Results 3,941-3,960 of 7,359 for speaker:Katherine Zappone

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Homeless Persons Supports (6 Dec 2017)

Katherine Zappone: The Food Access and Nutritional Health among Families in Emergency Homeless Accommodation report by Dr Michelle Share and Ms Marita Hennessy was published in August of this year. The report, which was jointly funded by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and the Department of Health, outlined the negative impact food poverty has on the health and well-being of children living in...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services Funding (6 Dec 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I am acutely aware of the sustainability challenges facing certain childcare providers; including those in rural or less densely populated areas. As the deputy may be aware, my Department made €1m of ‘Sustainability Funding’ available in 2017 to support services, which was directed towards those services that had been most severely impacted by staff qualification...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Expenditure (6 Dec 2017)

Katherine Zappone: As my Department was established in June 2011, there is no expenditure incurred for the period concerned.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Years Sector (6 Dec 2017)

Katherine Zappone: The Department of Children and Youth Affairs invests significant resources in the early years sector. In the last three Budgets (2016, 2017 and 2018) investment in Early Years sector has increased by some 87% which reflects the emphasis being placed on developing a quality service with appropriately supported staff. This has helped to address affordability, access and quality, although it...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Services (5 Dec 2017)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency provides a range of services to children experiencing a wide variety of social, emotional, and behavioural problems. Play therapy is an important element of service provision, both in order to assess the needs of children, and to determine the care and supports required in each case. I have asked Tusla to provide the information requested directly to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Funding (5 Dec 2017)

Katherine Zappone: Details of the funding provided by my Department to the members of the group and the nature of the disbursements in each of the past two years are set out in the following table: - 2015 2016 Purpose of payments BeLong To €199,585 €189,484 Provision of youth services ICTU (Irish Congress of Trade Unions) €6,925 €7,098 Youth Officer Grant Funding

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education Programmes (5 Dec 2017)

Katherine Zappone: Overage exemptions were introduced at the onset of the ECCE programme, at that time only operated for a 38 week period, or one programme year. For some children with special/additional needs, attending preschool five days a week was not feasible and so therefore an allowance was made. Their ECCE place was split over 2 years, e.g. a child may have availed of 3 days ECCE provision in year one...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Paediatric Services (5 Dec 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I can inform the Deputy that I have received the correspondence in question. I replied to the person concerned. The contents have been noted but the subject in question is for the Department of Health. I have forwarded the correspondence to Minister Simon Harris TD, Minister for Health, for his appropriate attention and direct reply.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Freedom of Information Data (5 Dec 2017)

Katherine Zappone: Number Freedom of Information Requests Received in 2017: 87 Granted 28 Part Granted 36 Refused 14 Withdrawn 3 Pending 6

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Freedom of Information Data (5 Dec 2017)

Katherine Zappone: The number Freedom of Information requests received so far in 2017 is 87. In a small number of cases a decision would issue shortly after the due date for response. A time extension of up to 4 weeks under Section 14 (1) of the FOI Act 2014 was sought in only 1 case due to volume of records involved.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (5 Dec 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to bring the Expert Technical Group report to cabinet next week and, with the agreement of Government, publish the report shortly thereafter.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Social Workers Recruitment (5 Dec 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I have asked my officials to forward the question to Tusla so that they can correspond with you directly on this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Social Workers Recruitment (5 Dec 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I have asked my officials to forward the question to Tusla so that they can correspond with you directly on this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Expenditure (30 Nov 2017)

Katherine Zappone: Details of the capital expenditure incurred by my Department since its establishment in June 2011 are as follows: 2011 €000 2012 €000 2013 €000 2014 €000 2015 €000 2016 €000 2017 (to date) €000 Childcare Programmes 4,450 6,500 3,223 3,250 8,250 7,000 12,900 Youth Justice n/a 1,350 3,408 38,398 10,999 1,172 273 Youth Organisations...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services Expenditure (30 Nov 2017)

Katherine Zappone: The funding provided by the Department has always been intended to be sufficient to cater for all of the costs associated with the childcare programmes funded, including administrative and "Non-contact" work, or to fund this pro-rata where the Department's contribution is a part of the total cost of care provided. As such, it is not possible to provide a breakdown of funding paid in respect...

Topical Issue Debate: Child Care Services (29 Nov 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I thank Deputy Collins for raising this issue. I can confirm that officials from my Department met with representatives from the Inchicore Childcare Professional Group earlier this year, as the Deputy mentioned. As the Deputy has outlined, at this meeting the group submitted a report on a wide range of issues which it felt were having a negative impact on the lives of children and young...

Topical Issue Debate: Child Care Services (29 Nov 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I thank Deputy Collins again. She represents the concerns and interests of her people very well. It is important that she is able to do that and I hear the concerns. Over the course of the years I have been working, I have had the opportunity to go to Inchicore and to meet some of the people there. I have come into contact with some of the real challenges which the Deputy has identified...

Questions on Promised Legislation (29 Nov 2017)

Katherine Zappone: The ISPCC is an excellent organisation with which my officials and I work very closely on a number of fronts. Most recently, we have worked with it on the cases of children who have been made homeless. It is regrettable that it has decided that it has to close the office in Waterford and the two services it provides there. I understand from our recent conversations with it that any child...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Detention Centres (29 Nov 2017)

Katherine Zappone: In 2016, Oberstown Children Detention Campus was provided with funding totalling €20.713 million. Oberstown provided 54 detention places in 2016. They consist of 48 male detention places and 6 female detention places. The weekly cost for one detention place is €7,376.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Detention Centres (29 Nov 2017)

Katherine Zappone: In 2016, Oberstown Children Detention Campus was provided with funding totalling €20.713 million. Oberstown provided 54 detention places in 2016. They consist of 48 male detention places and 6 female detention places. The annual cost for one detention place is €383,574.