Results 3,061-3,080 of 7,359 for speaker:Katherine Zappone

Other Questions: Departmental Funding (13 Jun 2018)

Katherine Zappone: In April of this year I decided to withhold all further funding to Scouting Ireland until such time as I could be satisfied that the organisation's governance standards met the required level. This followed publicity surrounding an incident of alleged sexual assault and concerns raised about how this serious matter was handled by Scouting Ireland. Having made my decision to withhold...

Other Questions: Departmental Funding (13 Jun 2018)

Katherine Zappone: As Deputy Sherlock indicated, he sent me an email recently outlining those issues and concerns from members of the organisation. The staff and board have been engaging in and trying to finalise a reform process in recent months and weeks. I received the email in question and I have asked my officials to pass it on to Ms van Turnhout and for her to take account of the contents in making...

Other Questions: Departmental Funding (13 Jun 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I totally accept what the Deputy is saying. That is why I have taken action in respect of the information he has shared with me. Decisions need to be made in that regard. As the Deputy is aware, these questions are being raised by some people who are coming to him. My understanding is that there is ongoing communication between the members, staff and the board on this reform project....

Other Questions: Early Childhood Care and Education (13 Jun 2018)

Katherine Zappone: Deputy Rabbitte is speaking particularly about the two-year preschool ECCE programme. I am satisfied in recent years at the way in which the ECCE service has been delivered, especially by the providers. As time has moved on we have increased the number and time period within which the service is available to children throughout the country. I am satisfied that the planning has been...

Other Questions: Adoption Registration (13 Jun 2018)

Katherine Zappone: The Deputy has laid out his position on that commentary and it is on the record. On the matter of what I, as an Independent Minister, have done regarding the evidence presented to me in recent months, I moved as quickly as I could to ensure that they continued to do the research in which they were engaged and that the cross-checking took place. I also brought people, including...

Other Questions: Legislative Programme (13 Jun 2018)

Katherine Zappone: The Adoption (Information and Tracing) Bill 2016 has passed Second Stage in the Seanad. As I am sure the Deputy is aware, 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 important legislation for many people. Previous...

Other Questions: Legislative Programme (13 Jun 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I have spoken to the Attorney General twice in the past month - I also had engagement with the previous Attorney General - largely in the context of the urgency of this matter. There will be a number of amendments that will have to be brought forward on Committee Stage. There are two areas that are the most difficult to resolve and I have been working with Senators and hearing their...

Other Questions: Legislative Programme (13 Jun 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I appreciate the Deputy's comments. I would make two points. First, in light of the announcement that was made, things have shifted considerably in terms of a there being a wider public awareness. That is not to say there was not awareness or that many people were not shocked. In light of that growing public awareness, the number of people who are contacting me and the stories we are...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Illegal Adoptions (13 Jun 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I acknowledge the Deputy as a champion of this issue, and all the work she has done with advocates, which has brought us to this point. I met a number of the advocates recently and one of the key messages coming from them is the sense of urgency that is required. When considering where we go from here, particularly with regard to the records we have as well as those we do not, the right...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Illegal Adoptions (13 Jun 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I would be open to all those suggestions and I thank the Deputy for them. We need to consider all of those aspects in the context of the research and the identification of the evidence, as she said. I agree that we may need to go about these in other ways, especially from the stakeholders' perspective. It may be the case that little information emerges following the initial four months of...

Other Questions: Adoption Registration (13 Jun 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I am conscious of claims that the State knew for many years about illegal registrations, and that successive Governments should have done more to address the issue. What has been lost in the debate is the fact that, while there seems to have been an awareness of this illegal practice, we had no clear proof of what happened, other than in a few individual cases where documentary evidence...

Other Questions: Adoption Registration (13 Jun 2018)

Katherine Zappone: When preparing a reply for the Deputy's important question, the information from the AAI was that, between 2010 and now, it has been contacted by 141 people looking for information that the authority did not have. Who are these people? They are children who suspected they were adopted, mothers who gave their children up for adoption and relatives who were aware that family members were...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Birth Certificates (13 Jun 2018)

Katherine Zappone: The ground-breaking Children and Family Relationships Act 2015 reforms and updates family law to address the needs of children living in diverse family types. My colleague, the Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, has responsibility for Parts 2 and 3 of the Act, which make provision for children conceived through the assistance of a donor and provide legal clarity on parental rights and...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Birth Certificates (13 Jun 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I thank the Deputy again for raising these exceedingly important issues, which are particularly important and significant for me also. I was fully aware of and delighted to hear that the Deputy was at the meeting on Sunday. I spoke to the director of LGBT Ireland on Sunday night to hear how the meeting had gone. I am deeply conscious of the experiences of parents like the couple the Deputy...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Birth Certificates (13 Jun 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I thank the Deputy again. This is a critical issue and I appreciate greatly the Deputy raising it. The Deputy's question about research on the impact on young people reminded me of the first piece of research I had on children expressing what it meant for them to be children of LGBT families but not recognised as such. This was prior to the marriage equality referendum and it was called...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Illegal Adoptions (13 Jun 2018)

Katherine Zappone: As I indicated earlier, I have asked an independent reviewer 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 to commence this process took place yesterday and I expect the analysis to be completed...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Adoption Registration (13 Jun 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I am very open to a wider investigation into the issue of illegal registrations. There is no question about that. At the same time, I am also saying that it is critical to take this one step at a time. After it had identified the "adopted from birth" signifier on the index cards, it took Tusla a number of months to ensure, through the cross-registration process, that we had evidence of...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Internet Safety (13 Jun 2018)

Katherine Zappone: The ICGAG was established in 2013 by the then Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources. The purpose was to assess existing provisions for safer and better Internet strategies. The report of the group included a number of recommendations which have application across various Departments. The Deputy will appreciate that I do not have lead ministerial policy responsibility...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Internet Safety (13 Jun 2018)

Katherine Zappone: The Deputy raises a couple of issues in the context of my Ministry and my Department and also regarding my role as an Independent Minister. Given that we discussed these issues at the committee, she knows I am open to the idea of appointing a digital safety commissioner. If that is what we ultimately decide is the best way to move forward, then let us do it. In terms of the action plan that...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Internet Safety (13 Jun 2018)

Katherine Zappone: Does the Deputy think the establishment of a digital safety commission would act as a magic wand?