Results 1,041-1,060 of 7,359 for speaker:Katherine Zappone

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services Funding (18 Sep 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The National Childcare Scheme (NCS) has two types of subsides: A universal subsidy is payable for children between the ages of 24 weeks and 36 months (or until the child qualifies for the Early Childhood Care and Education programme if later) who are availing of childcare services from an approved childcare service provider or childminder.  The universal subsidy is not means-tested...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services Regulation (18 Sep 2019)

Katherine Zappone: There are approximately 4,500 Tusla registered early learning and care and school-age childcare services operating in Ireland. Tusla has assured me that there is a high level of compliance with regulations across the country. This finding is also supported by education-focused inspections of the ECCE programme conducted by the Inspectorate of the Department of Education and Skills and by...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services Regulation (18 Sep 2019)

Katherine Zappone: There are approximately 4,500 Tusla registered early learning and care and school-age childcare services operating in Ireland. Tusla has assured me that there is a high level of compliance with regulations across the country. This finding is also supported by education-focused inspections of the ECCE programme conducted by the Inspectorate of the Department of Education and Skills and by...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education Programmes (18 Sep 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The Department of Children and Youth Affairs does its best to ensure, in so far as possible, the equitable treatment of all children and families who apply for funding under the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme. However, in order to ensure objectivity and fairness, it is essential that clear and transparent rules exist for the scheme and that they are applied evenly. An...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education (18 Sep 2019)

Katherine Zappone: My Department introduced the Programme Support Payment (PSP) in Summer 2017 to recognise the critical role that childcare providers play in the delivery of various early learning and care and school age childcare schemes, including the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) scheme. The PSP was created to recognise the work involved in the delivery of the schemes, beyond...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Public Services Card (18 Sep 2019)

Katherine Zappone: When it is fully up and running, applications for the National Childcare Scheme will be accepted both online and by post.  A Public Services Card (PSC) and verified MyGovID account are required to apply online only. The online application process will be introduced first, currently targeted for 29 October,  followed shortly thereafter with the paper based application process. ...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: School Completion Programme (17 Sep 2019)

Katherine Zappone: As the Deputy may be aware, responsibility for the National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) was transferred from the Department of Education to the Department of Children and Youth Affairs on its establishment in 2011. In January 2014 Tusla, the Child and Family Agency was established and as part of the remit of the Agency, it took on the functions of the former NEWB: chiefly the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Years Sector (17 Sep 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The early learning and care sector has been identified as a sector in which low pay and poor working conditions for staff are common, which impacts on the quality of provision to children through its effect on the recruitment and retention of qualified staff. The lack of consistency of care together with high staff turnover levels impacts directly on quality, and low wages are a...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Children in Care (17 Sep 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 595 and 596 together. The Department of Education and Skills has responsibility for education. This general responsibility includes the provision of early childhood, primary, post-primary and higher education and the range of related provision and supports. Children in care, with the exception of the very small number in special care centres, access these...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Poverty (17 Sep 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The reduction of child poverty and homelessness are key political priorities for the Government. In recognition of the higher risks and life-long consequences of child poverty, the Government set a child-specific poverty target in Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures the National Policy Framework for Children and Young People (2014-2020), to reduce consistent child poverty by at least two-thirds...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption Records Provision (17 Sep 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla and any other body providing information and tracing services must comply with their responsibilities under GDPR in relation to processing personal data and special category data. This  requires them to take into account the rights of third parties and may require them to seek their consent before their data can be released. I am also aware that GDPR is impacting on the ability of...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption Legislation (17 Sep 2019)

Katherine Zappone: My Department has not received counsel from the European Commission in relation to the provisions of the Adoption (Information & Tracing) Bill 2016. I have put on record my personal commitment to the greatest possible release of birth information consistent with the constitutional framework. I am aware of the adverse impact that GDPR is having on Tusla's ability to locate...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (17 Sep 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 600 and 601 together. Ireland recognises that the system of Special Procedures is a central element of the UN Human Rights machinery and we value the contribution of independent human rights experts who hold mandates from the Human Rights Council to report and advise on human rights from a thematic or country specific perspective. Notwithstanding...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: School Completion Programme (6 Sep 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The full-year cost of restoring the SCP to 2010 funding levels would be in the region of €7.3 million per annum.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Family Resource Centres (6 Sep 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, administers the Family Resource Centre (FRC) Programme. In Budget 2019, I secured an increase of €1.5 million in funding for the FRC Programme. This brings the overall financial allocation for the Programme to €18 million. There are no plans to establish new family Resource Centres this year. The additional funding provided in 2019 is being...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: School Completion Programme (6 Sep 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The Educational Welfare Service of Tusla have informed my Department that 24,749 children received targeted interventions under the School Completion Programme in 2018/19.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Care Orders (6 Sep 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1657 and 1718 together. As these are operational matters, I have asked Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, to respond directly to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Education and Training Support Programme (6 Sep 2019)

Katherine Zappone: TEC is an overarching childcare programme, specifically designed to support parents on eligible training and education courses as well as certain categories of parents returning to work, by providing subsidised childcare places. The TEC Programme also provides childcare support for families on Family Income Support (ASCC). It comprises three strands: 1. Childcare Education and Training...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Community Childcare Subvention Programme (6 Sep 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) and Community Childcare Subvention Plus (CCSP) Programmes provide support for parents/guardians on a low income to avail of reduced childcare costs at participating privately owned childcare services and at community not-for-profit childcare services, a list of these services is available through the relevant local County Childcare Committee. Under CCS...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services (6 Sep 2019)

Katherine Zappone: It is not possible to appeal the calculation of Programme Support Payment (PSP) or select an alternative snapshot period from which the payment is calculated. For the last programme year 2018/19, the month of December 2018 was selected as the snapshot period to calculate PSP. As with all other terms of PSP, this snapshot applies to all services supplying DCYA childcare programmes without...