Results 7,021-7,040 of 7,359 for speaker:Katherine Zappone

Covid 19 (Childcare): Statements (6 May 2020)

Katherine Zappone: I thank Deputy Whitmore. The way she laid out the complexity of the challenges, her empathy, her representation of her constituents and her concerns, as many of the Deputies have done, demonstrates how big the issue is in general and especially for our children and young people. I thank the Deputy and I am with her in this regard. I understand a little bit about it, in trying to take...

Covid 19 (Childcare): Statements (6 May 2020)

Katherine Zappone: I thank the Deputy. Starting with his last question first, and I think I tried to answer this before, it is reasonable to ask why it took so long. I heard the frustration from the healthcare workers as well and I spoke to many of them myself. I went on radio and was public about saying I thought we should have it, and this was before there was a decision by Dr. Tony Holohan and the...

Covid 19 (Childcare): Statements (6 May 2020)

Katherine Zappone: Deputy Murphy will not be surprised if I say that I do not think it was all a failure. We have gone through a lot of those arguments before so I do not think I need to identify them again and come back at the Deputy, as I often would, with regard to what did happen. I do not think it was all a failure. The Deputy is looking at the Minister who helped to negotiate the temporary wage subsidy...

Covid 19 (Childcare): Statements (6 May 2020)

Katherine Zappone: I am glad the Deputy asked that question. Let our actions stand. Did the Deputy's second question refer to healthcare workers?

Covid 19 (Childcare): Statements (6 May 2020)

Katherine Zappone: Was it in relation to everybody?

Covid 19 (Childcare): Statements (6 May 2020)

Katherine Zappone: Our healthcare workers.

Covid 19 (Childcare): Statements (6 May 2020)

Katherine Zappone: Exactly. My sentiments are with the Deputy, but I do not think those decisions are up to this Department.

Covid 19 (Childcare): Statements (6 May 2020)

Katherine Zappone: On the Deputy's first question, Deputy Farrell raised something similar but I did not get to it. Allianz will give a rebate for insurance costs and Early Childhood Ireland is working with it further to maximise the return. An absolute sum has not yet been decided but Allianz has agreed to provide a rebate. On the other insurance issue, Allianz has agreed that when childcare workers go into...

Covid 19 (Childcare): Statements (6 May 2020)

Katherine Zappone: I thank the Deputy for her kind comments. I acknowledge her extraordinary work over the years, which I have observed from a distance. In making her first point, she referred to an email calling for childcare for healthcare workers. I understand what she is saying about the response and the feeling of being in limbo. We felt we needed to at least begin the process so we could be ready...

Covid 19 (Childcare): Statements (6 May 2020)

Katherine Zappone: I loved every contribution Deputy Connolly made.

Covid 19 (Childcare): Statements (6 May 2020)

Katherine Zappone: I share the Deputy's frustration at the situation around the provision of childcare for essential or healthcare workers. I spoke about that. We certainly were encouraging it as much as we could along the way. I understand that the mother and baby homes commission is still on schedule to submit its report in June. I have been in communication with the commission and hope to meet the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Funding (13 May 2020)

Katherine Zappone: The following table represents the capital funding streams where additional places were created under each capital programme. Applicants under Early Years Capital 2015 were not required to quote the number of additional places created and hence a figure is unobtainable. (EYC-Early Years Capital, SCA-School Age Capital) Year Strand Number of places Sum of...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Education Costs (13 May 2020)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1072 and 1073 together. It is not possible to accurately estimate the capital cost of providing an additional after school place, as each place which is created has unique costs, ranging from minor modifications to an existing community owned structure, to a new build. Costs also vary based on the location of the after-school service, as this impacts on the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Commercial Rates Exemptions (13 May 2020)

Katherine Zappone: The matter of rates payments for the early learning and care and school age childcare sector does not fall under the remit of my Department, nor does my Department have a role in determining which properties are rateable. The levying of commercial rates is the responsibility of the Valuations Office, which falls under the aegis of the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government. As...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education (13 May 2020)

Katherine Zappone: €297m euro has been allocated to the Early Childhood Care and Education programme in 2020. The Early Childhood Care and Education programme runs for 38 weeks each programme year. The standard capitation rate paid to providers is €69 per child, per week and the higher capitation rate is €80.25 per child, per week. The below table displays the full year financial impact of...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: School Completion Programme (13 May 2020)

Katherine Zappone: The full-year cost of restoring the SCP to 2010 funding levels would be in the region of €7.3 million per annum. An additional €1.24m was secured in Budget 2019 for the School Completion Programme. This funding is a once off funding to support SCP in their capacity to carry out preparatory work and support organisational development within the respective programmes in advance of...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Programmes (13 May 2020)

Katherine Zappone: A national evaluation of the ABC Programme 2013-2017 was undertaken by the Centre for Effective Services (CES). Data was collected locally, at the area-level, in order to assess the effectiveness of the totality of the investment with regard to the main outcomes the programme aimed to address: Improved child health and development; Improved children’s learning and Improved parenting....

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Programmes (13 May 2020)

Katherine Zappone: The Area Based Childhood (ABC) Programme is a prevention and early intervention initiative targeting investment in effective services to improve the outcomes for children and families living in a number of specific areas of disadvantage. DCYA is now the sole funder of the ABC Programme. In November 2017, my Department initiated a process, in consultation with key ABC Programme...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Family Resource Centres (13 May 2020)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, administers the Family Resource Centre (FRC) Programme. Prior to 2014, funding to the Family Resource Centre (FRC) Programme was provided by the Family Support Agency (FSA). The FSA was established by the Department of Social and Family Affairs in 2001 and responsibility for the agency transferred to the Department of Children and Youth Affairs in 2011....

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency (13 May 2020)

Katherine Zappone: I wish to advise that my officials have asked Tusla to respond directly to the Deputy on this matter.