Results 5,881-5,900 of 7,359 for speaker:Katherine Zappone

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Children in Care (28 May 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Deputy Aindrias Moynihan raises the question of enforcement as a tool of ensuring things happen, usually with force or by imposition. HIQA has certain responsibilities. It identifies where there are deficits and where the standards need to be raised. In the context of this exceedingly difficult work with very troubled young people, sometimes it takes a long time to resolve the challenges....

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Childcare Services Provision (28 May 2019)

Katherine Zappone: We have had an unprecedented increase of 117% in investment for early learning and care and school-age childcare in recent budgets. The extra investment has supported a doubling of capacity in the sector, including both ECCE and the zero to three age group. It is clear, however, that further capacity is required and that is why I am continuing my intensive efforts in this area. In 2019, I...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Childcare Services Provision (28 May 2019)

Katherine Zappone: This is a challenging situation for people. I am aware that some parents cannot find places for children under three years of age. That is the reality and it is the reason we have provided capital funding of €4 million to focus on increasing capacity for that age group in particular. It is more costly to care for children who are under three years of age because a higher...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Childcare Services Provision (28 May 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I am indicating that subsidies will increase in the 2019 budget. That does not mean that matters are being made considerably easier for parents in terms of the overall cost, but it does increase the level of support provided by the State. I agree with the Deputy and I am committed to seeking an increase in the subsidy, particularly for the age group in question. With the full establishment...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Child and Family Agency Reports (28 May 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Earlier today, Tusla published a summary report in respect of the care of three children in a foster home in County Galway. Once again, and particularly in light of today's publication, I would like to sincerely acknowledge the pain and distress suffered by the three women at the centre of this report. Lessons have been learned and will continue to be learned from the findings of...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Child and Family Agency Reports (28 May 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Yes.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Child and Family Agency Reports (28 May 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I will do my best to answer some of those questions. We do not know who leaked the report; I assure the Deputy that it was not leaked by Tusla. The publication of the summary report was planned for today, and it was published earlier. The Deputy asked why this is a summary report and not the full report. My understanding is that Tusla took legal advice regarding the publication of the full...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Child and Family Agency Reports (28 May 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The work my Department has done tells me that it fully incorporated what is necessary in order for us to move forward with the changes.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Child and Family Agency Reports (28 May 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I thank the Deputy. On the first set of questions that it was never indicated to the Deputy that today was the day, I will check on that.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Child and Family Agency Reports (28 May 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I accept that. I will check as to why that was not the case. I am not sure exactly when that decision was made. Tusla asked for the report. The report was done by the national review panel, NRP. It was then presented to the chair of Tusla and it decided to put out the report today. I do not think any review has been done of the leak. I appreciate the Deputy is concerned about the...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services Staff (28 May 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I am acutely aware of the pay and conditions issues that exist within the sector. I take every possible opportunity to highlight the importance of the work the sector does for children and how we must value it for this. Current hourly pay rates, as well as availability for many practitioners of only part-time-part-year contracts, do not reflect the level of responsibility that early...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services Staff (28 May 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I am building for the first time a radical new infrastructure for our children and families. The passage of the Childcare Support Act marks the first time ever parents and families have been entitled legally to a financial subsidisation. I am correcting decades of underinvestment in this arena. It takes a long time to correct that. As I have already indicated, we have had an increase...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services Staff (28 May 2019)

Katherine Zappone: That must be initiated by the sector and not me to ensure it can complement my efforts to get more money to the sector.

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services Staff (28 May 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I am usually very good at that.

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services Staff (28 May 2019)

Katherine Zappone: First, one of the reasons some people in the sector have higher degrees is because of the investment made by my Department in providing additional training for the people. That is one of the ways in which we have valued the people working in the sector. I am fully aware of the challenges those in the sector face because I meet and speak to them when I travel across the country. I am from...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Affordable Childcare Scheme Implementation (28 May 2019)

Katherine Zappone: On 11 March, I launched the national childcare scheme - our pathway to truly accessible, affordable, quality childcare.The scheme is scheduled to open to applications later this year in October-November. We are making progress in preparing for the scheme's introduction. Following the enactment of the Childcare Support Act 2018, detailed secondary legislation and policy guidelines are now...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Affordable Childcare Scheme Implementation (28 May 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I appreciate the different numbers the Deputy provided. I am probably more aware than most of the challenge of the affordability of childcare for parents. That is the reason I have worked intensively during the past three years to ensure that there has been such an significant increase of investment for families. That is not to say the costs for families are as affordable as we would like....

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Affordable Childcare Scheme Implementation (28 May 2019)

Katherine Zappone: As indicated, training will continue to be provided. We are also providing moneys to those childcare providers who sign up to the contract with the national childcare scheme, as I indicated, to receive the appropriate software and hardware and support in the use of it. Considerable training in taking place and I am confident that they will be ready. That is not to say that some might not...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Illegal Adoptions (28 May 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I expect to receive the final report of the independent reviewer, Ms Marion Reynolds, this week, as it is the end of May. I had previously expected that this report would be submitted to me by Easter. In her third report, which I published, Ms Reynolds informed me that this would now be delayed until the end of May. I understand the reason for the delay was that the fieldwork...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Illegal Adoptions (28 May 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I agree with the Deputy. I have been told that I will have the report at the end of this week. That is what I can confirm. I have tried to describe in my answer to the Deputy the reasons, even though I understood it was coming earlier, it was delayed. The Deputy would be aware, especially in these circumstances but in other contexts as well, that our GDPR legislation can be...