Results 5,821-5,840 of 7,359 for speaker:Katherine Zappone

Adoption (Amendment) Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (30 Nov 2016)

Katherine Zappone: I move amendment No. 2:In page 11, between lines 3 and 4, to insert the following: “(2) In determining for the purposes of subsection (1) what is in the best interests of the child, the Authority or the court, as the case may be, shall have regard to all of the factors or circumstances that it considers relevant to the child who is the subject of the matter, application or proceedings...

Topical Issue Debate: Youth Services Provision (30 Nov 2016)

Katherine Zappone: I thank Deputy Heydon. As he rightly identified, the perceptions of County Kildare may be different from the reality. That was certainly made aware to me by the representatives of his county who met with me here and also in the county. I am particularly grateful for that awareness having been raised. The two key points the Deputy made concern the numbers of young people in the county...

Topical Issue Debate: Youth Services Provision (30 Nov 2016)

Katherine Zappone: I thank Deputy Heydon for raising these issues which, as he has said, we have spoken about several times. My Department provides funding for schemes and programmes to support youth services. These services are for young people throughout the country, including those from disadvantaged communities. An estimated 380,000 young people benefit from this funding. Approximately 1,400 youth work...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Detention Centres (29 Nov 2016)

Katherine Zappone: A copy of the separation policy has been forwarded to the Deputy directly. The separation policy and the other policies for children detention schools are available on the website of the Irish Youth Justice Service and can be accessed at the following web address: www.iyjs.ie/en/IYJS/Pages/WP12000013. The Oberstown Children Detention Campus is responsible for collating information on the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption Records Provision (29 Nov 2016)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla has advised me that all records held by the Tusla adoption service in Cork, including those related to the Sisters of the Sacred Heart, Bessborough, are stored in fire proof cabinets in a dry and secure location. Access to records is by Tusla staff only due to the highly confidential nature of the records. Tusla has begun the process of centralising all adoption records held by the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Services Funding (29 Nov 2016)

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 provision to some 380,000 young people and involve approximately 1,400 youth work staff in 477 projects and 40,000 volunteers working in...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Staff Data (29 Nov 2016)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 766 and 767 together. As my Department was established in June 2011, the information requested by the Deputy is set out in tabular form with effect from that date. The information supplied refers to staff seconded to other Departments, agencies or bodies in the public sector. Currently there are two members of staff on secondment from my Department to such...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Staff Data (29 Nov 2016)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 768 and 769 together. Since its establishment in June 2011, my Department has not seconded staff to any private sector organisation. There is currently one person from the Children's Rights Alliance, which is a registered charity, seconded to this Department.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Bodies Data (29 Nov 2016)

Katherine Zappone: I am responsible for the appointment of members to the boards of the Adoption Authority of Ireland, the Child and Family Agency (Tusla), Gaisce (the President's Award) and the Board of Management for Oberstown Children Detention Campus. There are currently seven vacant positions on the Gaisce Council, one vacant position on the Board of the Child and Family Agency and one vacant position...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services Funding (29 Nov 2016)

Katherine Zappone: In Budget 2017 provision was made for a fund of €1m to assist in the investigation of sustainability issues being faced by childcare providers, and to develop a policy to guide any future interventions. This initiative is at an early stage and officials will commence work in this regard in early 2017. At present there is no fund in place that would provide additional funding to...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services Regulation (29 Nov 2016)

Katherine Zappone: Under the Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years Services) Regulations 2016, registered providers of pre-school services will, from 31st December 2016, be required to ensure that each employee working directly with children attending the service holds at least a major award in Early Childhood Care and Education at Level 5 on the National Qualifications Framework or a qualification deemed by the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Community Childcare Subvention Programme (29 Nov 2016)

Katherine Zappone: Officials from my Department have sought clarification from the Deputy as to what is meant by CSSF funding, and it is my understanding that the Deputy is referring to the Community Childcare Subvention Programme. Childcare service providers receive grant funding from the Department for the provision of ECCE for a period of 38 weeks, as per the 2016/17 ECCE grant funding agreement....

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services Staff (29 Nov 2016)

Katherine Zappone: Although my Department does not act as employer to childcare it does acknowledge that the sector is under cost pressure, and that staff wages are a large component of cost. To go some way towards addressing this, I have secured additional funding of €14 million in Budget 2017 which will enable ECCE providers to be paid for a 39th week and part of a 40th week (7 ECCE days in total or...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Costs (29 Nov 2016)

Katherine Zappone: A major policy priority for me is the development of a new Affordable Childcare Scheme, which is a major step in making quality childcare more affordable, and will enable both universal and targeted subsidies for parents towards their childcare costs. Under the new scheme, parents will qualify for a targeted subsidy based on their net income, and the highest levels of support will be offered...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services Funding (29 Nov 2016)

Katherine Zappone: I have made €14.5m available to provide an additional payment to childcare providers to recognise the increasing volume of work done outside of direct contact hours with children. This funding will provide an additional payment of 7 days' funding to all ECCE Services - and an equivalent level of payment to CCS and TEC services. This will enable ECCE providers to be paid for a...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education Funding (29 Nov 2016)

Katherine Zappone: I was pleased that significant additional funding was allocated to Early Childcare in Budget 2017. The largest volume of additional funding was provided to enable the full-year costs of the expansion of the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) scheme into a second year. I provided €67.6m for this. In addition, the full year roll out of the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM)...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Funding (29 Nov 2016)

Katherine Zappone: The information is currently being compiled by my Department and will be forwarded to the Deputy in the near future.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Funding (29 Nov 2016)

Katherine Zappone: The information is currently being compiled by the Department and will be forwarded to the Deputy in the near future.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Funding (29 Nov 2016)

Katherine Zappone: The information is currently being compiled by the Department and will be forwarded to the Deputy in the near future.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Funding (29 Nov 2016)

Katherine Zappone: The information is currently being compiled by the Department and will be forwarded to the Deputy in the near future.