Results 3,921-3,940 of 5,087 for speaker:Kathleen Funchion

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2019: Committee Stage (23 Oct 2019)

Kathleen Funchion: I feel really strongly on this. I believe it is open to interpretation. The Minister is saying they might not be considered a witness on party to all proceedings. However, once the word "witness" is mentioned there, they might be seen as only a witness. This comes from the stakeholders and from people who deal with child welfare cases in the courts system. They are fairly adamant about...

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2019: Committee Stage (23 Oct 2019)

Kathleen Funchion: They are party to the proceedings. That is what the stakeholders I deal with every day are saying.

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2019: Committee Stage (23 Oct 2019)

Kathleen Funchion: I would be suspicious given that our main amendment, which goes right to the heart of the interests and right of the child, was ruled out of order. I find it very difficult to take the advice we are being given from the other side. We are dealing with people who deal with them every day-----

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2019: Committee Stage (23 Oct 2019)

Kathleen Funchion: -----who are telling us that the word "witness"-----

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2019: Committee Stage (23 Oct 2019)

Kathleen Funchion: -----will demote the role of a guardian ad litem. We can have an argument all day, but I will press the amendment.

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2019: Committee Stage (23 Oct 2019)

Kathleen Funchion: I move amendment No. 23: In page 10, line 22, after “subsection (1)” to insert the following: “, which reasons must relate to the Data Protection Regulation and/or the Data Protection Act 2018 and/or legal professional privilege.”.

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2019: Committee Stage (23 Oct 2019)

Kathleen Funchion: I wish to make a few concluding remarks on this matter. I was genuinely disappointed that amendment No. 2, which went to the heart of the Bill, was ruled out of order. It spoke to the reason the guardian ad litemsystem exists in the first instance. I understand and accept the point the Minister has made about a child who might not want to have a guardian ad litemor about straightforward...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services Funding (22 Oct 2019)

Kathleen Funchion: 62. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the reason for delays in Pobal payments or shortfalls in payments to early years service providers since August 2019; the reason there has been no correspondence or notifications made by Pobal with the service providers affected in advance of the delays; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43276/19]

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services Funding (22 Oct 2019)

Kathleen Funchion: This question relates to childcare and early years services and the delays or shortfalls in Pobal payments to them since August of this year and why there has been no correspondence or notifications made by Pobal with the services affected.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services Funding (22 Oct 2019)

Kathleen Funchion: There has to be some misinformation somewhere regarding this because that is not the case for many services in Kilkenny which have contacted me to say that they are dipping into their own money to try to pay staff wages because there has been such a delay. The problem that they have is that nobody is talking to them. They have to chase down Pobal, and nobody is coming to them to say that...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services Funding (22 Oct 2019)

Kathleen Funchion: I will forward this information to the Minister afterwards. The issue relating to the service providers is not the delays. Everyone in life understands that there are delays and glitches with systems. The issue is the lack of communication and preliminary payments being made and then taken back, with no explanation. That seems to be the big issue for the services. I will forward this...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: School Completion Programme (22 Oct 2019)

Kathleen Funchion: It is really important that the school completion co-ordinators are totally involved in that consultation process. I know there have been some governance issues and I accept that. They also did have a proposal going back a few years at this stage in respect of being brought in under the education and training boards, ETBs, for their governance issues. I had concerns when it was taken out...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: School Completion Programme (22 Oct 2019)

Kathleen Funchion: 60. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the status of the promised review of the school completion programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43273/19]

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: School Completion Programme (22 Oct 2019)

Kathleen Funchion: I would like an update from the Minister regarding the review of the school completion programme.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: School Completion Programme (22 Oct 2019)

Kathleen Funchion: I thank the Minister for her reply. The Minister is aware that I am an advocate of this programme and I can never say enough good about it. This service follows the needs of the child and is not based on the child having first come to the attention of Tusla in order to get assistance. Under this programme, it does not matter who the child's parents are or what is going on in his or her...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Foster Care Provision (22 Oct 2019)

Kathleen Funchion: I would welcome it if the Minister would specifically look into this region as to why there are such difficulties and so many problems there. Part of the problem is obviously around resources and the need for additional social workers because there are many vacancies but we also must ensure that those social workers stay in the region. We all know that the last thing a vulnerable child...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Foster Care Provision (22 Oct 2019)

Kathleen Funchion: 53. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the steps taken to rectify the state of understaffing and lack of professional oversight in the social care system for children in County Kilkenny since the recent HIQA report on foster care services in the county; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43281/19]

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Foster Care Provision (22 Oct 2019)

Kathleen Funchion: My question relates to the recent HIQA report on the Carlow, Kilkenny and Tipperary area. What steps has the Minister taken to rectify the state of understaffing and lack of professional oversight in the social care system for children in the areas I have mentioned since the recent HIQA report on foster care services in the area? Will she make a statement on the matter?

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Foster Care Provision (22 Oct 2019)

Kathleen Funchion: The Minister has described it as "disappointing". I would go further and say it is totally unacceptable. We have a serious issue in the region with regard to Tusla and its attitude. Part of the reason for the high staff turnover is the very defensive culture in the agency, which does not lend itself to people wanting to work there. On numerous occasions, I have tried to get answers from...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Domestic Violence Refuges Provision (22 Oct 2019)

Kathleen Funchion: 70. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the reason a refuge (details supplied) was refused funding in Budget 2020; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43274/19]