Results 5,561-5,580 of 7,359 for speaker:Katherine Zappone

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Affordable Child Care Scheme: Discussion (8 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: Yes, the overall capped budget.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Affordable Child Care Scheme: Discussion (8 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I will start and then-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Affordable Child Care Scheme: Discussion (8 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: As the Deputy will appreciate, we have done a massive amount of work, particularly the man to my right, to estimate the demands of the scheme. We would be fairly confident that the amounts of money we have for budget 2017 will be sufficient for those who wish to avail of the scheme. We have placed a budget cap in terms of the overall scheme. That was partly our own decision but it was also...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Affordable Child Care Scheme: Discussion (8 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I want to address the questions from Deputy Rabbitte and Deputy Funchion on when the system will be available online, the concerns around working with providers and especially parents to ensure the appropriate information is provided and that there is awareness raising in terms of how this works, the level of engagement with the Department of Social Protection and the Revenue Commissioners as...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Affordable Child Care Scheme: Discussion (8 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I will respond to the first point made by the Chairman by saying that parents will be able to apply online. It is intended that this will happen from September. There will be two aspects to what they will be applying for. In the case of the universal payment for children under the age of three, the calculation that has just been identified by the Chairman will not be required. There will...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Affordable Child Care Scheme: Discussion (8 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: Exactly. It will be a universal payment. It will be very quickly determined that an application is correct and a subsidy will be offered depending on the length of time for which the child is to be put into the child care centre. As members are aware, the targeted aspect of the scheme is increasing and will ultimately be determined by the net income threshold level. Information and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Affordable Child Care Scheme: Discussion (8 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: Did we look at that specifically?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Affordable Child Care Scheme: Discussion (8 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I would like to pursue this a little bit more. Perhaps we can have discussions with the committee and carry out a specific analysis of this.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Affordable Child Care Scheme: Discussion (8 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: We will look at it in more detail and come back to the committee.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Affordable Child Care Scheme: Discussion (8 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: Okay. Thank you very much, Chair, and thanks to the other members also.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Aftercare Services (8 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: Under the current National Leaving and Aftercare Policy of Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, all young people leaving care who have been in care for 12 months on their 16th birthday or for 12 consecutive months prior to their 18th birthday are entitled to an aftercare plan. Tusla is currently reviewing their operational National Leaving and Aftercare Policy in line with the Child Care...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Homeless Persons Data (8 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: While my Department and Tusla have no responsibility in relation to mental health services, I would like to inform the Deputy of Tusla’s response, relevant to this area. A child, irrespective of accommodation status, who comes to the attention of Tusla and whose circumstances are such, will, where the appropriate threshold has been reached, have an assessment carried out by a...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Services (8 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: The Youth Affairs Unit of my Department provides a range of funding schemes, programmes and supports to the youth sector. Funding of €51m for current expenditure is available from my Department in 2016 to support the provision of youth services and programmes to young people throughout the country including those from disadvantaged communities. The funding schemes support national...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Area Based Childhood Programme (8 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: The Area Based Childhood (ABC) Programme is a prevention and early intervention initiative led by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs. The ABC Programme commenced in 2013 and is a time-bound co-funding arrangement of €29.7m for the period 2013 to 2017 in conjunction with The Atlantic Philanthropies. All sites are currently in contract for 2017 and operating according to...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Commissions of Inquiry (8 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: The information requested by the Deputy is set out in the following table. Commissions of Investigation Name Date of Establishment Cost to Date:(to 06/02/2017) Expected Date of Conclusion Estimated Final Cost 1 Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and Certain Related Matters) 17th of February 2015 €4.1 million. This includes set-up costs and costs incurred by DCYA in...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education (7 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: The Programme for Government commits to conducting and publishing an independent review of the cost of providing quality childcare. This commitment aligns closely with work on the design and development of a new Single Affordable Childcare Scheme and is currently being progressed in that context. As part of this, Department officials are reviewing previous published research and analysis on...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Garda Vetting Applications (7 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: The HSE currently undertakes vetting on behalf of Tusla. I have, however, been advised by Tusla that it has established a new internal central vetting bureau and this will commence operations on 13th February, 2017. The Tusla Central Vetting Bureau will perform all vetting for the Child and Family Agency.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Garda Vetting Applications (7 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 699 to 702, inclusive, together. Two organisations are funded by my Department to process vetting applications on behalf of the early years sector. These organisations are Early Childhood Ireland and Barnardos. Neither Tusla nor Pobal have responsibility for processing Garda Vetting applications on behalf of the Early Years sector. I am aware that...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Proposed Legislation (7 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: The Heads of Bill and General Scheme for the Affordable Childcare Scheme Bill were approved by Government on 24thJanuary 2017, and are being examined by the Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs on 8thFebruary. The Heads of Bill and General Scheme will then be transmitted to the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel for the drafting of legislation, with a view to bringing the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Young People’s Facilities and Services Fund (7 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: The information requested relates to funding schemes that annually support national and local youth work provision to some 380,000 young people and involve approximately 1,400 youth work staff in 477 projects working in youth work services and communities throughout the country. My Department is compiling the information on the funding provided to these projects since 2011 and will endeavour...