Results 6,021-6,040 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: National Educational Welfare Board Staff (30 Jan 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: As the Deputy may be aware the functions and operational responsibilities of the former National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) are now part of the new Child and Family Agency, which was established on 1 January 2014. Since this date the staff of the former NEWB, including its Education Welfare Officers, have transferred to the new Agency. The three service strands formerly under the remit...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Staff (30 Jan 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Child and Family Agency was formally established on 1 January, 2014. The functions of the Agency as set out in the Child and Family Agency Act, 2013 include responsibility for the provision of services relating to the psychological welfare of children and their families. Detailed discussions have taken place with the Department of Health and the HSE in order to determine the most...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Funding (4 Feb 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Child and Family Agency has advised that the National Survey of funding to the non-statutory funded services is not yet complete. I am not therefore in a position to furnish the Deputy with a copy of the survey at this present time. I will arrange for a copy of the survey to be forwarded to the Deputy at the earliest date.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Direct Provision System (4 Feb 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: Direct provision centres and the Reception and Integration Agency (RIA) are under the remit of my colleague, the Minister for Justice & Equality, and his Department has responsibility for child protection in those centres. I understand that in the Direct Provision system, children are protected in a number of ways - primarily through RIA's child protection policy; its house rules; its...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Appointments to State Boards (4 Feb 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: My Department has not engaged the services of external professional advice the company in question on the appointment of persons to State Boards.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Appointments to State Boards (4 Feb 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: My Department has not engaged the services of external professional consultants to advise on the appointment of persons to State Boards.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Cafés Provision (4 Feb 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 594 and 595 together. 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. These programmes include the Youth Service Grant Scheme, the Special Projects for Youth Scheme, the Young People’s...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Education Statistics (4 Feb 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 596 and 597 together. The functions of the former National Educational Welfare Board, including the monitoring of school attendance, are now part of the new Child and Family Agency, which was established on 1 January 2014. Under the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000 all recognised schools are obliged to submit an Annual Attendance Report on the levels of school...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Children in Care (4 Feb 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: I would like to apologise for the delay in answering this question. The numbers provided below relate to a specific timeframe in March and October for the purposes of providing data. - March 2013 October 2013 No of children in private residential care 165 130 Range per placement €3,585 to €8,000 not exceeding €5,000 A child is placed in a private residential...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Children in Care (4 Feb 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Child and Family Agency (CFA) compiles monthly performance reports which include statistics in relation to children in care. These reports are published on the CFA website. The information requested is set out as follows 2011 2012 Number of Children in the Care of the State 6,155 6,304 Under Voluntary Care Order 3,358 2,658 Under an Emergency Care Order Not collated 146 Under an...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: HSE Expenditure (4 Feb 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: I apologise for the delay in providing this information. The HSE Annual Financial Statement for 2011 shows payments of €4,406,561 to Guardian ad Litems, their solicitors and counsel. However, I am advised by the HSE that this amount does not represent a full year cost for all HSE areas in 2011, due to the manner in which payments were recorded in this year. I am advised by the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Costs (4 Feb 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: It appears that the Deputy is proposing the introduction of tax relief for parents to help them meet the cost of childcare. Tax incentives for working parents who incur childcare costs were previously proposed, and the issue of tax allowances or credits was considered prior to the introduction of the targeted childcare supports which are now in place. A number of issues emerged at that time...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Information and Communications Technology Issues (4 Feb 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: My Department co-funded the development of the "Child Development 0-6 Years" App. together with the Executive of Northern Ireland's Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, at a cost of £4,500 sterling to my Department. The App. is a free resource for social workers which was developed by Childlink Ltd., an innovative online database focusing on legislation, policies and...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Staff (4 Feb 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 603 to 605, inclusive, together. The staffing complement for the Child and Family Agency (CFA), which was established on 1 January, 2014 includes 1,385 social workers who transferred from the HSE. The complement was determined following a detailed census and re-classification process undertaken in 2013, through which social workers were formally assigned to...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Funding (4 Feb 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 606 to 608, inclusive, together. Responsibility for the funding of the Rape Crisis Centres and Refuges previously funded by the HSE became the responsibility of the new Child and Family Agency upon its establishment on 1January, 2014. Overall policy responsibility for domestic, sexual and gender based violence rests with my colleague, the Minister for...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services Expenditure (5 Feb 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: I have sought the information from the Child and Family Agency and will forward this to the Deputy once I have received it.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Social Workers Recruitment (5 Feb 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: The staffing complement for the Child and Family Agency (CFA), which was established on 1 January, 2014 includes 1,385 social workers who transferred from the HSE. The complement was determined following a detailed census and re-classification process undertaken in 2013, through which social workers were formally assigned to particular care groups, including children and families. This work...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Ombudsman for Children Expenditure (5 Feb 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: The budget for the annual cost of running of the Ombudsman for Children for 2014 is €1.888m as published in the Revised Estimates Volume for 2014 and provided at subhead C8 of Vote 40 which is the Vote for the Department of Children and Youth Affairs. This is the same as the provision in the Revised Estimates Volume for 2013. The latest audited financial statements of the Ombudsman for...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Ombudsman for Children Investigations (5 Feb 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Ombudsman for Children is independent in her function and reports to the Oireachtas on matters within her remit as required by the Ombudsman for Children Act 2002. I have sent the question to the Ombudsman for Children and asked that she might correspond with you directly in this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Garda Vetting of Personnel (5 Feb 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Child Care (Pre-School Services) (No 2) Regulations 2006 require that a person carrying on a pre-school service shall ensure appropriate vetting of all staff, students and volunteers who have access to a child. I am aware that a problem exists in relation to the sharing of student vetting information by training colleges with a third party. In situations where training colleges...