Results 6,781-6,800 of 7,359 for speaker:Katherine Zappone

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Early Childhood Care and Education (10 Dec 2019)

Katherine Zappone: It is part of the law. We cannot extend that deadline.

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

Katherine Zappone: This Government has delivered an unprecedented package of measures to improve access to high quality and affordable childcare. Investment in the sector has increased by 138% over the past five budgets. This investment has helped to bring about a doubling of capacity and a doubling of the number of children receiving State subsidies. However, I recognise that there are continuing capacity...

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

Katherine Zappone: I am not questioning the couple Deputy Boyd Barrett mentioned who get only €20 more a week but that €20 a week is a universal subsidy for any child under three years. If they are on an industrial wage they are entitled to further additional supports. Have they applied for the national childcare scheme which determines how much of a subsidy they will receive? They should be...

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

Katherine Zappone: He talked about the need to reduce the numbers because they needed more space, etc. I said that was because of the regulations. We have to follow the regulations. I refer to the Deputies' questions about plans for new housing developments, whether there are childcare plans and the fact there are no childcare facilities. That is a difficulty. Difficulties arise when new housing...

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

Katherine Zappone: I cannot believe that they are only getting €20.

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

Katherine Zappone: Yes.

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

Katherine Zappone: I disagree.

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

Katherine Zappone: We do not yet know or fully understand the impact of the funding model that has just been put in place under the national childcare scheme. There is a universal entitlement as well as a legal financial entitlement to a subsidy for childcare costs that is means-tested and based on the age of the child and how long the child will be in childcare. That is why I cannot believe that the people...

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

Katherine Zappone: I will try to meet them before Christmas.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Child and Family Agency Services (10 Dec 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The numbers of unallocated cases, or children who do not have an allocated social worker remains of great concern to me. Tusla has identified significant numbers of unallocated cases in five of its 17 areas. In September 2019, these five areas accounted for 56% of all unallocated cases. I assure the Deputy that where a child has not been allocated a social worker, he or she is supported...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Child and Family Agency Services (10 Dec 2019)

Katherine Zappone: That question goes to the heart of a lot of the challenges being experienced by Tusla. I just indicated to the Deputy that a recruitment campaign is being run specifically for the five areas where there is the greatest problem of unallocated cases because of a lack of social workers. Tusla is also conducting a number of other campaigns to recruit the number of social workers required. It...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Child and Family Agency Services (10 Dec 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The shortage of social workers in Tusla is not a resource issue; instead it is an issue of recruitment difficulties as well as a shortage of social work graduates at university level. The next question deals with what we have been doing to change the latter. There have also been difficulties with retention which Tusla is attempting to address. It has a new workforce development strategy...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Child and Family Agency Staff (10 Dec 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla has taken a proactive approach to the recruitment of social workers in a difficult and challenging recruitment environment. There is a shortage of social workers not only in Ireland but also in England, the US, Canada and Australia, as has been noted by HIQA. We made modest progress during 2019. Tusla has had a net increase of 65 social workers since the start of the year, and the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Child and Family Agency Staff (10 Dec 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla is undertaking a significant agency conversion across grades in front-line services, an initiative I very much welcome. The grades to be included are social work, social care, family support and administrative staff supporting front-line teams. Tusla has had productive discussions with Fórsa trade union on the proposed conversion which could potentially result involve up to 400...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Child and Family Agency Staff (10 Dec 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I thank the Deputy for her compliment for Mr. Gloster. Tusla is exploring its sponsorship initiatives in an effort to increase the number of students studying social work, and thereby, increasing the supply of social workers available to the agency. This is happening and I expect this will produce some results as well. We have been engaging directly with the Department of Education...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Children and Family Services Provision (10 Dec 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I thank the Deputy for his question. My Department has never funded the supervision of the playground in question. Funding provided by my Department for playgrounds is limited to capital spend, namely, the capital grant funding scheme for play and recreation. Applications for this scheme are made through the local authority play and recreation network. The funding of supervisory posts...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Children and Family Services Provision (10 Dec 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Yes, I am done.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Children and Family Services Provision (10 Dec 2019)

Katherine Zappone: He could easily. It would not be a problem to him.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Children and Family Services Provision (10 Dec 2019)

Katherine Zappone: We have been in direct contact with Dublin and Dún Laoghaire ETB and its development officer for youth and sports. The information I have in the email is that the supervision was never for the children. It was for the play equipment.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Children and Family Services Provision (10 Dec 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The Deputy is stating that, but I have information directly from the ETB that says otherwise. If the Deputy is arguing that there are people who are supervising the children, that is not the information I have. Who should I ask if not the development officer for youth and sports in the ETB?