Results 6,341-6,360 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Protection (27 Mar 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: As Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, I share the deep distaste of colleagues for events such as child beauty pageants which are not at all appropriate for children. However the answer is not always legislative. It is noted that legislative proposals in France on banning pageants ran into difficulties in light of criticisms regarding the vagueness around the specifics of what types of...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Mental Health Services Provision (27 Mar 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: The issue of mental health and well-being in young people is a complex issue requiring inputs from a wide range of stakeholders including young people, parents, schools, the media, youth organisations and the Primary Care and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services HSE. The prime responsibility for policy in relation to the treatment and support for young people with mental health...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childhood Obesity (27 Mar 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: In Ireland, The Growing Up in Ireland survey, 2011 found that 1 in 4 children as young as 3 years of age are overweight or obese and these figures are similar to those found in the Irish survey for the WHO Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative and The National Children’s Food Consumption Survey, 2005. One in five teenagers is overweight or obese according to The National Teens...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Family Resource Centres (1 Apr 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: I have requested the information from the Child and Family Agency and I will revert to the Deputy when this information is to hand.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Agencies (1 Apr 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: The organisation that the Deputy refers to is registered to provide Children's Residential Services on behalf of the Child and Family Agency. It is monitored by the relevant Agency personnel in this regard to ensure they continue to provide services of the highest quality appropriate to the needs of children placed in their care. The Agency has advised that the Service Level Agreement with...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Funding (1 Apr 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: I can inform the Deputy that my Department has supported projects in County Mayo under a range of categories that include funding for Youth Organisations and Services, National Lottery Funding, Childcare Programmes, Youth Projects and Facilities, Comhairle na nÓg, capital grants to improve playground equipment and specific supports for the National Play Day and National Recreation Week....

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Funding (1 Apr 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: In 2013, HSE Children and Family Services began a review of all agencies funded to deliver services on its behalf. Initial reviews focused on larger organisations, their project outcomes and administration costs. Regional reviews were undertaken for smaller organisations. This work is being built on as the Child and Family Agency develops a strategy for the commissioning of services and as...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services Provision (1 Apr 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: The use of school buildings is a matter for the Boards of Management or the Department of Education and Skills and does not come under the remit of my Department. However, the City and County Childcare Committees assist my Department in supporting the development of child care locally, and offer information and guidance on a wide variety of issues including advice on establishing a new child...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Inter-Country Adoptions (1 Apr 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: The responsibility for facilitating intercountry adoption applications lies with the Adoption Authority, in its capacity as an independent, quasi judicial body established under the Adoption Act 2010. As such it is not open to me to intervene in individual cases. The Republic of India has ratified the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of Inter-country...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services Regulation (1 Apr 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 486 and 487 together. As these are service matters, I have asked the Child and Family Agency to respond directly to the Deputy with the most up-to-date information.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Preschool Services (1 Apr 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: Capital funding in the region of €420 million was provided to community and commercial child care providers in the period 2000 to 2008 for the refurbishment and development of child care facilities under the Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme (EOCP) and the National Childcare Investment Programme (NCIP). Because of the economic difficulties it has not been possible to provide any...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Child Care Services Inspections (1 Apr 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: I thank the Senator. The service referred to by the Senator is participating in the CCS programme, which is implemented by my Department. The objective of the subvention programme is to make child care accessible and affordable for disadvantaged and low-income families. Targeted payments are made to support parents who qualify on the basis of their social welfare status or income profile....

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Child Care Services Inspections (1 Apr 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: Just to make the point that at the time, the service argued that a substantial number of parents who had enrolled their children in the service did not adhere to their attendance schedule. Clearly, this can happen with services, and that is the reason we have oversight by Pobal and the reason we revert to services to ask them for greater details. At the time, in 2010 and 2011, there was no...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services Regulation (2 Apr 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 210 to 212, inclusive, together. Pre-school services are subject to the Child Care (Pre-School Services) (No.2) Regulations 2006, as provided for under Part VII of the Child Care Act 1991. The enactment, through the Child and Family Agency Act 2013, of amendments to the Child Care Act 1991 underpins a number of key reforms being introduced as part of the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Services (3 Apr 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: My Department does not receive payment for services provided to the public by way of debit or credit card.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services Funding (3 Apr 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) programme which is implemented by my Department provides funding to community childcare not-for-profit services to enable them to provide quality childcare at reduced rates to disadvantaged and low income working parents. The programme is also accessible to parents who have relatively average incomes on the basis of their entitlement to hold a GP...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services Funding (3 Apr 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: Capital funding in the region of €420 million was provided to community and commercial childcare providers in the period 2000 to 2008 for the refurbishment and development of childcare facilities under the Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme (EOCP) and the National Childcare Investment Programme (NCIP). Because of the economic difficulties it has not been possible to provide any...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Services Funding (3 Apr 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: 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. Targeted supports for disadvantaged, marginalised and at risk young people are provided through the Special Projects for Youth Scheme, the Young Peoples Facilities and Services Fund, Rounds 1 and...

Topical Issue Debate: Home Care Packages (8 Apr 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: I thank Deputy Troy. I wish to put the facts on the table. All capital funding for child care services was cut in 2008 and no new child care capital funding was made available in that year, 2009, 2010 or 2011. It was not made available until 2012 and 2013 when I reopened the child care capital funding schemes. Absolutely no capital went into child care in recent years. Fortunately I was...

Topical Issue Debate: Home Care Packages (8 Apr 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: I also wish to highlight that in the funding decision announced last week, €250,000 each will be made available to parent and toddler groups and to the childminding development grants scheme, which also are two highly important initiatives. If I may, I will reframe the manner in which the Deputy is describing the scheme by stating the Government is targeting a sector that requires...