Results 461-480 of 7,359 for speaker:Katherine Zappone

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services Provision (17 Dec 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Each year Pobal conducts research on behalf of my Department to examine a number of factors related to early learning and care and school age childcare services in Ireland, including the monitoring of capacity.  This is published in an annual Early Years Sector Profile. I launched the 2018/2019 Early Years Sector Profile on 16 December 2019.  The Sector...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Disability Services Provision (17 Dec 2019)

Katherine Zappone: There are both specialised and mainstream supports available for children with disabilities, including autism. Mainstream preschools receive support from my Department, while both the Department of Education and Skills and the HSE continue to support some specialist early intervention classes and pre-schools, which in many cases provide placements for children with ASD. Contact should be made...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services Data (17 Dec 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 647 to 651 together. Officials in my Department are currently compiling the information as requested by the Deputy. This information will be supplied to the Deputy in no later than 10 working days. I have asked my officials to follow up on this to ensure delivery as a matter of urgency.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education Data (17 Dec 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Pobal publishes the Early Years Sector Profile on an annual basis on behalf of my Department and it provides extensive information to inform policy making.  I launched the 2018/2019 Sector Profile on 16 December. The Sector Profile includes data on the number of children on service providers' waiting lists. This data is organised on a county basis and is not broken down...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Years Sector (17 Dec 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The Early Years’ Sector Profile is an annual report presenting an overview of the Early Learning Care (ELC) and School-Age Childcare (SAC) sector in Ireland. The survey outlines findings and analysis from data captured in the Early Years’ Service Profile annual survey. For the programme year 2018/2019, the survey was completed by 85% of ELC and SAC services (3,821)...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Staff (17 Dec 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I wish to advise that my officials have asked Tusla to respond directly to the Deputy on this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Staff (17 Dec 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I wish to advise that my officials have asked Tusla to respond directly to the Deputy on this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Staff (17 Dec 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I wish to advise that my officials have asked Tusla to respond directly to the Deputy on this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Staff (17 Dec 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I wish to advise that my officials have asked Tusla to respond directly to the Deputy on this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services Funding (17 Dec 2019)

Katherine Zappone: As Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, one of my key priorities is to support the early learning and care and school age childcare sector through the provision of capital funding, where it is most needed.  My Department reviews the capital programmes annually as a whole and determines the priorities for Early Learning and Care and School Age Capital grants for the year...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services Provision (17 Dec 2019)

Katherine Zappone: There are both specialised and mainstream supports available for children with disabilities, including autism. Mainstream preschools receive support from my Department, while both the Department of Education and Skills and the HSE continue to support some specialist early intervention classes and pre-schools, which in many cases provide placements for children with ASD. Contact should be made...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Expenditure (17 Dec 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The Deputy is referring the Department's 2017 financial allocation. In 2017, the Department was voted €1.3 billion by Dáil Éireann under the Appropriation Act 2017, which also provides that unspent sums are surrendered to the Exchequer under the deferred surrender arrangements established by section 91 of the Finance Act 2004.  The majority of the unspent...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services Regulation (17 Dec 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I strongly believe that childminding has an important and distinctive role to play in the future of early learning and care and school-age childcare in this country. The public consultation on the Draft Childminding Action Plan was extensive, and I warmly welcome the high level of participation in the consultation by both childminders and parents. A central part of the consultation...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services Regulation (17 Dec 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The Draft Childminding Action Plan sets out a phased approach to achieving Government commitments in First 5,the Whole-of-Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and Families. The Draft Childminding Action Plan is firmly based on the 2018 report of the Working Group on Reforms and Supports for the Childminding Sector ('Pathway to a Quality Support and...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (17 Dec 2019)

Katherine Zappone: My Department, in consultation with other relevant Departments and Agencies, is developing detailed proposals consistent with the findings of Dr Geoffrey Shannon's 'Report on the Collection of Tuam Survivors' DNA' (published in September 2019). The proposals relate to the establishment of a voluntary administrative scheme under which biological samples could be collected from possible family...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services Regulation (17 Dec 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Assisting families to access high quality, affordable early learning and care and school age childcare is a priority for me as Minister and hence I take all questions and concerns raised by service providers very seriously. The Deputy will be aware that investment in the sector has increased by an unprecedented 141% over the last five budgets, now totalling €638m per year....

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Domestic Violence Refuges Provision (17 Dec 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I have requested that Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, responds to you directly on this matter. I am informed that Tusla has conducted a needs analysis project in the Carlow area, in conjunction with local stakeholders. The allocation of outreach workers in Carlow was prioritised in 2019, and funding was provided for this purpose. Tusla has advised my Department...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Abuse Reports (17 Dec 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The Deputy is referring to an operational matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. I have therefore referred the matter to Tusla, and asked that a direct reply be provided to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Funding (17 Dec 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency provides funding to a range of family support services throughout the country that provide services and supports to vulnerable children and families. In 2019, Tusla and the HSE established a national project, to inform and improve service planning in relation to the hidden harm caused by parental alcohol and substance misuse. In addition,...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Budgets (12 Dec 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The nature of the Department`s capital investment programme is that of multiannual discreet projects and capital expenditure generally involves the following programme areas: - Child and Family Agency (Tusla) - Youth Justice – Oberstown Children Detention Campus - Early Learning Care and School Age Childcare - Youth Organisations and Services The National Development Plan 2018 -...