Results 2,941-2,960 of 7,359 for speaker:Katherine Zappone

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

Katherine Zappone: Following the discovery of clear evidence of incorrect registration in the St. Patrick's Guild records, I directed that an analysis of adoption records be carried out 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 being overseen independently by Marion...

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

Katherine Zappone: The Adoption Authority of Ireland holds all the records relating to domestic adoptions in Ireland from 1953 to the present day, of which are approximately 45,000. In addition there are approximately 100,000 records in the care of Tusla and the Adoption Authority of Ireland from former adoption societies. While the records the Deputy has referenced are not adoption records, the Adoption...

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

Katherine Zappone: I am advised by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, that figures on the number of siblings placed in foster care are not centrally collated at this time. The National Standards for Foster Care specify that siblings should be placed together where this is in their interest and within the advised limits of the number of children that can be placed in a foster home. When a child enters...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education Funding (12 Jul 2018)

Katherine Zappone: Early Childhood Care and Education Programme (ECCE) was introduced in January 2010. The objective of the Programme is to make early learning in a formal setting available to eligible children in the year (s) before they commence primary school.  On introduction, ECCE covered one academic year or 38 weeks. From September 2016, ECCE was expanded so that children were eligible to...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Staff Data (12 Jul 2018)

Katherine Zappone: The ratio of men to women at each service grade within my Department is outlined in the following table. The data has been calculated by reference to headcount and is correct as of June 30th2018. Grade Women Men Total % Women % Men Secretary General 0 1 1 0% 100% Assistant Secretary 2 1 3 67% 33% Principal Officer 14 13 27 52% 48% Assistant Principal 33 21 54 61% 39% Administrative...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: General Data Protection Regulation (12 Jul 2018)

Katherine Zappone: The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) significantly increases the obligations and responsibilities for organisations and businesses in how they collect, use and protect personal data. At the centre of the new law is the requirement for organisations and businesses to be fully transparent about how they are using and safeguarding personal data, and to be able to demonstrate...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Capital Expenditure Programme (12 Jul 2018)

Katherine Zappone: Details of the funds provided by my Department to support capital development projects in Meath and Louth since 2016 are set out in the tables in thefollowing link:

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Local Authority Funding (12 Jul 2018)

Katherine Zappone: Details of the schemes through which funding was provided by my Department to Meath and Louth County Councils are set out in the following tables: 2016 Programme Location Funding National Play Day Louth County Council €650 National Recreation Week Louth County Council €1,700 Comhairle na nÓg Development Fund Louth County Council €20,000 Comhairle na...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Detention Centres Data (12 Jul 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I am advised by the Director of Oberstown Children Detention Campus (OCDC) that no young person was transferred from campus to another service location, due to a lack of on-site psychiatric and mental health service provision in 2018. Care to children in OCDC is provided under the  CEHOP (Care, Education, Health, Offending Behaviour and Preparation for Leaving) framework. All...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education Data (12 Jul 2018)

Katherine Zappone: The Deputy's question refers to the number of children who were granted Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) overage exemptions for the programme year 2017/18.   482 children were granted an overage exemption during that time period. (The peak number of children registered during this programme year was over 120,000.)  The Secretary Generals of...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Ministerial Appointments (12 Jul 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I am aware of concerns expressed by some interested parties and I thank the Deputy for the opportunity to clarify my reasoning and motivation for the appointment of Mr Kearney as Chair of the newly established Collaborative Forum.   The Deputy’s question suggests that the Collaborative Forum has a role in investigating or making determinations on alleged human rights abuses....

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Living Wage (12 Jul 2018)

Katherine Zappone: A suggested living wage of €11.90 per hour would equate to an annual salary threshold of €22,975, based on a standard civil service net working week of 37 hours. There are no staff in my Department on an annualised salary under this threshold. As the information requested is not readily available in respect of the agencies under my Department's remit, I have asked the Adoption...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services Data (12 Jul 2018)

Katherine Zappone: The detailed information sought by the Deputy is not currently available in the format requested.  Officials in my Department are compiling this information, which will be supplied to the Deputy in no later than 10 working days.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services Funding (12 Jul 2018)

Katherine Zappone: My Department offers a range of supports to childcare services.  Primarily we provide capitation and subsidy payments that cover or contribute towards the cost of services under individual schemes. These are paid based on the numbers of children and their attendance levels. My Department now also makes €18m available annually in Programme Support Payments to providers which...

Topical Issue Debate: Early Childhood Care and Education (11 Jul 2018)

Katherine Zappone: As the Deputy is well aware, from September 2018 all children meeting the minimum age requirement of two years and eight months will be eligible to participate in the early childhood care and education, ECCE, programme for a full two years. This means a total of 76 weeks of the scheme will be available to every child, thereby fulfilling a commitment in the programme for Government. The...

Topical Issue Debate: Early Childhood Care and Education (11 Jul 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I appreciate the commitment and passion with which the Deputy has expressed her views on these issues. She is committed to doing her job as a public representative in the best possible manner. She stated that a number of providers have contacted her to express their view that at least two of the intake times have been working well and without administrative difficulties. She also indicated...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: School Completion Programme (11 Jul 2018)

Katherine Zappone: My Department has requested a reply from the Educational Welfare Service of Tusla to your question, and the information will be forwarded directly to you soon as it becomes available.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Affordable Childcare Scheme Data (11 Jul 2018)

Katherine Zappone: In order to fast-track many of the benefits of the Affordable Childcare Scheme, in September 2017 I introduced a range of interim measures.  These involved an increase of up to 50% in current targeted childcare subsidy rates and a new universal subsidy for all children aged between 6 months and 3 years who are in a Tusla-registered setting.  To date these measures have seen...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Ministerial Advisers Data (11 Jul 2018)

Katherine Zappone: As Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, I have appointed two Special Advisers on a full-time basis in my Department, one of whom focuses on media matters. The appointment of this adviser has been made in accordance with Instructions for Ministerial Appointments as published by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. These instructions set specific conditions to be met...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: National Development Plan (11 Jul 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 514 and 515 together. The National Development Plan sets out the Government`s capital investment priorities that will underpin the new National Planning Framework. My Department has been allocated €156 million in capital expenditure over the period 2018-2022. This includes the provision of €32 million for 2019. It is not possible at this...