Results 4,501-4,520 of 7,359 for speaker:Katherine Zappone

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Staff (13 Jul 2017)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla has advised that there are currently two people employed in the Health and Wellbeing unit.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Question Heading for question(s) 1159 (13 Jul 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 (13 Jul 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 schemes 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 of...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Bodies (13 Jul 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1161 and 1162 together. The Advisory Council for Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures: the National Policy Framework for Children and Young People (2014-2020) is made up of representatives from the community and voluntary sector, as well as independent experts with experience working with and for children and young people. The Council is made up of 16 members,...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Living Wage Expenditure (13 Jul 2017)

Katherine Zappone: My Department provides standard capitation of €64.50 per week and higher capitation of €75.00 per week for childcare places under the ECCE Scheme. Given that it is a matter for each individual employer to determine the allocation of staff, resources and ratios (subject to the governing provisions with regard to ratios) from this capitation rate, it is not possible to estimate...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Funding (13 Jul 2017)

Katherine Zappone: The service to which the Deputy refers has not made an application for capital funding under the early years capital scheme, 2017. As the deadline for this has now passed, it will not be possible to facilitate an application at this stage. I understand that the service in question is faced with the prospect of closure - I have asked officials to work with the local Childcare Committee and...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services Funding (13 Jul 2017)

Katherine Zappone: The Department has made €1m in funding available to services that identified themselves as potentially being impacted by staff eligibility changes within the 2016 Regulations. This funding will ensure that said regulatory changes do not hinder service delivery or the availability of childcare places. The principles, procedures and management of funding provided from public money are...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: School Completion Programme (13 Jul 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I am retaining the grant in its current form for the present, pending a decision on alternative approaches. In 1994 the Department of Social Welfare opened a grant scheme to provide counselling supports to children who had experienced bereavement or loss. This grant scheme then passed to the Family Support Agency (FSA) when it was established in 2003 and subsequently to Tusla on...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Traveller Data (13 Jul 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I am advised by the Educational Welfare Service ( EWS ) of Tusla that they do not gather data specifically on school attendance and participation among Traveller children. Schools are obliged to notify Tusla EWS where children are absent in excess of 20 days in any school year. This applies to all children attending the school (including Traveller children). Similarly, schools make...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Traveller Education (13 Jul 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I am advised by the Education and Welfare Service of Tusla that in line with Department of Education and Skills policy on the phasing out of segregated Traveller provision, the Visiting Teachers Service for Travellers was discontinued with effect from September 2011. The Department of Education and Skills advised the funding costs for the final full year of the programme in 2010 was...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: School Attendance Data (13 Jul 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I am advised by the Education and Welfare Service ( EWS ) of Tusla, that they do not gather national or regional data specifically on school attendance and participation among children experiencing homelessness. For many children in temporary accommodation school attendance is maintained, particularly if the family is accommodated close to where the children currently attend school. ...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Family Resource Centres (13 Jul 2017)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, administers the Family Resource Centre (FRC) Programme. As the FRC Programme is managed by Tusla, it is a matter for that organisation to make decisions regarding the inclusion or non-inclusion of Family Resource Centres to the programme. My Department has no role in accepting applications from any persons who wish to receive funding for the establishment...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: National Youth Strategy (13 Jul 2017)

Katherine Zappone: The Programme for Government (2016) gives a commitment to develop a National LGBTI+ Youth Strategy. A specific focus on LGBTI+ Youth will aim to ensure that appropriate measures are taken so that young members of the LGBTI+ Community are not in any way prevented from achieving their full potential. Better Outcomes Brighter Futures, The National Policy Framework for Children and Young People...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Area Based Childhood Programme (13 Jul 2017)

Katherine Zappone: The Area Based Childhood (ABC) Programme is a joint prevention and early intervention initiative, led by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs (DCYA) in conjunction with The Atlantic Philanthropies (Atlantic). The ABC Programme commenced in 2013 and was designed as a time-bound, co-funding agreement in the amount of €29.7 million to 2017. In late 2016, my Department secured...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Appointments to State Boards Data (13 Jul 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I can inform the Deputy that I do not have this information. Applications for State Board positions are made through the Public Appointments Service.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Affordable Child Care Scheme: Discussion (12 Jul 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I congratulate the Chairman on his appointment. I look forward to working with him again following our previous work together on the justice committee. I welcome his opening remarks, particularly his emphasis on that what we do being is above party politics. That has been my experience when I have appeared before the committee. I hope some of the demonstration of that will be seen in my...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Affordable Child Care Scheme: Discussion (12 Jul 2017)

Katherine Zappone: The tendering process was-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Affordable Child Care Scheme: Discussion (12 Jul 2017)

Katherine Zappone: Is the Deputy asking when it will be ready to be implemented?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Affordable Child Care Scheme: Discussion (12 Jul 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I will begin with those last two more technical questions. I appreciate the Deputy's positive comments. It is a huge step forward and, therefore, again, it is important to get it right and be as careful as we can. In this regard, the committee will be aware that we are in a peer review process with the OGCIO. The Deputy asked questions about the simplification of language. It is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Affordable Child Care Scheme: Discussion (12 Jul 2017)

Katherine Zappone: It is really too early to give a definitive answer to Deputy O'Sullivan's first question about the timeline. I am trying to outline the various numerous steps, much of which are technical and are in the context of the peer review process. We have no control over the steps we must go through. To be a part of this process is to ensure that mistakes of the past such as PPARS are not repeated....