Results 3,321-3,340 of 7,359 for speaker:Katherine Zappone

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (1 May 2018)

Katherine Zappone: With regard to the statutory Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters), it is firstly important to recognise that the Commission is independent in the conduct of its investigations. I am conscious that revisiting difficult personal experiences when giving testimony to a Commission would be distressing for those involved. I know that some people may...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Correspondence (1 May 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I am unclear as to what specific information is being sought by the Deputy in his question. In the circumstances, perhaps it is best that my officials will contact the Deputy for clarification and I can follow up with him accordingly.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency (1 May 2018)

Katherine Zappone: As the Deputy's question refers to an operational matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, I have requested Tusla to respond directly to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Services Funding (1 May 2018)

Katherine Zappone: My Department provides funding to Kerry Diocesan Youth Service for youth services under the Special Projects for Youth scheme which supports projects which target young people who are disadvantaged including young Travellers and young people who are out of school and at risk of drugs, substance abuse or homelessness. Funding is also provided for a youth information centre operating in Tralee...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Children in Care (1 May 2018)

Katherine Zappone: Under the Child Care Act, 1991, as amended, and the Child and Family Agency Act 2013, Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, has a statutory duty to promote the welfare of children who are not receiving adequate care and protection. Where appropriate, children who are in need of care and protection are received into the care of the State under the Child Care Act, 1991, as amended. Regulations...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services Funding (1 May 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 391 and 392 together. Assisting childcare providers in extending their existing childcare services, or establishing new childcare services, have always been key areas of focus for my Department's capital programmes. The 2018 Early Years and School Age Childcare Capital programmes provide two strands of funding for the set-up or expansion of childcare...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Protection (1 May 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I am committed to supporting the Child and Family Agency in meeting the growing needs of children and families. I was pleased to secure an additional €40.6 million for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, in 2018. This is the third year in succession that Tusla has received a significant increase in its funding, which now amounts to over €753m. The extra resources secured...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Services Funding (1 May 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I am pleased to confirm that an extra €1.5m has been allocated in current funding to support the provision of youth services in 2018. This will bring the total current youth funding available to my Department to €58.9m. The additional funding is being used for programmes that target disadvantaged young people. My Department administers a range of funding schemes and...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Abuse (1 May 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I have written to Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, to request the information outlined by the Deputy. A further response will issue when the information has been supplied. Tusla publishes figures on a quarterly basis to indicate the length of time a case is awaiting allocation, by priority level. At the end of Q3 2017, the most recent validated data published, 63% of high priority...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Protection (1 May 2018)

Katherine Zappone: The Child Care Act, 1991 applies to all children resident in the State irrespective of their immigration status. Under the Child Care Act, 1991 and the Child and Family Agency Act 2013, Tusla has a duty to promote the welfare of children who are not receiving adequate care or protection. The Agency is obliged to provide care for these children for as long as their welfare requires it. ...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Aftercare Services Provision (1 May 2018)

Katherine Zappone: As the Deputy is aware, the responsibility of my Department for children and young adults leaving institutional care relates specifically to those who are or have been in the care of the State. As the Deputy will also know, the aftercare provisions of the Child Care (Amendment) Act 2015 came into force on the first of September last. This means that there is now a statutory obligation on...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Protection (1 May 2018)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, provides financial support to a large number of organisations involved in the provision of services to children at risk. Grants are issued to service providers that work in conjunction with Tusla, as well as to local school completion projects and to voluntary organisations. The total expenditure in the form of grants paid by Tusla came to some...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Services Funding (1 May 2018)

Katherine Zappone: My Department administers a range of funding schemes and programmes to support the provision of youth services to young people throughout the country, including those from disadvantaged communities. The funding schemes support national and local youth work involving approximately 1,400 youth work staff working in youth services and communities throughout the country. In 2017, an amount...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Cyberbullying Issues (1 May 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I am conscious of the issue referred to by the Deputy. The internet is an increasingly valuable resource for everyone, including children and young people, but it also exposes people to new risks, including the risk of cyberbullying. A range of Government Departments and agencies have a role in relation to internet safety, including: the Department of Justice and Equality, which has...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Services Provision (1 May 2018)

Katherine Zappone: Concerns and stress, at different levels of severity, experienced by children and young people can arise from many aspects of their lives, from issues related to, for example, their home or school life, physical or mental health, health risk behaviours, parental relationships, friendship networks, social disadvantage, life experiences as a being part of minority or marginalised group, being a...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: School Placement (26 Apr 2018)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla Educational Welfare Services has advised that it has not received a referral from St. Peter’s Community School, Passage West, Co. Cork in relation to the child’s absence from school. However, the local Educational Welfare Officer (EWO) has spoken to the child’s mother by phone on a number of occasions in an advisory capacity. The young person is a 3rd year student...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education (25 Apr 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I have committed my Department to producing Ireland’s first-ever National Early Years Strategy later this year. The National Early Years Strategy will focus on the period of early childhood, from birth to age five, and will cover various aspects of children's lives. The strategy will take a joined-up, cross-government approach to the issue of supporting children and their families...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Services Provision (25 Apr 2018)

Katherine Zappone: My Department administers a range of funding schemes and programmes to support the provision of youth services to young people throughout the country including those from disadvantaged communities. Finglas Youth Resource Centre is funded under my Department’s Young Peoples Facilities and Services Fund. This fund was established by the Government in 1998 to assist in the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education Data (25 Apr 2018)

Katherine Zappone: The figures provided in the following table are from the Early Years Sector Profile 2016/17. The figures from the current pre-school year will be published later this year. County 3-5 year olds capacity Carlow 1,689 Cavan 1,919 Clare 3,121 Cork City 3,102 Cork County 10,968 Donegal 4,197 Dublin - Dublin City 10,873 Dublin - Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown 4,926 Dublin - Fingal...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education (25 Apr 2018)

Katherine Zappone: In the absence of clarification, which was requested from the Deputy's Office, I understand that the Deputy's question states that there are only 9 services in the Dublin 4 area which offer sessional ECCE places.  I would however like to clarify that, in the 2017/2018 programme year, 27 services in the Dublin 4 area are providing ECCE, 9 of which are sessional...