Results 6,021-6,040 of 7,359 for speaker:Katherine Zappone

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Detention Centres Provision (8 Nov 2016)

Katherine Zappone: Currently, Oberstown Children Detention Campus (Oberstown) provides a total of up to 54 places for young people ordered to be remanded in custody or committed to serve a sentence of detention by the courts (48 boys and 6 girls). This provides places for girls up to the age of 18, for boys up to the age of 18 who are remanded in custody and up to the age of 17 who are sent by the courts to...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services Provision (3 Nov 2016)

Katherine Zappone: In the best interests of children (and families) the scheme intends to make subsidies payable to services that are quality assured. Currently Tusla provides quality assurance for childcare services under the statutory registration and inspection regime. Childminders who mind three or fewer pre-school children in the childminder’s own home are exempt from the Child Care...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services Provision (3 Nov 2016)

Katherine Zappone: In the best interests of children (and families) the scheme intends to make subsidies payable to services that are quality assured. Currently Tusla provides quality assurance for childcare services under the statutory registration and inspection regime. Childminders who mind three or fewer pre-school children in the childminder’s own home are exempt from the Child Care...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (3 Nov 2016)

Katherine Zappone: I am aware that the Mother and Baby Homes Commission is conducting a test excavation at the site of the Children's Burial Ground/Memorial Garden located in the Dublin Road Housing Estate, Tuam, Co. Galway. The Commission has publicly stated that a sample of the site is being excavated to resolve a number of queries that the Commission has in relation to the interment of human remains at this...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (3 Nov 2016)

Katherine Zappone: I have received a second Interim Report from the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes. Since receiving the Report I have met with the three members of the Commission to discuss the Report and the general progress being made with the investigation. Given the scope of the Commission's work a number of topics in the Report extend beyond the remit of the Department of...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (3 Nov 2016)

Katherine Zappone: I do not propose to request that a full audit of adoption records be undertaken.

Calais Migrant Camp: Statements (2 Nov 2016)

Katherine Zappone: Children are in the front line of Europe’s migrant crisis. They have been bombed, placed in flimsy boats by ruthless people smugglers or sold into human trafficking and too often Europe responds with indifference or even worse blocks their passage to safety with police dogs, tear gas and barbed wire fences. It is only those with the coldest of hearts who would not be moved. The...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (2 Nov 2016)

Katherine Zappone: The Deputy has asked specifically about the provision of a Special Needs Assistant. The Department of Children and Youth Affairs does not fund these services which are provided by the Department of Education and Skills. However, the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM), which is a new programme of supports to enable children with a disability to access and fully participate in the Early...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Law Reporting Project (2 Nov 2016)

Katherine Zappone: The Child Care Law Reporting Project (CCLRP) is an independent project authorised under Section 29 of the Child Care Act 1991 (as amended by the Child Care (Amendment) Act 2007), and in accordance with Regulations made under that Section, to report on child care proceedings. This five-year project is supported in its work by my Department, the One Foundation and Atlantic Philanthropies. ...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education (2 Nov 2016)

Katherine Zappone: Under the rules of the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme, a child's place cannot be split between different services. Exemptions are only granted in the following exceptional circumstances: (i) where the parents of a child with a disability choose to send their child to a pre-school in a disability service for part of the week and to a mainstream pre-school for the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Legal Costs (2 Nov 2016)

Katherine Zappone: No expenditure was incurred directly by my Department in the years 2013 to 2015 for the provision of services in respect of external legal advice.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education Funding (2 Nov 2016)

Katherine Zappone: Any child who was granted a pro rataarrangement to split their ECCE place over two preschool years for 2015/2016 and 2016/2017, will now be entitled to receive five days per week on the ECCE programme for the year 2016/17, as a result of the expansion of the ECCE programme in September 2016. In the case of the individual specified by the Deputy, this person will be entitled to five days per...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: School Attendance Data (27 Oct 2016)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla' the Child and Family Agency' under the remit of my Department' has a statutory responsibility to ensure each child attends a recognised school or otherwise receives a certain minimum education. The education welfare services of Tusla' comprising the statutory Education Welfare Service' the School Completion Programme and the Home School Community Liaison scheme are key supports for...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Data (27 Oct 2016)

Katherine Zappone: I have been informed by Tusla' the Child and Family Agency' that in August 2016 there were 20'797 children (open cases) who had an allocated social worker. This work involves dealing with issues of assessment' child protection' and children in care. There were a further 4'727 children (open cases) who had been assessed as needing a dedicated social worker' and were waiting for one to be...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education Programmes (27 Oct 2016)

Katherine Zappone: The costs of the measures described are heavily dependent on uptake - it is estimated that' at present' 10% of children under three are in formal childcare. To cater for an expansion of Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme would require significant capital investment to increase the capacity of the childcare sector. In addition' this is likely to require an enormous volume of...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (27 Oct 2016)

Katherine Zappone: My Department has a co-ordinating responsibility for the implementation of the Convention and its related Protocols. My Department is fully committed to' and actively working towards' ratification of the Second Optional Protocol at the earliest possible date. Ratification of the Protocol is pending to ensure that all arrangements are in place to fully comply with the related obligations....

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Costs (26 Oct 2016)

Katherine Zappone: My Department does not act as employer to child care workers, so wage rates, in addition to pay for preparation time, holidays, etc, is in the first instance a matter to be settled between the employer and employee, in line with relevant legislation. My Department accepts that the sector is under cost pressure, and that staff wages are a large component of cost. To go some way towards...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Costs (26 Oct 2016)

Katherine Zappone: The Single Affordable Scheme, which I have announced as part of Budget 2017, is intended to support parents in meeting the cost of childcare. Childcare providers set their own fees, and there is no current plan for the Government to control fees, which would be a major intrusion in the market and could, if not managed carefully and appropriately, create risks around the viability and quality...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services Provision (26 Oct 2016)

Katherine Zappone: Pobal's most recent profile of service providers in the childcare sector indicates that, at present, 39% of all childcare workers work for community providers underpinned by a not-for-profit business model. Of the remainder, a significant number operate as sole traders. As such, it is not the case that low wages in the sector are caused primarily by a drive for excessive profits. However a...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services Regulation (26 Oct 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...