Results 2,861-2,880 of 7,359 for speaker:Katherine Zappone

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Detention Centres (20 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 15 and 36 together. The Operational Review of Oberstown Children Detention Campus was commissioned by the Board of Management of Oberstown in September 2016. The final report was received by the Board in February 2017. It is imperative that a report of this kind should observe due process and fair procedures, so that all persons referred to are treated...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Family Resource Centres (20 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, administers the Family Resource Centre Programme. Among my key priorities for 2018 was further investment in Family Resource Centres in local communities that deliver services to families, especially in disadvantaged areas across the country. In 2018, I was pleased to secure a budget allocation of some €753 million for Tusla, an increase of some...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Protection (20 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I am satisfied that children’s support, welfare and protection services are geared towards and focused on dealing with the situations brought to the attention of the authorities, because we have a national agency dedicated to doing just that. Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, was established in 2014 to bring the exact focus that the Deputy is talking about to the welfare and...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Costs (20 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: My Department’s childcare schemes are run on a national basis and hence are available to all counties. The staff and Boards of 30 City and County Childcare Committees assist my Department in ensuring that schemes and other initiatives we operate nationally meet local need. The Government is committed to continuing to increase investment in high-quality childcare, prioritising...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (20 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: As the Deputy will be aware, Sean Ross Abbey is one of the institutions currently being investigated by the statutory Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters. As part of its terms of reference the Commission is directed to investigate and to make a report on burial arrangements in respect of persons who died while resident in these institutions....

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Foster Care (20 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: My attention is drawn to every report HIQA publishes. I can inform the Deputy that there have now been 12 HIQA reports published in 2018 on foster care services. Each report contains an action plan, agreed with HIQA in advance of its publication, to address all areas of concern. A designated Tusla official is given responsibility for executing the action plan within a specified...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption Legislation (20 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: The Adoption (Information and Tracing) Bill 2016 has passed Second Stage in the Seanad. As I am sure you know, the Bill seeks to respect the rights to identity and privacy, which sometimes conflict with one another. Given the constitutional context, striking the balance between these rights is proving challenging. It is an important piece of legislation for many people. Attempts to...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (20 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I have asked an Independent Reviewer, Ms Marion Reynolds to oversee a further analysis of relevant records held by Tusla and the Adoption Authority in the first instance. The purpose of the exercise is to see if clear evidence of illegal registrations is evident in other records. The first meeting between Ms. Reynolds and the nominated representatives from Tusla and the Adoption Authority...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (20 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: The Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters is an independent statutory investigation. I am not therefore in a position to provide detailed progress updates on this work. Any available updates would be posted by the Commission directly to its website. The Commission's terms of reference, attached as a schedule to Statutory Instrument No. 57 of 2015,...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education (20 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I understand that the Deputy's question refers to capacity in the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) scheme, the fact that service providers may prioritise full time children over ECCE-only children, and that service providers do not always guarantee a childcare place for the second year of ECCE. From September this year, the annual number of ECCE enrolments will be approximately...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Abuse Reports (20 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I understand that the Deputy is referring to the report of the Statutory Investigation into the management of allegations of child sexual abuse against adults of concern by Tusla, which I directed HIQA to undertake, and which was published in June of this year. I can inform the Deputy that I am satisfied with the progress made by Tusla to date. Tusla has developed a time bound action...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services Funding (20 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: As the Deputy is aware, my Department does not directly provide childcare - rather we administer a number of schemes and initiatives to support accessible, affordable and high quality childcare. These schemes are available to regulated childcare providers which include individuals, companies and community/not-for-profit groups. The organisation Pobal, and 30 City and County Childcare...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Costs (20 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: There is no doubt that the cost of childcare presents a challenge to families in Ireland and in particular for mothers who wish to return to work. A recent survey conducted by ICTU found that childcare costs sit alongside housing costs within the top two out of pocket expenses for families and this can only be amplified in the case of lone parents. This is consistent with more extensive...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Functions (20 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: Pobal is a not-for-profit company, which works on behalf of the Irish Government in managing programmes that contribute to social inclusion, equality and reconciliation. Pobal operates under the aegis of the Department of Rural and Community Development (DRCD). Consequently, any decisions regarding its structure or statutory relationships require the consideration of my cabinet...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Services (20 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: My Department maintains close contact with the national youth organisations and I and officials from my Department meet formally with these organisations twice a year to share knowledge and information on developments in the youth sector. A separate meeting is held on that day with national organisations in receipt of targeted youth funding to keep them updated on the ongoing work on the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: School Completion Programme (20 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I am very conscious that the School Completion Programme delivers a valuable service for some of our most vulnerable young people. I want to achieve the best possible results for these young people for the professionals who deliver the service. As referred to by the Deputy, the Board of Tusla convened an expert panel to identify and examine a potential revised model of good practice and...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education (20 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I am aware of the specific matter raised by the Deputy. Officials from my Department are in contact with colleagues in the Health Service Executive to examine the range of issues involved for a child seeking to access both specialist pre-school services and the ECCE scheme simultaneously. While there is no specific provision in the ECCE rules which prevents a child attending a specialist...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Affordable Childcare Scheme (20 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 33, 34 and 37 together. I am delighted to update you on the positive progress my department is making in developing the new Affordable Childcare Scheme. Officials from my Department, along with colleagues in Pobal, have been working hard to develop the legal, technical and administrative infrastructure for the new Affordable Childcare Scheme. The...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Abuse Reports (20 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: Scouting Ireland commissioned Mr Ian Elliott to carry out a review into the organisation’s handling of an allegation of a serious sexual assault on an adult volunteer by another adult volunteer. I have not yet received a copy of this report. While this alleged assault took place in 2009, it was only reported within the organisation in 2016. Following on from Mr Elliott's report...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Domestic Violence Refuges Provision (20 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I thank the Deputy for her question. There are 2 principal policy instruments guiding Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence services: 1. Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (Istanbul Convention). 2. National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence (DSGBV) (2016 – 2021). Policy responsibility for...