Results 2,921-2,940 of 7,359 for speaker:Katherine Zappone

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education Programmes (7 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: Last December, I announced my decision to pause the proposed rule changes on overage exemptions to allow for a consultation process where the voice of parents of children with disabilities could be heard in relation to the proposed change. This consultation process, which was conducted by the National Disability Authority and supported jointly by my Department and the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education (7 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: From September 2018, all children meeting the minimum age requirement of 2 years and 8 months will be eligible for a full two programme years on the Early Childhood Care and Education programme (ECCE). This measure refines the development introduced last year and increases the duration of each registered child on ECCE from an average of 61 weeks, to a duration of 76 weeks or two...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Correspondence (7 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I can confirm that the correspondence referred to by the Deputy was received in my Department on the 8th of August. While a number of issues raised in the letter fall to be dealt with by other Government Departments, I can inform the Deputy that an official in my Department contacted the correspondent by phone to discuss issues raised in the letter that fall under the remit of my Department....

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Communications (7 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: My Department does not currently utilise any lo-call or freephone numbers for members of the public to contact the Department directly. While the use of such numbers by agencies or organisations under the remit of my Department is an operational matter, I can confirm that the Oberstown Children Detention Campus and the Adoption Authority of Ireland do not use lo-call or freephone contact...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Properties (7 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: The Department of Children and Youth Affairs can confirm that the Department or any of the organisations under its aegis does not have any buildings rented at the location referred to by the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Staff (7 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1164, 1170 and 1171 together. The latest information requested by the Deputies is not readily available. My officials have requested the information from Tusla and I will forward the reply to the Deputies once I have been furnished with it.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Children in Care (7 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I am informed by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, that the anticipated completion date for the National Review Panel's report is October 2018. The report will provide the findings of the review of three cases of child abuse in County Galway by the National Review Panel. The Panel is independent in its work, and the panel members for these cases have significant expertise in child...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Detention Centres Data (7 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: The Deputy refers to two reports - an investigation by the Office of the Ombudsman for Children and the Operational Review of Oberstown Children Detention Campus commissioned by the Board of Management of Oberstown in September 2016. The Ombudsman for Children is currently undertaking an investigation in relation to Oberstown under the Ombudsman for Children Act 2002. This Act...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Years Sector (7 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: The overall allocation for Early Years Care and Education in 2018 is €484.8m.  The Department of Children and Youth Affairs utilises this funding to operate a number of childcare programmes which are administered by Pobal on behalf of the Department.  These are listed below along with details of the 2018 allocations. Yearly costs can fluctuate as demand for the schemes can...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education Programmes (7 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: Age limits have been used to determine eligibility since the inception of the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme in 2010. These rules are a necessary component of any Government scheme and ensure that Exchequer funding is used for its intended purpose. In 2010, only one ECCE year, or 38 weeks, was available. This was enhanced in 2016 and, on average, children benefitted...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Expenditure (7 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla has advised that the average monthly spend on Agency Staff for 2016, 2017, and to date in 2018 is as follows:  2016 2017 2018 YTD July €'m €'m €'m Agency Pay 18.622 25.216 17.646 Average Monthly 1.552 2.101 2.521

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Family Support Services (7 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I wish to thank the Deputy for his question, and can confirm that I have referred the matter to Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, for their direct reply.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption Authority of Ireland (7 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1173 and 1179 together. I am aware the Adoption Authority of Ireland has made a number of reports to my Department on the issue of illegal birth registrations.   The Adoption Authority of Ireland undertook a review in 2010 of cases where information had been received through the National Adoption Contact Preference Register...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption Registration (7 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: As the Deputy is aware, Tusla is actively engaged in the process of contacting those individuals affected by the recent discovery of evidence of incorrect registration in the St. Patrick's Guild records.  People have the right to know of their true origins and, where we have clear evidence, I have stated that I believe we have an obligation to tell the people affected. It is vital...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption Registration (7 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I take it that the Deputy is referring to the review of adoption records that I requested be undertaken, in the first instance, to establish whether there is sufficient reliable evidence of the practice of incorrect registration that can be extracted from the records of adoption agencies.  This Review is not an audit of the National Adoption Contact Register. It is a targeted...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption Registration (7 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: The State must reach a high level of certainty that an illegal birth registration has taken place before contacting the individuals concerned.  While there have been suspicions about the practice of illegal registrations for many years, that threshold of certainty has to date only been reached in the case of the 126 Saint Patrick's Guild cases that I announced in May of this year. ...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption Registration (7 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: The Deputy will be aware of the analysis of adoption records that is currently being undertaken under my instruction.  An exercise to see if the extent of incorrect registrations of birth can be established has commenced.  The independent Chair, Ms. Marion Reynolds, is overseeing a process whereby the Adoption Authority of Ireland and Tusla are...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption Registration (7 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: It is not clear what court case the Deputy is referring to, but I am assuming that the reference is to a recent High Court case relating to St Patrick's Guild. This case was settled and no judgement issued. In the absence of a judgement the issue of accepting evidence does not arise. The State has a responsibility to reach a high level of certainty that there is in fact evidence that...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption Records Provision (7 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I am keenly aware of the importance of identity and of the significance for adopted people of access to their adoption records and early life information.  The Adoption (Information and Tracing) Bill 2016, which, as the Deputy knows, passed Second Stage in the Seanad last year, will for the first time give adopted persons and other relevant individuals, birth parents and relatives a...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption Data (7 Sep 2018)

Katherine Zappone: The Adoption Act 1952 established a statutory basis for adoption in Ireland and provided for the establishment of the Adoption Board, which is now the Adoption Authority of Ireland. The Authority holds all the records relating to domestic adoptions in Ireland from 1953 to the present day, which number approximately 45,000. Prior to 1952 there was no legal basis for adoption in Ireland. ...