Results 801-820 of 7,359 for speaker:Katherine Zappone

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption Legislation (17 May 2016)

Katherine Zappone: Ireland ratified the Hague Convention on the protection of Children and Co-Operation in Respect of Inter-Country Adoption on 1 November 2010. The Adoption Act 2010 provides for intercountry adoption between countries that have ratified the Hague Convention such as Bulgaria, or between countries with whom Ireland has a bilateral agreement under Section 73 of the Adoption Act 2010. The Act,...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services Funding (17 May 2016)

Katherine Zappone: Capital funding of more than €420 million was provided by the State to support the development of childcare infrastructure in the period up until 2008. Since the economic downturn the limited funding available to this Department has been targeted to support the refurbishment and maintenance of childcare facilities in which there has already been considerable investment. The...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Foster Care Supports (17 May 2016)

Katherine Zappone: I should inform the Deputy at the outset that responsibility for disability services rests with the Minister for Health. The statutory duty of the Child and Family Agency, Tusla, is to promote the welfare of children who are not receiving adequate care and protection. There are many reasons for children coming into Tusla's care including abuse and neglect but disability alone, whether...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care Education (17 May 2016)

Katherine Zappone: In Budget 2016 it was announced that, from September 2016, children will be eligible to start free pre-school when they reach the age of 3, and can continue in free pre-school until they start primary school (once the child is not older than 5½ years at the end of the pre-school year i.e. end June). The age range for eligibility for children enrolling for the Early Childhood Care and...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: HIQA Reports (17 May 2016)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1207 to 1210, inclusive, together. I have referred the Deputy's questions to the Child and Family Agency, Tusla for a response, and will revert when this is to hand.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care Education (17 May 2016)

Katherine Zappone: The Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) Programme provides funding to community/ not-for-profit services to enable them to provide quality childcare at reduced rates to disadvantaged and low-income working parents. Parents qualify as disadvantaged or low income on the basis of means-tested entitlements. As part of Budget 2016, the Department announced an expansion of the CCS...

Adoption (Amendment) Bill 2016: Second Stage (Resumed) (18 May 2016)

Katherine Zappone: I thank Deputies for their support for the Adoption (Amendment) Bill 2016 and their constructive, often passionate, contributions to the debate yesterday and today. I also thank them for their expressed willingness to work in a constructive fashion with me, as I lead the legislative and policy agenda for children and young people. In doing so I am aware that they come with a great diversity...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: School Completion Programme (19 May 2016)

Katherine Zappone: The School Completion Programme aims to retain young people in the formal education system to completion of senior cycle and to generally improve the school attendance, participation and retention of young people who are risk of educational disadvantage. The programme is a targeted intervention aimed at school communities identified through the Department of Education and Skills’ DEIS...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education (19 May 2016)

Katherine Zappone: In Budget 2016, my Department announced a significant expansion to pre-school provision under the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme. This measure, which will be introduced from September 2016, means that children will be eligible to start free pre-school when they reach the age of 3, and continue to avail of free pre-school until they start primary school (once the child...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education (19 May 2016)

Katherine Zappone: Capital funding of €4 million is being made available through the Early Years Capital Programme in 2016 for early years pre-school services, both private and not-for-profit/community, that are intending to expand their service to provide for more capacity in the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme. The maximum grant available under this programme is €10,000....

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education (19 May 2016)

Katherine Zappone: In November 2015, a new model for supporting children with a disability to access the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme was launched. The Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) is a cross-Government initiative, led by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, and involving the Department of Health, the Department of Education and Skills and others. The model will deliver...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education (24 May 2016)

Katherine Zappone: Capital funding of €4 million is being made available through the Early Years Capital Programme in 2016 for early years pre-school services, both private and not-for-profit/community, that are intending to expand their service to provide for more capacity in the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme. The maximum grant available under this programme is €10,000. The...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption Data (24 May 2016)

Katherine Zappone: The Adoption Act 1952 provided a legal basis for adoption in Ireland and brought order to what had been the system of ad hocarrangements in lieu of formal adoption procedures up to this point. Prior to the introduction of the Adoption Act 1952 some children were placed in life long family care arrangements, where a child was in the custody of a person other than his or her parent or guardian...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Foster Care Policy (24 May 2016)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, has a statutory duty to promote the welfare of children who are not receiving adequate care and protection under the Child Care Act 1991 and the Child and Family Agency Act 2013. Parents may agree to their children being taken into the care of Tusla on a voluntary basis, or, Tusla may apply to the court for a care order. Foster care (including relative...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: City and County Child Care Committees (24 May 2016)

Katherine Zappone: 33 City and County Childcare Committees (CCCs) were established in 2001 to advance the provision of childcare facilities in their local areas. They comprise local representatives from the statutory, community and voluntary sectors, childcare providers and parents. There are now 31 CCCs, as Limerick City and Limerick County CCs have amalgamated, as have Waterford City and Waterford County CCs....

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Properties (24 May 2016)

Katherine Zappone: The Department of Children and Youth Affairs does not own any vacant State property or land holding.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Agencies Staff Data (24 May 2016)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla informs me that the most current and complete record of paid leave refers to April 26th, 2016. On this date, a total of 123 Tusla employees were on paid leave other than holiday or sick leave.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Children and Family Services Provision (24 May 2016)

Katherine Zappone: My Department is firmly committed to transforming Ireland’s children and family services. The establishment in 2014 of Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, was a key commitment of the previous Programme for Government. It represented an essential response to reports on child protection failings, including inconsistency and fragmentation in service provision. Tusla brings a...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Children in Care (24 May 2016)

Katherine Zappone: The number of young people in general residential care represents just 5% of the 6,398 children in care on the same date. Residential centres are based in domestic style houses in the community, staffed by social care workers. There are, at a minimum, two staff on duty and when needed this number is increased. There is an average of two young people per centre, although the number of...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Services Funding (24 May 2016)

Katherine Zappone: My Department administers a range of funding schemes and programmes to support the provision of youth services by the voluntary youth sector, to young people throughout the country including those from disadvantaged communities. The funding schemes support national and local youth work provision to some 380,000 young people. The voluntary youth sector involves approximately 1,400 paid staff,...