Results 781-800 of 7,359 for speaker:Katherine Zappone

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Area Based Childhood Programme (24 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The Area Based Childhood (ABC) Programme is a prevention and early intervention initiative targeting investment in effective services to improve the outcomes for children and families living in a number of specific areas of disadvantage.   DCYA is now the sole funder of the ABC Programme. In November 2017, my Department initiated a process, in consultation with key ABC Programme...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Domestic Violence Refuges Provision (24 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Under the Child and Family Agency Act, 2013, Tusla, the Child and Family Agency has statutory responsibility for the care and protection of victims of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence whether in the context of family or otherwise. I have received representations from an organisation in County Laois with regard to the proposed development of a women's refuge in the county. ...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Domestic Violence Services Funding (24 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Under the Child and Family Agency Act, 2013, Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, is responsible for the care and protection of victims of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence whether in the context of family or otherwise. I provided additional funding of €1.5m to Tusla this year to increase domestic, sexual and gender-based violence service provision. A proportion of...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Domestic Violence Refuges Provision (24 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 280 to 282, inclusive, together. Under the Child and Family Agency Act, 2013, the provision of services for victims of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence is a statutory responsibility of Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. Tusla currently provides financial support for the provision of 155 family units of domestic violence accommodation: - 145 family...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Legal Cases Data (24 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The information requested by the Deputy in respect of the Department and agencies other than Tusla is set out in tabular format as follows. I can confirm that there were no confidentiality clauses included in any of the settlements. Department/Agency 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 Oberstown Children Detention Campus 3 9...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Data (24 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Throughout 2018 and 2019, my department have been working on making key data on children and young people publicly available in the Central Statistics Office's (CSO) statbank. The data will be easily accessible in many formats, in line with the government's Open Data Initiative. All indicators available in State of the Nation's Children (SONC) and the Better Outcomes Brighter Futures (BOBF)...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services Funding (23 Oct 2019)

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

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services Funding (23 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: One of the key priorities for my Department's capital programme is supporting private and not for profit childcare providers to extend their existing services, or to establish new services, where need or demand exists.  My Department has had an unprecedented increase of 137% for early learning and care and school age childcare in the past five budgets. This extra investment has...

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2019: Committee Stage (23 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: No.

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2019: Committee Stage (23 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I do not need to make an opening statement.

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2019: Committee Stage (23 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: To be clear, the Chairman has the Bills Office's rationale for disallowing the amendments.

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2019: Committee Stage (23 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: One of the key amendments has to do with the mandatory appointment of guardians ad litem. The Chairman will share that rationale with the committee.

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2019: Committee Stage (23 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I appreciate that the Deputies' amendments were proposed for the reasons they just outlined. I come from that same place. If the committee wishes, and apart from the rationale of the Bills Office, I would be happy to offer some rationale beyond the money issue for disallowing the amendments and why, from my perspective, they are unacceptable.

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2019: Committee Stage (23 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I hope to proceed with openness. I thank the Chair for sharing that advice. I cannot accept the amendment because I do not agree that the appointment of a guardian ad litem should mandatory in every case. That opinion is shared by many stakeholders who have engaged with us, including Dr. Carol Coulter, who as the Deputy knows is the director of the Child Care Law Reporting Project. I have...

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2019: Committee Stage (23 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: It is pretty straightforward. I am happy to hear the Deputy's response, but I am not inclined to accept the amendment because its insertion seems unnecessary to me as it essentially duplicates section 35E(1)(b), which reads, "having considered the views, if any, referred to in paragraph (a), to make recommendations to the court regarding what is in the best interests of the child". The Bill...

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2019: Committee Stage (23 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: How is that?

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2019: Committee Stage (23 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I consider the amendment unnecessary, as the use of a report in legislation can be read effectively, as singular or plural as per section 18(a) of the Interpretation Act 2005. That is the primary reason I can see in terms of the change. Current practice is that a report would be prepared for every court sitting. There is no intention to change the current practice, where the guardianad...

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2019: Committee Stage (23 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I am not sure whether these amendments fulfil the purpose which was intended. Having heard Deputy Funchion outline the intention of these amendments, which is to ensure that a party has sufficient time to read a report, in reality the wording provided could be interpreted as removing the right of an unrepresented party to receive a copy of a report furnished to the court. Under the proposed...

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2019: Committee Stage (23 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I accept that it is a possibility. The rationale still stands that it could be interpreted to remove the right of an unrepresented party. Also effectively in doing that in breach of the in camerarule, the judge of the court has a right to penalise in that regard as well.

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2019: Committee Stage (23 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Withdraw and reflect.