Results 3,661-3,680 of 7,359 for speaker:Katherine Zappone

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Protection (22 Feb 2018)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, has a statutory duty under the Child Care Act 1991 to promote the welfare of children who are not receiving adequate care and protection, and if necessary, to receive a child into the care of the State. The placement of children in care is governed by Regulations and National Standards. These provide for the welfare of the child, including their...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Misuse of Drugs (22 Feb 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 205 and 207 together. Although I have no function with regard to monitoring substance abuse in children, my Department provides funding to youth projects that are located in disadvantaged areas where a significant addiction problem exists or has the potential to develop. The objective is to attract "at risk" young people into activities and...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Homeless Persons Supports (22 Feb 2018)

Katherine Zappone: While the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government has ultimate responsibility for managing homelessness, I am committed to helping children and families who are experiencing homelessness by making services and supports available that will bring some normality and structure to their lives. This is part of the whole-of-Government response to the problem of homelessness. Where...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Cyber Security Policy (22 Feb 2018)

Katherine Zappone: My Department does not have a lead responsibility in this area and, accordingly, does not have specific measures of the type described by the Deputy. Combatting online child grooming is a matter for my colleague the Minister for Justice and Equality, Mr.Charlie Flanagan T.D., and is addressed as part of a wide-ranging package of measures aimed at the reform of Ireland's criminal law...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Staff (22 Feb 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I am satisfied that Department is adequately resourced to carry out its functions and services. Since my appointment as Minister, the staffing complement has grown from 181 to 248 people, with a further cohort currently being recruited which will bring the total staffing numbers to some 276 people before end 2018. The increase in staffing numbers reflects the continuing growth in the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services (22 Feb 2018)

Katherine Zappone: In Ireland, the administration of the protection process, including Direct Provision and supports to asylum seekers, comes under the remit of the Department of Justice and Equality. However, 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, the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Counselling Services Provision (22 Feb 2018)

Katherine Zappone: Under the Child and Family Agency Act, 2013, Tusla, the Child and Family Agency is required to support and promote the development, welfare and protection of children. Tusla provides funding to voluntary organisations offering a range of counselling and support services to children and families including: - Marriage and relationship counselling, - Child counselling, - Rainbows...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Cybersecurity for Children and Young Adults: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Feb 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I thank the Chairman and members of this committee for the interest they have shown in this important topic. I believe the issue of safety for children engaging in online activity presents a very serious challenge. Protecting children from online abuse, bullying, grooming and sites with harmful content requires a whole-of-government approach. While the Internet is not age-bound and the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Cybersecurity for Children and Young Adults: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Feb 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I had a sense of that. I can come back to a few more matters that I wanted to address in my opening statement. I look forward to our discussion today and to the open policy debate that will happen on 8 March. In order to advance matters, I think we agree that we need to develop some form of action plan as a result of these processes. I appreciate the committee's influence and input in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Cybersecurity for Children and Young Adults: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Feb 2018)

Katherine Zappone: On the issue of phones and on the matter of the digital safety commissioner, whatever decisions we come to with regard to draft recommendations as a basis of the open policy debate, influenced by what the Ministers have presented to us, most of the deliberations are the deliberations of adults. Yes, we listen to children in different circumstances, and there are case studies and events, but...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Cybersecurity for Children and Young Adults: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Feb 2018)

Katherine Zappone: If ultimately that was the decision of Government, yes. It is important to ask if that is the decision of Government. The Deputy is asking about a recommendation in a report of 2014. We are here today to talk about a process we are identifying in 2018 where, in light of the various things that have changed and are going on in different Departments, we are coming into the context of an open...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Cybersecurity for Children and Young Adults: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Feb 2018)

Katherine Zappone: May I finish or does the Deputy want to interrupt me?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Cybersecurity for Children and Young Adults: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Feb 2018)

Katherine Zappone: No, it did not.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Cybersecurity for Children and Young Adults: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Feb 2018)

Katherine Zappone: In this Government. Does the Deputy mean formally? Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Cybersecurity for Children and Young Adults: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Feb 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I was.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Cybersecurity for Children and Young Adults: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Feb 2018)

Katherine Zappone: The role of the digital safety commissioner will be integral to political responsibility. It will determine much in terms of who will be politically responsible. That is why I began to identify what is being done in other jurisdictions in that regard, as recommended by the Law Reform Commission. Australia is one of the models of good practice to which reference has been made. The office...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Cybersecurity for Children and Young Adults: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Feb 2018)

Katherine Zappone: Deputy Mitchell specifically mentioned Tusla, to which I referred in my opening remarks. From our perspective, children need to be protected online and offline, both of which are real worlds for them. Issues in terms of Internet and cyberbullying and so on emerge in the context of much of the work currently being carried out by Tusla. It is part of the work carried out with families by the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Cybersecurity for Children and Young Adults: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Feb 2018)

Katherine Zappone: As Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, I want to acknowledge how important and how significant the Internet and the online world is for children in a really positive way, socially, educationally and developmentally, because I do not think we have mentioned that as much in this session as we are so concerned, and it is right that we are, to ensure that we provide the appropriate...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Guardians Ad Litem (21 Feb 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I am working to reform the current Guardian ad litem arrangements for children in child care proceedings. The objectives of these reforms are to extend the Guardian ad litem system to benefit the greatest number of children and young people, and to provide a service that is high quality and sustainable into the future. In response to the Joint Committee for Children and Youth Affairs...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (21 Feb 2018)

Katherine Zappone: As I advised the House last week, I am in the process of setting up the Selection Panel to oversee the independent selection of representatives to a Collaborative Forum of former residents of mother and baby homes and related institutions. The establishment of the Collaborative Forum is a new approach in the State’s response to the theme of “nothing about us without...