Results 1,101-1,120 of 7,359 for speaker:Katherine Zappone

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...

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

Katherine Zappone: The independent statutory regulator of early years services, Tusla, does not reference an overall status of "non-compliant" in relation to an early years service. Rather, compliance is assessed in relation to each of the individual regulations within the Early Years Services Regulations, as a service may be found non-compliant in relation to one or more regulations but compliant in relation...

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

Katherine Zappone: Officials in my Department have requested the required information from Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. This information will be supplied to the Deputy in no later than 10 working days. I have asked my officials to follow up on this to ensure delivery as a matter of urgency.

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

Katherine Zappone: Where an Early Years Inspector from Tusla, the statutory regulator, finds that a member of staff working in an early years premises has not met the Garda Vetting disclosure requirements, that member of staff is required to leave the premises and is not permitted to return to work until such time as vetting has been secured and assessed by the service provider. The inspectorate uses the extent...

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

Katherine Zappone: Where an Early Years Inspector from Tusla, the statutory regulator, finds that a member of staff working in an early years premises has not met the Garda Vetting disclosure requirements, that member of staff is required to leave the premises and is not permitted to return to work until such time as vetting has been secured and assessed by the service provider. The inspectorate uses the extent...

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

Katherine Zappone: Where an Early Years Inspector that is part of the statutory regulator, Tusla, has a fire safety concern in relation to an early years service, a referral may be made to the relevant local area fire authority by letter. This is usually followed by a written response or communication from the fire authority to the provider. Where minor matters of fire safety are identified, an Early Years...

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

Katherine Zappone: A key priority for me as Minister for Children and Youth Affairs is seeking to ensure high quality early learning and care services for children, which includes having a valued and stable workforce. The Workforce Development Plan aims to lay out a clear pathway for achieving the commitments set out in First 5for the development of the early learning and care and school-age childcare...

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

Katherine Zappone: It is not possible to give a simple measure of the frequency of inspections of early years services carried out by the statutory regulator, Tusla, as there are a number of different categories of inspection, including "fit-for-purpose" inspections carried out when a new service is being registered, unannounced inspections, and unannounced follow-on inspections. Furthermore, the frequency...

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

Katherine Zappone: The 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: Child and Family Agency Investigations (6 Sep 2019)

Katherine Zappone: My colleagues in Tusla, Child and Family Agency, inform me that there is no audit being undertaken by them of the historic case files relating to child abuse held in the headquarters of Scouting Ireland.  Tusla is following up on any cases of alleged historic child abuse which have been referred to them by Scouting Ireland and which require assessment.  Tusla also has its own...

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

Katherine Zappone: Officials in my Department have requested the required information from Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. This information will be supplied to the Deputy in no later than 10 working days. I have asked my officials to follow up on this to ensure delivery as a matter of urgency.

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

Katherine Zappone: Officials in my Department have requested the required information from Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. This information will be supplied to the Deputy in no later than 10 working days. I have asked my officials to follow up on this to ensure delivery as a matter of urgency.

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

Katherine Zappone: Officials in my Department have requested the required information from Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. This information will be supplied to the Deputy in no later than 10 working days. I have asked my officials to follow up on this to ensure delivery as a matter of urgency.

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

Katherine Zappone: Officials in my Department have requested the required information from Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. This information will be supplied to the Deputy in no later than 10 working days. I have asked my officials to follow up on this to ensure delivery as a matter of urgency.

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

Katherine Zappone: In February 2018 Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, informed my Department that they had discovered evidence of illegal birth registrations in files from St. Patrick's Guild Adoption Society. 148 illegal birth registrations have been confirmed, to date, although this figure may increase. The work of notifying those affected by the discovery of illegal registration in the St Patrick's Guild...

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

Katherine Zappone: The National Childcare Scheme is a new, national scheme of financial support to help parents with the cost of quality childcare. The development of the Scheme is a significant move forward in delivering quality, accessible, affordable childcare to families throughout Ireland. The Scheme provides a universal subsidy to all families with children under 3 years, as well as families with children...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Social Workers Recruitment (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: Adoption Authority of Ireland Data (6 Sep 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I became aware earlier this year that the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection had notified both Tusla and the AAI that the Client Identity Service (CIS) could no longer assist in processing data for those agencies, in the context of information and tracing, on the basis that there was no statutory basis to do so. I engaged with my colleague, Minister Doherty, in an effort...

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

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1720 to 1723, inclusive, together. The most recent data available on rates of pay for staff working in early learning and care services dates from mid-2018 and is drawn from Pobal's Early Years Sector Profile for 2017/18. According to this report, at that time the average rate of pay for staff working directly with children was €12.17 per...

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

Katherine Zappone: The most recent data available on numbers of staff working in early learning and care services dates from mid-2018 and is set out in Pobal's Early Years Sector Profile Report of 2017/18. At that time Pobal estimated there to be 25,893 staff working directly with children, of whom 65% or approximately 16,800 were working in private services. Of this number, Pobal reported that 27% or...