Results 14,121-14,140 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

Other Questions: Adoption Legislation (27 Mar 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: New arrangements can be put in place, which is why extra staff have been allocated. Obviously, there are many demands on the Child and Family Agency and this is one of many. I have, however, identified it as an important priority area because the needs of those seeking adoption information are important. There has not been enough focus up to now on bringing the records together. It is an...

Other Questions: Youth Services Funding (27 Mar 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: That was the figure for 2013. The figure for 2012 was €56.8 million.

Other Questions: Youth Services Funding (27 Mar 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: Obviously, my Department, along with all other Departments, has been required to deliver substantial savings in recent years, in line with the comprehensive review of expenditure for 2012 to 2014. In determining the annual allocations for youth programmes I must have regard to the savings required of my Department but I have sought to ensure that front-line services, particularly those for...

Other Questions: Youth Services Funding (27 Mar 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: On the second question, representations were made to me last year about the Galway youth service. We examined the particular points that were raised and were in a position to give some extra funding. If there are other issues arising now, I ask Deputy Ó Cuív to correspond with me in that regard and I will respond forthwith. We have directed funding at services which were at risk,...

Other Questions: Child Care Services Funding (27 Mar 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: Significant investment is being provided this year by my Department for the two child care schemes that are currently operating, namely the community child care scheme and the childhood education and training support, CETS, scheme. My Department also administers the free preschool year scheme. The annual investment in the latter scheme provides a financial benefit to the parents of...

Other Questions: Child Care Services Provision (27 Mar 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: I thank Deputy Kyne for his question. I welcome the opportunity to speak about the child care committees. Thirty-three city and county child care committees were established in 2001 under the office of the Minister of State with responsibility for children to help support the development of local child care. The current role of the committees is to assist the Department of Children and...

Other Questions: Child Care Services Provision (27 Mar 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: We have begun to bring the local child care committees together and they have formed an umbrella group called Child Care Committees Ireland. This is a very positive development, and I thank the representative body for its work in this regard. It has made an input into the development of the new national quality support service. I will be holding a round-table meeting in the next two weeks...

Other Questions: Youth Services Funding (27 Mar 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: I thank Deputy Ó Cuív for his question and endorsement of the importance of youth services. I know he has an interest in this area. I agree that funding schemes and programmes for the provision of youth services to young people throughout the country should continue in so far as possible. I have provided some information to the House already but I will summarise it. The schemes...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Youth Services Issues (27 Mar 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: My Department administers a range of funding schemes and programmes to support the provision of youth services to young people throughout the country. In 2014, funding of €50.5 million, including €750,000 capital funding, was made available. The funding supports some 400,000 young people, approximately 1,400 youth work staff in 477 projects and 40,000 volunteers - a very...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Youth Services Issues (27 Mar 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Deputy mentioned her own area where €1.7 million is being provided to projects in 2014 under both rounds of the Young People's Facilities and Services Fund. Under round 1, €750,000 is being provided, with a further €985,000 being provided under round 2. I have the details of individual allocations which I will forward to the Deputy. I will correspond with the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Youth Services Issues (27 Mar 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: I can only agree with the Deputy. It is very important that where there is funding for mental health and young people, youth work groups and projects are involved and obtain support from it. There is no doubt that a hugely preventative role is played by all of these youth services, including Garda youth diversion programmes. The research we have demonstrates high levels of success and...

Other Questions: Child Care Services Provision (27 Mar 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: As I have already outlined in my response to an earlier question, we administer two targeted child-care schemes involving community child care subvention, or CCS, and child care education and training support, or CETS, respectively. In the region of €260 million is spent annually to provide support to those programmes, including €175 million for the free pre-school year. The...

Other Questions: Child Care Services Provision (27 Mar 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: The extremely difficult financial position the Government has had to deal with and control has worked against increased investment. I hope that as public finances recover in the coming years it will be considered important to channel any funding which becomes available to schemes which fulfil the objectives I have outlined and support the parents the Deputy rightly says are concerned about...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Adoption Legislation (27 Mar 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: To be clear, my starting point in respect of this legislation has been to provide as much information as possible. I believe the concept of open adoption is the way forward. I emphasise that in the case of future adoptions in this country I want this legislation to deal with that aspect and to provide for that information to be available. In the case of historical adoptions we will examine...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (27 Mar 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: I thank Deputy Troy for the question. Fully 68,000 children are availing of the free preschool year in the academic year 2012-13 at a cost of €175 million. As Deputy Troy is aware, there are several additional provisions to take account of children with special needs. These include an exemption from the upper age limit for qualification under the programme where a child is...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (27 Mar 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: This is an important area. I will come back to Deputy Troy with those figures. Part and parcel of moving to improve preschool services is to have a focus on early years. I have begun this by setting up the task force on early years and commissioning the report Right from the Start, which examines some of these issues and makes recommendations. I agree with Deputy Troy that this area...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (27 Mar 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: I have seen many examples of preschool services that are going above and beyond the call of duty to include children with special needs. There is no question that this is taking place.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (27 Mar 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: Furthermore, the fact that funding is now available to make the services accessible is important, and providers are taking that up. I will revert to the Deputy with the outcome of the discussions among the Department of Health and Children, my Department and the Office for Disability and Mental Health. We are working actively to build better supports. I will revert with the figures. It is...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Inter-Country Adoptions (27 Mar 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: Yes.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Inter-Country Adoptions (27 Mar 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: It is critical that effective practices, as the Deputy calls them, are in place. Clearly I would have preferred if there was continuity concerning the post of CEO. I have emphasised to the Adoption Authority on quite a number of occasions the importance of effective, high quality communication with people who contact them. They are a quasi-judicial body, so they are sometimes limited in...