Results 881-900 of 7,359 for speaker:Katherine Zappone

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services Provision (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The number of early learning and care and school age childcare places in Ireland has doubled over the last 5 years in response to the 138% increase in investment. Despite this, there are some areas that continue to experience difficulties and in particular this tends to be for younger age groups, particularly babies and children aged under 3 years. Pobal conducts research on behalf of my...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Recreational Facilities (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I thank the Deputy for his question.  The Deputy may remember my response to a previous question on this issue on 10 July this year. Funding provided by my Department for playgrounds is limited to capital spend - namely the Capital Grant Funding Scheme for Play and Recreation, applications for which are made through the Local Authority Play and Recreation Network.  My...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Services (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I understand the review that the Deputy refers is an internal organisational review commissioned by City of Dublin Education and Training Board (CDETB), and carried out by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA). I understand from my colleague, The Minster for Education and Skills, that the findings of this review are currently being discussed within CDETB, who...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services Regulation (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: As the independent Statutory regulator, Tusla exercises its regulatory powers and responds to breaches of regulations within its remit, while respecting fair procedures and natural justice. Given the risk of prejudicing enforcement actions and/or legal proceedings, neither Tusla nor my Department can provide details in relation to any ongoing actions that may be under way in any...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Family Support Services (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I thank the Deputy for his question about the Cottage Home Family Support Service. I know he has been active in seeking a solution to the problems which the service has been experiencing, and has previously tabled questions on this issue. I understand that, at the time when the Cottage Home made its initial request for funding, available resources for family support services had been...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services Regulation (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: My Department has made significant strides over the last number of years in progressing the quality agenda both nationally and locally. These include, for example:- - We have introduced a minimum qualification requirement in law which ensures that all staff must have at least a Level 5 qualification in early childhood education and care. - We have incentivised the recruitment of graduates...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services Staff (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 78 and 87 together. The most recent data on current pay and conditions indicates that the average hourly pay in early learning and care and school-age childcare is now €12.55 (represents May 2019). Low pay and poor working conditions in the sector remain a serious concern and impact on the quality of provision to children through their effect on the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Safety (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I would like to thank the Deputy for this important question especially as last week Tusla undertook a very successful national awareness campaign about foster care.  Once a child has been received into care, the most crucial task for a child protection social worker is to find a placement that matches that child's needs. Ideally this is with foster carers in the communities in which...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services Provision (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: 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 supported a doubling of capacity in the sector, including both ECCE and the 0-3 age group. One of the key priorities for my Department's capital programme is supporting private and not for profit childcare providers to extend...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Services Funding (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The Deputy may be aware that I recently announced that an additional €2m of funding has been secured for Youth Services. This funding is inclusive of Youth Schemes, Youth Participation and a Youth Climate Justice Initiative. As the Deputy is aware the annual Estimates process is ongoing. It would not be appropriate for me to comment at this time as funding for the provision of youth...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services Provision (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The National Childcare Scheme will open to online applications on Wednesday 20th November, with subsidies flowing from the following Monday, 25th November.  The paper based application will be available early in the new year. Children and families using the existing schemes may choose to remain on them. In preparation for the national launch of the  Scheme in November, we have been...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services Provision (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: First 5, the whole-of-government strategy for babies, young children and their families published in November 2018 sets out Government's intention to develop a new Funding Model to deliver additional funding to Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare providers to ensure greater levels of affordability, quality and inclusion in their services. It is planned that the new Funding Model...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Legislative Measures (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: As the Deputy knows, there are strong views on the privacy provisions in the Adoption (Information & Tracing) Bill, 2016 and to the revised scheme set out in my proposed amendments for Committee Stage. My legal advice is that there must be some protection of birth parents' constitutional right to privacy reflected in the legislation. There are two rights at play, the right to...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Infrastructure and Capital Investment Programme (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: At present there are no infrastructure projects underway within my Department that are in excess of of the budget assigned. The National Childcare Scheme is the key infrastructure project underway at present.  The development of this project has entailed a complex programme of work encompassing legislative, ICT, governance, administrative and communications work-streams.  ...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services Regulation (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: On 29th August, I launched the Draft Childminding Action Plan, for the purpose of public consultation. The Draft Childminding Action Plan aims to bring all childminders within the scope of public funding, supports, and regulations. Up to now most childminders have been exempt from regulation and therefore would be excluded from public funding such as the National Childcare Scheme. Central...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Abuse (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The Children First Act 2015, which I fully commenced in December 2017, provides for a number of key child protection measures, including raising awareness of child abuse and neglect, improving child protection arrangements in organisations providing services to children and the introduction of mandatory reporting of child protection concerns by certain key professionals. Under the Act...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services Funding (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: My Department provides capital funding annually to early learning and care and school age childcare services.  The capital programme is designed each year to ensure that capital grants have a positive, lasting impact on the childcare sector including increasing capacity. A service wishing to increase capacity can apply towards the costs of constructing a new premises or extending an...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Foster Care Policy (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I wish to thank the Deputy for his question. As this is an operational matter I have referred the question to Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, for their direct reply.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Services (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency's Midlands Child Assessment Team (MICAT) provides a service for children to disclose child sexual abuse. The service comprises of a multidisciplinary team of Social Work, Social Care, Public Health Nursing and Psychology, and is jointly provided by both Tusla and Health Service Executive (HSE). I have requested Tusla to respond directly to the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Services (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I wish to thank the Deputy for his question. As this is an operational matter I have referred the question to Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, for their direct reply.