Results 3,981-4,000 of 7,359 for speaker:Katherine Zappone

Other Questions: Child Care Services Funding (28 Nov 2017)

Katherine Zappone: The total capital budget allocation for 2016 and 2017 was increased during each programme's run-in response to the extraordinary levels of demand from providers. Those increases were achieved through moving funds that arose out of savings and underspends elsewhere in my Department. For 2017, the total allocation ended up being €12.4 million. While the current capital allocation for...

Other Questions: Child Care Services Funding (28 Nov 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I will have my eye on that, which is all I can say for now.

Other Questions: Youth Services Funding (28 Nov 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I am aware, not just from the Deputy's question but also from my work, of the significant level of disadvantage in County Laois. As the Deputy says, there has been a certain amount of investment, particularly in the special projects for youth scheme. I have talked about other investment in County Laois, but we are focusing, in particular, on the special projects for youth scheme. The...

Other Questions: Youth Services Funding (28 Nov 2017)

Katherine Zappone: Exactly.

Other Questions: Youth Services Funding (28 Nov 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I will check. I understand the points made by the Deputy.

Other Questions: Youth Services Funding (28 Nov 2017)

Katherine Zappone: There has been a new mapping exercise and a profiling that gives us additional information, acknowledging the level of disadvantage in County Laois. The Deputy has pointed to the fact that applications have been made. I am trying to indicate the support of my Department to ensure successful applications can be made in the future. A general amount of money is made available and we then have...

Other Questions: Foster Care Supports (28 Nov 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I have no plans to change the rate of the foster care allowance at this time. However, my Department has begun an extensive review of the Child Care Act 1991 and will examine foster care arrangements as part of this review. It will have regard to income support measures available to foster families generally. I acknowledge foster carers as the backbone of child care services. Foster...

Other Questions: Family Resource Centres (28 Nov 2017)

Katherine Zappone: As regards Quarryvale family resource centre and as the Deputy is aware, the funding of €86,478 covers the salaries of a full-time co-ordinator, a part-time development worker and a part-time administrator. When Quarryvale entered the programme in 2005, its original budget was set at €39,777. Whether the same criteria are used to determine the annual funding of family resource...

Other Questions: Early Years Strategy Publication (28 Nov 2017)

Katherine Zappone: Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures, the national policy framework for children and young people, contains a commitment to publish Ireland's first-ever national early years strategy. The ten-year cross-Government strategy will focus on the period of early childhood from birth to five and cover all aspects of children's lives. Given the importance of the first five years for childhood...

Other Questions: Early Years Strategy Publication (28 Nov 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I thank the Deputy. The first area she identified relates to whether we are being strategic. We do not yet have a strategy. As regards why it has been delayed, the commitment to publish the strategy coincided with a commitment to totally reform the early childhood care and education sector in Ireland. As the Deputy is aware, my Department has been engaged in many initiatives and a...

Other Questions: Early Years Strategy Publication (28 Nov 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I assure the Deputy that an implementation plan will be part of the strategy. We will draw on the learning we have gained from the experience and cross-Departmental work that has been carried out, in particular in the context of the Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures national ten-year strategy whereby high-level officials gather every quarter under my chairmanship and have worked together to...

Other Questions: Youth Services Funding (28 Nov 2017)

Katherine Zappone: Funding to staff-led youth services has generally been targeted at areas of disadvantage and not allocated in proportion to the youth population of a county. That has had an impact on Laois's funding relative to other counties. Laois youth services received €86,803 in funding in 2017 under the special projects for youth scheme. Under the scheme, grant aid is made available in...

Other Questions: Foster Care Provision (28 Nov 2017)

Katherine Zappone: HIQA sends its reports directly to me and my Department. To respond to the Deputy's last query and issue, as she says, there was an inspection of foster care services in Cork in February and a follow-up inspection at the end of August. The follow-up inspection took place before many of the actions recommended were due to be completed, as shown in Tusla's action plan as accepted by HIQA....

Other Questions: Foster Care Provision (28 Nov 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I am aware of the joint committee's recommendations. There are some details in the report, including those relating to the cost of Tusla's provision of private foster care, on which I hope to obtain more information before responding to the recommendations overall. I am happy to say some of that work with Tusla is in hand. It ties in with the recommendations of the committee. My officials...

Other Questions: Family Resource Centres (28 Nov 2017)

Katherine Zappone: Family resource centres play a really important role in communities across the country. I am personally convinced by the work they do in identifying and providing the services most needed by their communities. It is for this reason that the Government has provided additional funding of almost €3 million for family resource centres in 2018. As part of this allocation, I am pleased to...

Other Questions: Family Resource Centres (28 Nov 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I am very pleased to engage with the Deputy on this issue. I understand and I am aware of the concerns about some family resource centres throughout the country. I have an absolute commitment to and an understanding of the incredible work done by family resource centres. Therefore, I was determined to ensure we would be able to invest more next year, as well as making more support...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Early Childhood Care and Education Programmes (28 Nov 2017)

Katherine Zappone: We have made good progress in implementing the access and inclusion model, AIM, which helps children with disabilities to reap the full benefits of free preschool education. Its goal is to empower preschool providers to deliver an inclusive preschool experience. As the Deputy is aware, AIM is a child-centred model that involves seven levels of progressive support, moving from the universal...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Early Childhood Care and Education Programmes (28 Nov 2017)

Katherine Zappone: The Deputy has identified a particular case. We are speaking specifically about the AIM programme, which has had huge take-up. As I identified in my initial response, there has been just one appeal of a case of refusal in that regard. I can say in response to another one of the Deputy's supplementary questions that I have tried to identify specific timeframes for our responses at each...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Early Childhood Care and Education Programmes (28 Nov 2017)

Katherine Zappone: The good questions raised by the Deputy do not take away from the facts I have identified with regard to the timeframes that apply under the various AIM levels. I will bring back to my officials the Deputy's suggestion regarding the initiation of access to AIM in circumstances in which the direction that needs to be taken is known. I will be happy to take that back as a recommendation....

Other Questions: Foster Care Provision (28 Nov 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I welcome HIQA's important work on foster care services and the report prepared by the Oireachtas joint committee. I will respond to the joint committee by the end of the year. In Ireland, 92% of children living in care are in foster care placements, which is an enviable situation. This compares favourably to foster care services overseas. The most recent figures for England show that 74%...