Results 6,141-6,160 of 7,359 for speaker:Katherine Zappone

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Child Abuse Reports (10 Jul 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I take on board all of the points raised by the Deputy. I am trying to outline that there are a number of recommendations, many of which had been responded to, and major changes have happened. That is not to deny given the challenges identified by the Deputy regarding the retention of social workers, etc., the difficulties will not continue to ensue in a high-risk environment that I have...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Youth Services Funding (10 Jul 2019)

Katherine Zappone: My Department maintains close contact with the 30 national youth organisations that we fund. Officials from my Department and I meet these organisations formally twice per year to share knowledge and information on developments in the youth sector. Most recently, I met the national youth organisations on 11 April. An additional meeting was held on that day with the national organisations...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Youth Services Funding (10 Jul 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I appreciate the Deputy's questions. In my initial reply, I tried to outline the various structures and conversation paths that have been established in terms of a better, deeper and more frequent dialogue between the sector and my Department at national and community or local levels. That is an improvement, and significant changes have occurred in recent years in that regard. I am,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Youth Services Funding (10 Jul 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I hope so. We received an additional €1.5 million for youth funding in 2019. Funding is allocated and offered to the youth sector in different ways, but it totals €60.4 million. Organisations argue that, due to the years of austerity, it is still not at the level it should be, but there has been a further €1.5 million increase this year. We have targeted youth...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services Regulation (10 Jul 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The new school age childcare regulations were developed following comprehensive advice received from experts in the sector. They have been received positively overall, with providers and parents recognising my duty to protect children and assist in ensuring quality of service. Concerns raised in the media focused on the minimum ratio of one adult to 12 children that will come into force in...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services Regulation (10 Jul 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I will make two points. I have indicated that we had a full consultation process as regards the development of the regulations. We will see if that concern has been raised. I will certainly bring what the Deputy has said back to my Department. I would not say "No" to it outright. The Deputy has offered a rationale, about which perhaps we could talk further. Having said that, what I am...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services Administration (10 Jul 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I am pleased to be able to assure the Deputy that arrangements are in place to ensure no one will lose out in the initial transition to the new national childcare scheme. Families can continue to access their current targeted supports, remaining on their existing payment if they so wish, until the end of August 2020. They include parents availing of the community employment childcare...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services Administration (10 Jul 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Deputy Catherine Martin raised the question in another way. I am aware of the concerns of both lone parents and their representatives. Deputy Catherine Martin suggested we might need to meet them to communicate what was going on and identify how the changes would impact on them. Ongoing communication is very important. When we move to the national childcare scheme, it will be based on...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services Administration (10 Jul 2019)

Katherine Zappone: We have an information and education campaign that we want to roll out for parents who are applying for support under the national childcare scheme. Part of it is through the city and county childcare committees, Intreo and Citizens Information offices. We will find ways to support people who face challenges in making online applications. On whether they will be worse off, I certainly know...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services Provision (10 Jul 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The national childcare scheme is the pathway to quality, affordable and accessible childcare in Ireland. It will ultimately replace the existing targeted childcare schemes with a single, streamlined and user-friendly scheme, providing both universal and targeted childcare subsidies. The scheme will provide up to 40 hours of childcare per week for parents who are working, studying,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services Provision (10 Jul 2019)

Katherine Zappone: We will look at the specific settings the Deputy has identified. We want to make sure the supports that have been provided for parents and children in the past in the way we have provided funding will still be available. I do not want to comment further on the specific settings as I am not sure exactly what is going on, but we will look at them. More generally, what I have been trying to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services Provision (10 Jul 2019)

Katherine Zappone: We will do that.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Staff (10 Jul 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The recruitment and retention of social workers continues to be a significant challenge for Tusla in 2019. Tusla is one of many employers of social workers in Ireland and it is competing with other employments that are often perceived as less challenging. Tusla’s new Strategic Workforce Planning Model will be accompanied by a renewed focus on retention of social workers and other key...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Cúram agus Oideachas na Luath-Óige (10 Jul 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I welcome the report recently launched by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Irish language, the Gaeltacht and the Islands in relation to the challenges associated with running Irish medium childcare centres in the Gaeltacht.    A number of officials from my Department attended this launch on 25th June 2019, along with officials from Tusla and from the Department of...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education (10 Jul 2019)

Katherine Zappone: A key priority for me as Minister for Children and Youth Affairs is seeking to ensure high quality early learning and care services for children, which includes having a valued and stable workforce.   It is part of the reason I have fought so hard for increased investment. I have pushed for investment to address affordability and access for parents, but also quality for children and...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (10 Jul 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes has issued five interim reports to date, all of which I have published.   It is important to acknowledge that the terms of reference for the Commission envisage multiple lines of inquiry on complex issues relating to a number of quite different institutions over a period of more than three quarters of a century.  The...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Recreational Facilities (10 Jul 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I regret to inform the Deputy that the only funding provided by my Department for playgrounds is in the area of capital grants for play and recreation. Applications for this scheme are made through the Local Authority Play and Recreation Network.  I understand that the playground referred to by the Deputy is a private facility which has not been in receipt of funding from either my...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Funding (10 Jul 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I understand that the Deputy's question relates to financial containment and financial challenges facing Tusla, the Child and Family Agency.  In 2019, Tusla has an allocation of some €787 million for the provision of its full range of services, an increase of 4.1% over its funding for 2018. Tusla's funding has increased from €609m in 2014, a rise of some 29.3%...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Community Development Projects Funding (10 Jul 2019)

Katherine Zappone: A key priority for my Department is to improve outcomes for children, young people and their families. In that regard, there are a wide variety of community projects supported directly by my Department.   These range from projects supporting early learning and care, local youth projects and community projects supporting the Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures national outcomes.  ...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Services (10 Jul 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 68 and 72 together. The role of the City of Dublin Youth Service Board (CDYSB) is to support the provision, co-ordination, administration and assessment of youth services in their functional area and to provide such information as may be required by myself as Minister for Children and Youth Affairs. As the Deputy is aware the CDYSB is a sub-committee of the...