Results 4,701-4,720 of 7,359 for speaker:Katherine Zappone

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Support Payments (20 Jun 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I am committed to the provision of childcare options for families that respect parental choice and reflect international evidence on how to attain the best outcomes for children. I support the Government’s extension of parental leave for parents; particularly in the crucial first year. The Government has provided additional support for stay-at-home parents through the home carer...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services Provision (20 Jun 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I have established a working group in order to make short, medium and long-term recommendations on reforms for the child minding sector. The working group is chaired by Child minding Ireland and includes officials from Tusla and DCYA. The working group's recommendations will relate to child minders who are currently exempt from registration with Tusla (i.e. those minding three or fewer...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Disability Act Employment Targets (20 Jun 2017)

Katherine Zappone: My Department operates in accordance with the Disability Act 2005 and the Code of Practice for the Employment of People with a Disability in the Irish Civil Service to promote, support and annually report on its employment of persons with disabilities. Part 5 of the Disability Act 2005 sets out the legal obligations of public service bodies: - to promote and support the employment of people...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Services Funding (20 Jun 2017)

Katherine Zappone: My Department administers a range of funding schemes and programmes to support the provision of youth services to young people throughout the country including those from disadvantaged communities. The funding schemes support national and local youth work involving approximately 1,400 youth work staff in youth services and communities throughout the country. I am pleased to confirm that...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: School Completion Programme (20 Jun 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1911 and 1912 together. I am advised by Tusla that the allocation of resources to the School Completion Programme (SCP) and Home School Community Liaison (HSCL) Programme is not linked to either postcode or electoral areas rather it is linked to schools based on the needs of the cohort of children attending each school. Currently schools provide school based...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Abuse (20 Jun 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1913 to 1915, inclusive, together. A historical or retrospective disclosure is where an adult discloses abuse experienced in childhood. I understand that the overwhelming majority of such disclosures are about sexual abuse. Tusla has informed me that a case is categorised as high priority if any of the following criteria apply: the alleged perpetrator has...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: School Expulsions (20 Jun 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1916 and 1917 together. The information requested by the Deputy is contained in the following table. Tusla does not receive enrolment numbers from individual schools. The individual schools are not named for data protection purposes. Number of Expulsions and Suspensions in all Post Primary Schools in Wexford. Individual schools are identified by letter....

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: School Expulsions (20 Jun 2017)

Katherine Zappone: The information requested by the Deputy is contained in the following table. Average number of Suspensions and Expulsions in all Schools: 2014/2015 Suspensions: 3.5 Expulsions: 0.03 2015/2016 Suspensions: 4 Expulsions: 0.05 2016/2017 to date (09/06/17) Suspensions: 1 Expulsions: 0.01

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education Data (20 Jun 2017)

Katherine Zappone: The cost of extending the ECCE programme to 48 weeks at present rates would be €87m per year. It should be noted that this question only addresses the financial aspect of such increases. Any such changes would require revision of rules around eligibility and enrolment dates and would need to look at issues of capacity with regard to physical space, staffing capacities and other...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Commencement of Legislation (20 Jun 2017)

Katherine Zappone: Since the Children First Act 2015 was signed into law on 19 November 2015, a number of provisions of the Act have already been commenced as follows: (i) Sections 1 to 5 (Part I) and section 28 (Part V) of the Act were commenced on 10 December 2015. Sections 1 to 5 are standard provisions in relation to title, citation, regulations, definitions etc. Section 28 relates to corporal...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education Funding (20 Jun 2017)

Katherine Zappone: The capitation rates paid by my Department for the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme are €64.50 per week for the standard capitation and €75 per week for the higher capitation. These payments provide for 15 hours per week of early childhood care and education. The hourly running costs for the Programme are therefore €4.30 per hour at standard rate and...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education Funding (20 Jun 2017)

Katherine Zappone: The total cost for a calendar year for increasing both the lower and higher capitation rates for ECCE would be €427m which is an increase of €150m. It should be noted that this question only addresses the financial aspect of such increases. Any changes would also require revision of the rules around eligibility and enrolment dates and would also need to look at issues of...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education Funding (20 Jun 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I am pleased to be able to inform the Deputy that an extension to the existing CCS scheme being introduced in September this year will see a payment of up to €20.00 per week per child being introduced over a 52 week period. It is anticipated that some 33,000 children may benefit from this new measure. In the event of full uptake of this new measure the annual cost will be...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education Data (20 Jun 2017)

Katherine Zappone: The Affordable Childcare Scheme (ACS) which will commence at the earliest possible date, will include both universal and targeted elements. It is currently estimated that when the scheme is initially introduced approximately 16,000 children aged between 6 months and 3 years of age will benefit from targeted subsidies within the ACS. Of the total number of children who benefit from targeted...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Community Childcare Subvention Programme (20 Jun 2017)

Katherine Zappone: The full-year cost of the targeted schemes (Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) and the Training and Employment Childcare (TEC) Scheme) was €61 million in 2015, and €58 million in 2016. For 2017 an additional budget of €19 million was secured, to provide for both a new universal subsidy and increased targeted subsidies through the introduction of the ACS. While the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Contracts (20 Jun 2017)

Katherine Zappone: My Department did not enter into any contractual arrangements with the company mentioned by the Deputy. Use of that particular company by any of the bodies under the aegis of my Department is an operational matter and I have requested each agency to respond directly to the Deputy in the matter.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Remit (20 Jun 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1927, 1928 and 1930 together. Tusla, under the Child and Family Agency Act 2013 and the Child Care Act 1991 has a statutory obligation to support and promote the development, welfare and protection of children, including providing for the protection and care of children in circumstances where their parents have not given, or are unlikely to be able to...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Remit (20 Jun 2017)

Katherine Zappone: As these are operational matters, I have asked Tusla – The Child and Family Agency to respond directly to the Deputy with the most up-to-date information.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services Funding (20 Jun 2017)

Katherine Zappone: In the first instance I am pleased to be able to inform the Deputy that an extension to the existing CCS scheme being introduced in September this year will see a payment of €20.00 per week per child being introduced over a 52 week period. It is anticipated that some 33,000 children may benefit from this new measure. Further, I am aware that the 0-3 age group presents particular...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Expenditure (20 Jun 2017)

Katherine Zappone: My Department did not enter into any contractual arrangements with the company for the provision of services. Use of that particular company by any of the bodies under the aegis of my Department is an operational matter and I have requested each agency to respond directly to the Deputy in the matter.