Results 1,161-1,180 of 7,359 for speaker:Katherine Zappone

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services Administration (10 Jul 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Deputy Catherine Martin raised the question in another way. I am aware of the concerns of both lone parents and their representatives. Deputy Catherine Martin suggested we might need to meet them to communicate what was going on and identify how the changes would impact on them. Ongoing communication is very important. When we move to the national childcare scheme, it will be based on...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services Administration (10 Jul 2019)

Katherine Zappone: We have an information and education campaign that we want to roll out for parents who are applying for support under the national childcare scheme. Part of it is through the city and county childcare committees, Intreo and Citizens Information offices. We will find ways to support people who face challenges in making online applications. On whether they will be worse off, I certainly know...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services Provision (10 Jul 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The national childcare scheme is the pathway to quality, affordable and accessible childcare in Ireland. It will ultimately replace the existing targeted childcare schemes with a single, streamlined and user-friendly scheme, providing both universal and targeted childcare subsidies. The scheme will provide up to 40 hours of childcare per week for parents who are working, studying,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Youth Services Funding (10 Jul 2019)

Katherine Zappone: My Department maintains close contact with the 30 national youth organisations that we fund. Officials from my Department and I meet these organisations formally twice per year to share knowledge and information on developments in the youth sector. Most recently, I met the national youth organisations on 11 April. An additional meeting was held on that day with the national organisations...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Youth Services Funding (10 Jul 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I appreciate the Deputy's questions. In my initial reply, I tried to outline the various structures and conversation paths that have been established in terms of a better, deeper and more frequent dialogue between the sector and my Department at national and community or local levels. That is an improvement, and significant changes have occurred in recent years in that regard. I am,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Youth Services Funding (10 Jul 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I hope so. We received an additional €1.5 million for youth funding in 2019. Funding is allocated and offered to the youth sector in different ways, but it totals €60.4 million. Organisations argue that, due to the years of austerity, it is still not at the level it should be, but there has been a further €1.5 million increase this year. We have targeted youth...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services Regulation (10 Jul 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The new school age childcare regulations were developed following comprehensive advice received from experts in the sector. They have been received positively overall, with providers and parents recognising my duty to protect children and assist in ensuring quality of service. Concerns raised in the media focused on the minimum ratio of one adult to 12 children that will come into force in...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services Regulation (10 Jul 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I will make two points. I have indicated that we had a full consultation process as regards the development of the regulations. We will see if that concern has been raised. I will certainly bring what the Deputy has said back to my Department. I would not say "No" to it outright. The Deputy has offered a rationale, about which perhaps we could talk further. Having said that, what I am...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Child Abuse Prevention (10 Jul 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Given the Deputy's phrasing of the question, I would answer "Yes". The specific role of Tusla is to promote the welfare of children who are at risk of not receiving adequate care and protection, as the Deputy will be aware. Some 40% of the referrals relate to child sexual abuse concerns. An Garda Síochána will deal with any criminal aspects of that sexual offence against a...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Child Abuse Reports (10 Jul 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I thank the Deputy for her question. The NRP summary report into this serious and distressing case was published on 28 May. The report provides a sober, full account of what happened, and a clear analysis of the failures that occurred in managing the case. In particular, the report finds that there was enough evidence at the time of the disclosure, in 2007, to warrant the removal...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Child Abuse Reports (10 Jul 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I thank the Deputy. I made a brief reference to this in my earlier reply to Deputy Durkan in that we have worked for some time to develop that model, which we are naming as One House, and which we hope will open in September. We had hoped to do this a little earlier but it has taken longer to bring together such an innovative model arising from recommendations from such an incident. It...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Child Abuse Reports (10 Jul 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I take on board all of the points raised by the Deputy. I am trying to outline that there are a number of recommendations, many of which had been responded to, and major changes have happened. That is not to deny given the challenges identified by the Deputy regarding the retention of social workers, etc., the difficulties will not continue to ensue in a high-risk environment that I have...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Irish Language (10 Jul 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I take the Deputy's point. As he can appreciate, I felt it was important to identify the ways in which we are responding and supporting Irish-medium childcare settings, as well as Irish-speaking parents who want to see Irish being utilised in the development of the national childcare scheme. That is important and more needs to be done in light of the various action plans that have come out,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Irish Language (10 Jul 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I take the Deputy's point. I get what he is saying and agree with his arguments. The report from the Joint Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Islands is more focused on Irish-speaking educational and early educational settings. However, one of its recommendations is that the Department of Education and Skills should create specific posts in order to develop further...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Irish Language (10 Jul 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I will bring that clear recommendation on early years settings back to my Department. There are also some suggestions on the ways in which both Irish-medium and non-Irish medium early years settings can share best practices with each other in order to support the development of children learning the language. I will bring the Deputy's general recommendations back to my Department, which is...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Child Abuse Prevention (10 Jul 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I assure the Deputy that every referral to Tusla's Child Welfare and Protection Services is assessed by social workers when it is received. Cases of suspected child abuse referred to Tusla can be categorised into four different types: neglect, emotional abuse, physical abuse and sexual abuse. Between 2016 and the end of April 2019, there have been almost 180,000 referrals to Tusla’s...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Child Abuse Prevention (10 Jul 2019)

Katherine Zappone: That is an excellent supplementary question. I am satisfied that the appropriate actions are being taken, particularly in high priority cases where children are at immediate risk and there is potential abuse or harm going on, as distinct from cases involving child welfare concerns. There is a child protection concern in the former. I have described the system that is in place and that...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Family Resource Centres (10 Jul 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Over 121 family resource centres, FRCs, provide an invaluable service to children and families. I have provided money for FRCs to employ an extra 17 staff. Tusla provides financial support to FRCs to fund the salaries of a core staff complement and to cover some of their overheads. I have allocated an additional €4.5 million in funding for the family resource centre programme...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Family Resource Centres (10 Jul 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I am committed to increasing investment in family resource centres and certainly will be seeking an increase in the Estimates process. The way in which I decided to utilise the €1.5 million increase this year demonstrates that there are various ways in which we can provide the support FRCs require. One of them is, and this gets to the heart of what the Deputy is asking, a 5% increase...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Family Resource Centres (10 Jul 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I will not even begin to compete with the Deputy's mathematical abilities. Their current core funding from Tusla will increase by 5%. My understanding is that they can use it in whatever way they decide to use it. Second, from a staff perspective we are also investing in one family support worker in each region to add to the complement of staff working in the family resource area. That...