Results 1,081-1,100 of 7,359 for speaker:Katherine Zappone

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

Katherine Zappone: I wish to advise that my officials have asked Tusla to respond directly to the Deputy on this matter

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Funding (6 Sep 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency receives annual funding from the Exchequer under my Department's Vote (Vote 40). The net core budgetary allocation to Tusla in 2019 is €767.348m. This includes a budget allocation of €17.194m for capital spending. An additional €3.0m was separately allocated to Tusla this year to Family Resource Centres (1.5m) and to Domestic, Sexual and...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Staff Remuneration (6 Sep 2019)

Katherine Zappone: As the Deputy may be aware, any adjustments to the salaries of public and civil servants are set out in the Public Service Stability Agreement (PSSA) 2018-2020. A suggested living wage of €12.30 per hour would equate to an annual salary of €23,747, based on a standard civil service net working week of 37 hours. Details of the application of adjustments to civil service pay...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services Staff (6 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 through its effect on the recruitment and retention of qualified staff. The lack of consistency of care together with high staff turnover impact directly on quality, while low wages are a constraint on plans to...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education Funding (6 Sep 2019)

Katherine Zappone: First 5: A Whole-of-Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families (2019-2028), was published in November 2018. First 5 identifies over 150 actions across the domains that impact on young children’s lives including ambitious and far reaching actions related to the Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare sector. First 5 commits to at least doubling...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education Staff (6 Sep 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I am acutely aware of the difficulties that many early learning and care services report in recruiting and retaining qualified staff, and the high rate of staff turnover in the sector. In Pobal’s latest Early Years Sector Profile Report 2017/2018, the staff turnover rate stood at 24.7% which, despite a 3% improvement on the previous year, remains unsustainably high. I believe that the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education Expenditure (6 Sep 2019)

Katherine Zappone: First 5: A Whole-of-Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families (2019-2028),was published in November 2018. First 5identifies over 150 actions across the domains that impact on young children’s lives including ambitious and far reaching actions related to the Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare sector. First 5 sets out Government’s intention...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Consultancy Contracts Data (6 Sep 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The following table sets out the various providers that have been utilised by my Department to deliver advice and training in the context of GDPR preparedness and ongoing upskilling of staff, along with associated costs. In 2018 my Department undertook a competitive procurement process to engage a supplier to provide a range of GDPR training for Department staff across all grades. Following...

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

Katherine Zappone: The Deputy's question relates to an operational matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. I have therefore referred the matter to Tusla and asked that a direct reply be provided to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education Staff (6 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 through its effect on the recruitment and retention of qualified staff. The lack of consistency of care together with high staff turnover impact directly on quality, while low wages are a constraint on plans to upskill...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Customer Charters (6 Sep 2019)

Katherine Zappone: My Department’s procedures for dealing with customer complaints are detailed in its Customer Service Action Plan and Charter, which is available on the Department's website. If a complaint is made by a customer it is dealt with by the Unit of my Department responsible for the issue to which the complaint relates. If the complaint is not resolved by the Unit to the satisfaction of the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Data (6 Sep 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The Child and Family Agency Act, 2013 requires Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, to establish procedures for dealing with complaints against the Agency or a service provider. It also requires Tusla to publish certain information in relation to complaints. Any individual who wishes to make a complaint about Tusla services can do so through the "Tell Us: You Say, We Listen" complaints...

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

Katherine Zappone: The full-year cost of increasing the School completion programme by 12% would be in the region of €2.9m.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education Expenditure (6 Sep 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The following table outlines the projected full year cost in 2019 of increasing the Early Childhood Care and Education programme by 2 weeks over and above current levels. Increase Standard Capitation Rate Higher Capitation Rate Full Year Cost Increase 0 weeks €69.00 €80.25 €298.1m n/a 2 weeks €69.00 €80.25 €313.8m €15.7m

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Internships (6 Sep 2019)

Katherine Zappone: My Department facilitated a small number of short term unpaid internships to individuals who wrote to the Department requesting workplace experience in their chosen fields of study, where such study was relevant to this Department and where they could be accommodated. In 2017, my Department participated in the Centre for Excellence and API Study Abroad graduate programmes providing one part...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Cyber Security Protocols (6 Sep 2019)

Katherine Zappone: My Department currently has one (1) professionally trained in cybersecurity, member of staff in relation to cybersecurity protocols under my Department's remit. In addition we have a further three (3) members undertaking training in security fundamentals with a goal to further specialisation in cybersecurity training on behalf of the Department. There are currently no specialists being...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Operations (6 Sep 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The Department of Health currently provides ICT services to my Department under the terms of a Service Level Agreement and facilitates the provision of key IT services including a disaster recovery plan that covers DCYA services. As my Department transitions to the new Build to Share desktop service, provided by the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer, a new disaster recovery...

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

Katherine Zappone: First 5: A Whole-of-Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families (2019-2028),was published in November. First 5 identifies over 150 actions across the domains that impact on young children’s lives including ambitious and far reaching actions related to the Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare sector. First 5commits to at least doubling investment in...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Years Sector (6 Sep 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The reference to a "registration inspection" is understood to mean the inspection that is carried out by the statutory regulator of early years services, Tusla, prior to registering a new service in relation to which an application for registration has been made. This initial inspection of a potential early years service is termed a “Fit for Purpose” inspection. This inspection...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Years Sector (6 Sep 2019)

Katherine Zappone: In the event of a service being removed from the register, under its powers as set out in Section 58D of the Child Care Act 1991 (as amended) the statutory regulator (Tusla) de-registers the registered provider and their registered company, if applicable, in relation to that service. In effect, therefore, Tusla may remove a single service from the register. However, depending on the nature of...