Results 361-380 of 7,359 for speaker:Katherine Zappone

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services (5 Mar 2020)

Katherine Zappone: From 2017 to December 2019 there were two insurance underwriters offering insurance to the childcare sector in Ireland – Allianz and Ironshore.  On the 6th December Ironshore notified their 1,300 clients that they would be withdrawing from the market.  On 17th December, the broker who had provided the Ironshore underwriting services informed their customers that they had...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services (5 Mar 2020)

Katherine Zappone: Research evidence indicates that an important driver of high quality in early learning and care provision is continuing professional development (CPD) for practitioners. To overcome identified challenges in accessing CPD courses, the Department of Children and Youth Affairs are currently piloting the introduction of a limited number of approved CPD courses through the Better Start...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Staff (5 Mar 2020)

Katherine Zappone: The Deputy is referring to an operational matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. I have therefore referred the matter to Tusla, and asked that a direct response be provided to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Services (5 Mar 2020)

Katherine Zappone: The Tusla Education Support Service (TESS) has provided my department with the table attached below identifying the five different regions and number of Education Welfare Officers (EWO) in each region. Region 1 Southern Area: Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Clare, Tipperary. Region 2 South County Dublin, Kildare, Wicklow, Waterford, Wexford, Carlow, Kilkenny. ...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Domestic Violence Refuges Provision (5 Mar 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: Childcare Services (5 Mar 2020)

Katherine Zappone: The Draft Childminding Action Plan sets out a phased approach to achieving Government commitments in First 5,the Whole-of-Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and Families. The Draft Childminding Action Plan is firmly based on the 2018 report of the Working Group on Reforms and Supports for the Childminding Sector ('Pathway to a Quality Support and Assurance System for...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services Funding (5 Mar 2020)

Katherine Zappone: My Department has not provided any payments to providers of early learning and care services  to assist with insurance costs. I did make a Programme Support Payment in December in recognition of the administrative burdens faced by the childcare providers by the need for most to renew their Tusla registration, the introducing of the National Childcare Scheme and the need...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services (5 Mar 2020)

Katherine Zappone: From 2017 to December 2019 there were two insurance underwriters offering insurance to the childcare sector in Ireland – Allianz and Ironshore.  On the 6th December Ironshore notified their 1,300 clients that they would be withdrawing from the market.  On 17th December, the broker who had provided the Ironshore underwriting services informed their customers that they had...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Services (5 Mar 2020)

Katherine Zappone: Commissioning of services is an operational matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. I have requested that Tusla respond to the Deputy directly on this matter. The Slainte centre accommodates 7 staff currently from Tusla Dublin North PPFS (Partnership Prevention and Family Support Team) This team offers the following services 1 Meitheal 2 Family Support 3 Parenting...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Childcare Services (18 Dec 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Did the Deputy check that?

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Childcare Services (18 Dec 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I thank the Deputies for their comments. I take the points that Deputy Sherlock is making on the differences in the costs of Early Childhood Ireland members and those who are not members and how the risk profile is not necessarily different. These are good questions which I will raise as part of the ongoing considerations. On other issues, including the call from Deputy Rabbitte for an...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Childcare Services (18 Dec 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The cost of insurance for the childcare sector has come into focus in the past few weeks. This has arisen following the withdrawal of an insurance provider from the Irish market and the confirmation that another could not be found. This is undoubtedly causing distress to providers and worry to parents. I acknowledge there are many providers who are facing increased insurance costs....

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Family Support Services (18 Dec 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency administers the Family Resource Centre (FRC) Programme. Applications to the programme are an operational matter for Tusla. The additional funding for FRCs secured in Budget 2019 will be retained in 2020, ensuring that overall funding for the FRC Programme will remain at €18 million. This funding will be used to...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Children in Care (18 Dec 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The Deputy is referring to an operational matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. I have therefore referred the matter to Tusla, and asked that a direct response be provided to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services Provision (18 Dec 2019)

Katherine Zappone: As the matters to which the Deputy refers are an operational matter for Tusla, I have requested Tusla to respond to the Deputy directly within 10 working days.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Staff Data (18 Dec 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The number of new staff recruited to my Department between January 1st 2019 and December 13th 2019 is 44 and are outlined in the following table. Position Number Principal Officer 4 Professional Accountant Grade 1 1 Assistant Principal 15 Higher Executive Officer ...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services (18 Dec 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The National Childcare Scheme (NCS) is designed to improve the accessibility and affordability of quality childcare for families.  In replacing the legacy schemes, the Scheme entails a fundamental shift away from subsidies grounded in medical card and social protection entitlements, and towards a comprehensive and progressive system of universal and income-based...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Advertising Data (18 Dec 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The Department of Children and Youth Affairs did not incur expenditure on advertising relating to Brexit in 2018 or 2019. 

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education (18 Dec 2019)

Katherine Zappone: As Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, I am conscious of the value of supporting the provision of services in the Irish language to children at an early age, and of the role pre-schools can play in promoting Irish as a living language. My Department provides many supports to facilitate Irish-medium early learning and care services to operate through Irish.  In...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Personal Injury Claims (18 Dec 2019)

Katherine Zappone: There are no plans to publish the information to which the Deputy refers.