Results 301-320 of 7,359 for speaker:Katherine Zappone

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Domestic Violence Refuges Provision (13 May 2020)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency provides funding and coordination supports to some 59 organisations that deliver a range of services for victims of domestic, sexual and gender based violence throughout the country. With regard to statistics relating to the use of Tusla-funded emergency domestic violence accommodation, Tusla has advised that data is collected retrospectively. The...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Children in Care (13 May 2020)

Katherine Zappone: I wish to thank the Deputy for her 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: National Childcare Scheme (13 May 2020)

Katherine Zappone: The National Childcare Scheme (NCS) opened to online applications on 20 November, and paper based applications became available on 13 March. I am delighted with the volume of applications submitted so far, with over 31,500 applications received relating to over 40,900 children. The Scheme represents the first statutory entitlement to financial support for childcare. It has always been...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Abuse (13 May 2020)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, have confirmed that the Child Abuse Substantiation Procedures are still in development, and will be subject to ongoing review. I wish to clarify that, at the time this question was originally tabled by the Deputy, Tusla advised that the outcome of the consultation process would be concluded by May, with a final report published in June. My officials are...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Funding (13 May 2020)

Katherine Zappone: The broader responsibility for psychotherapy services falls under the remit of the Health Service Executive (HSE). Following engagement with the Deputy's office, the Department understands that the Deputy's question relates to a specific counselling service in the Galway area. Tusla, the Child and Family Agency commissions the provision of community-based counselling from voluntary service...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Expenditure (13 May 2020)

Katherine Zappone: If the rate of employer PRSI was increased to 15.75% it would affect 12 staff members in my Department. Circular 17/2019 sets out the adjustments to the pay of civil servants on 1 September 2019 as provided for under the Public Service Pay and Pensions Act 2017 and includes details of pay scales over €100,000. Please find a link below for your information.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: School Completion Programme (13 May 2020)

Katherine Zappone: The estimated cost of increasing investment in the School Completion Programme by one third is €8.2m.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education (13 May 2020)

Katherine Zappone: The Exchequer invests over €300m per annum in the ECCE programme and hence a certain amount of controls must be in place. The average payment per child is €75 per week which amounts to €2,850 per annum, or for the standard groups of 11 or 22 children, €31,350 and €62,700 retrospectively. This by its nature demands a certain amount of governance and...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency (13 May 2020)

Katherine Zappone: The aims and objectives of the statutory Educational Welfare Service (EWS) are to ensure that every child attends school regularly and vindicate every child’s entitlement to a certain minimum education. Educational Welfare Officers (EWOs) work with families and children to overcome barriers to their school attendance, participation and retention; and work closely with schools,...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency (13 May 2020)

Katherine Zappone: The following tables detail the number of referrals made to the Educational Welfare Service (EWS) of the Tusla Education Support Service (TESS). It is important to note that EWS only became a referral-based service in the academic year 2016/2017 and as such relevant data is only available since that particular school year. The data is gathered on an academic year basis i.e. From September to...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Abuse (13 May 2020)

Katherine Zappone: I wish to clarify for the Deputy that Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, does not collate the number of cases founded/unfounded for the purposes of reporting. However, I have been informed that the Service Director leading on the roll out of Tusla’s Child Abuse Substantiation Policy (CASP) has confirmed that a paper is being developed in respect of data collection to enhance...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Ombudsman for Children (13 May 2020)

Katherine Zappone: The expenditure allocation for the Office of the Ombudsman for Children in each of the years 2018, 2019 and 2020 is as follows: Office of the Ombudsman for Children 2018* 2019 2020 Allocation €2.633m €2.747m €2.865m *The figure for the 2018 allocation reflects a reduction...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Qualifications (13 May 2020)

Katherine Zappone: As per the Pobal Sector Profile Report 2018/2019, 25% of the staff who work directly with children in early learning and care services hold a qualification at least at Level 7 on the National Framework of Qualifications. On this basis and considering that the maximum amount of funding available under the most recent Learner Fund bursary in 2019 was €750 per practitioner completing a...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services (13 May 2020)

Katherine Zappone: The Department of Children and Youth Affairs recruited a National Childminding Coordinator in 2019 who put in place a team of 6 Childminding Development Officers within City and County Childcare Committees around the country, with a regional remit. The Officers work with all 30 City and County Childcare Committees to prepare the childminding sector for the move towards wider regulation and...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services (13 May 2020)

Katherine Zappone: My officials have asked Tusla to respond directly to the Deputy on this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Foster Care Expenditure (13 May 2020)

Katherine Zappone: I have no plans to change the rate of the Foster Care Allowance at this time. However, my Department is undertaking an extensive review of the Child Care Act 1991, and will examine foster care arrangements as part of this review. I acknowledge foster carers as the backbone of our child care services. Foster care is the preferred option in Ireland for children who cannot live with their...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services (13 May 2020)

Katherine Zappone: In the course of drawing up the 2018-19 contracts for both the Childcare Subvention Plus (CCSP) and Training and Education Childcare (TEC) programmes, the launch date of the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) was still under consideration but was expected to coincide with or begin shortly after the launch of the 2019-2020 programme year. To address this, the term of the contracts which, in the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Expenditure (13 May 2020)

Katherine Zappone: Included below for the Deputy’s information as requested; In relation to the expenditure incurred by my Department in each of the years 2012 to 2015, set out in the first table is my Department’s gross allocation and outturn for the years in question: Gross €,000 2012 2013 2014 2015 Allocation ...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services (13 May 2020)

Katherine Zappone: The Deputy is aware that theCOVID-19 Pandemic has created major challenges for Ireland. The sudden closure of centre-based Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) services on 12th March was an unexpected but necessary move to safeguard public health in Ireland. The Deputy will also be aware that on May 7thI announced new, emergency measures to support essential health...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (13 May 2020)

Katherine Zappone: The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an unprecedented situation that has required a series of emergency responses from the Government. I am acutely aware of the particular impact the pandemic and the emergency measures have had on Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) providers. I am also very conscious of the importance of the ELC and SAC sector, particularly in...