key Programme for Government commitment. ...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Expenditure (10 Dec 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: A total of €25.76m in capital funding is available to my Department for 2013 and over 80% of this relates to the development of the National Children's Detention facility at Oberstown in Co. Dublin. When profiling this expenditure at the start of this year, it was anticipated that the building work would begin earlier than has actually been the case. This was primarily due to...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: National Lottery Funding Disbursement (10 Dec 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: My Department has a funding provision of €500,000 in respect of National Lottery Funding for 2013 and the closing date for applications was the 18th October 2013. Over 600 applications, totalling over €7.5m, were received and the organisation to which the Deputy refers is one of these applications. As the volume of applications far exceeds the available resources it may not be...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Charities Regulation (10 Dec 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Department of Children and Youth Affairs currently provides funding directly to a wide range of community, voluntary and other organisations who have charitable status that are engaged in the provision of specific services to children and young people. The most significant share of the funding, which amounts to €249 million is targeted at implementing three major childcare...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Cafés Provision (11 Dec 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Youth Affairs Unit of my Department supports the delivery of a range of youth work programmes and services for all young people, including those from disadvantaged communities, by the voluntary youth sector. Total funding of €1.75m has been provided to my Department for a new capital funding programme for 2013 to support projects in the youth services, including new Youth...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Education and Training Scheme Expenditure (11 Dec 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: As part of my Pre-School Quality Agenda, I will be introducing new qualification requirements for child-care workers. All staff caring for children in a pre-school service will be subject to a minimum qualification requirement of FETAC Level 5, while pre-school leaders delivering the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme will require a Level 6 qualification. These requirements...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Children in Care (11 Dec 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 159 to 162, inclusive, together. The HSE compiles monthly performance reports which include statistics in relation to children in care. These reports are published on the HSE website. The latest figures published show that in September 2013: - there were 38 (10.6% of children in residential care) children aged 12 or under placed in residential care; -...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Years Strategy Publication (11 Dec 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 163 and 164 together. The Children and Young People's Policy Framework is currently being developed by my Department. The Framework will set out the overall principles, vision and outcomes for children and young people and will guide actions across Government over the period 2014 to 2018. I expect to circulate the Framework to other Ministers in December....

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Proposed Legislation (11 Dec 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: Pre-school services are governed by Part VII of the Child Care Act 1991 and by the Child Care (Pre-School Services) (No 2) Regulations 2006. These Regulations are supported by explanatory notes which offer guidance and assistance in interpretation of the regulations. Legislative amendments to Part VII of the Child Care Act 1991 were passed by the Oireachtas last week. These amendments...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: HIQA Investigations (11 Dec 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: Foster care services in the Dublin North West Area have been inspected by HIQA on three occasions since September 2009, the most recent of which took place in October 2012. The purpose of foster care inspections is to review compliance with regulations and standards for all children. Despite progress from earlier inspections, inspectors found that some deficits identified previously had not...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: EU Directives (11 Dec 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: There are no such EU Directives relating to matters within the remit of my Department.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Legal Costs (11 Dec 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: My Department was established in 2011 and no costs have been incurred since then as a result of Oireachtas members initiating legal challenges in the Courts.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Poverty (12 Dec 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: My Department is responsible for implementing the new Area Based Childhood (ABC) Programme 2013-2016 which is an early intervention and prevention programme which provides for targeted, evidence based interventions, to improve outcomes for children and families in areas of severe disadvantage. The ABC programme is co-funded by The Atlantic Philanthropies and will have a total funding...