Results 14,661-14,680 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Children in Care (5 Dec 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: The HSE advised that as this case is subject to legal proceedings and the in camera rule, it is not appropriate to comment any further on the specific aspects of the case. The HSE will work closely with the family, ensuring that all views are considered in order to achieve the best outcome for the children.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Inter-Country Adoptions (4 Dec 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: Under Section 91 (1)(a) of the Adoption Act, 2010, a copy of an extract from the Register of Intercountry Adoptions may be issued by the Adoption Authority of Ireland to any person who applies to the Authority.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Children in Care (4 Dec 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: The HSE compiles monthly performance reports which include statistics in relation to children in care. These reports are published on the HSE website. The latest published report shows that there were 6,465 children in the care of the HSE in September 2013. The HSE has advised me that the nationalities of children in care is not reported on a county basis. The 'Indicators of Need' chapter...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Missing Children (4 Dec 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I have requested the information from the HSE and I will revert to the Deputy when this information is to hand.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Agencies Staff Remuneration (4 Dec 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Secretary General of my Department as with other Accounting Officers, has received a request from the Public Accounts Committee to provide information with regard to the compliance with Public Service Pay Policy of all public service employees in bodies funded by my Department. This information is being compiled at present by my Department in association with the bodies concerned.

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Medical Aids and Appliances Provision (3 Dec 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am taking this Adjournment on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health, Deputy James Reilly. I welcome the opportunity to address the House on the issue of breast cancer and, in particular, in regard to women who have had mastectomies. Since 2001, all women who have had breast cancer surgery are entitled to their first prosthesis and two mastectomy bras free of charge, irrespective...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Medical Aids and Appliances Provision (3 Dec 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: It was not mentioned in the question.

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Medical Aids and Appliances Provision (3 Dec 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Senator should communicate with the Minister in the meantime.

Seanad: Child and Family Agency Bill 2013: Committee Stage (3 Dec 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I have nothing further to add.

Seanad: Child and Family Agency Bill 2013: Committee Stage (3 Dec 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: As we had to repeal all of the section, that is the reason it has to be repeated in this Bill. What the legislation is doing is providing for the first time that if one runs a preschool service, of which there are 4,500, one must be registered. We are coming from a situation where there has been relatively little regulation of the sector and not even registration. All one had to do was...

Seanad: Child and Family Agency Bill 2013: Committee Stage (3 Dec 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I have nothing further to add.

Seanad: Child and Family Agency Bill 2013: Committee Stage (3 Dec 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: As Members are aware, the Health Information and Quality Authority, HIQA, is an independent organisation with the legal power under the Health Act 2007 and the responsibility to monitor and inspect a number of services provided by the Health Service Executive, HSE, to children and young people in Ireland. It does not have a role in respect of individual complaints.

Seanad: Child and Family Agency Bill 2013: Committee Stage (3 Dec 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: Yes, as I stated, the Health Information and Quality Authority has a monitoring role and function under the Health Act 2007. It also has the power to make recommendations in respect of how services are provided and to follow up on the implementation of its recommendations. HIQA's remit now also includes child welfare and protection services delivered by the HSE's children and family...

Seanad: Child and Family Agency Bill 2013: Committee Stage (3 Dec 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: On the purpose of the new Part VIIA of the Child Care Act 1991, the definition to be applied to a preschool service is as follows: ‘pre-school service’ means any pre-school, play group, day nursery, crèche, day-care or other similar service which caters for pre-school children.The key elements of this definition in respect of the amendment proposed are the inclusion of the...

Seanad: Child and Family Agency Bill 2013: Committee Stage (3 Dec 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: As section 58B of the Child Care Act 1991 will allow the Minister to make regulations to promote the development of children, it is not necessary to repeat this in section 58G. I therefore do not intend to accept the amendment. However, I will keep this under review in the context of amending the Child Care Act, which I intend to do. As the Síolta and Aistear programmes develop and...

Seanad: Child and Family Agency Bill 2013: Committee Stage (3 Dec 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: Everybody is working to ensure that we put in place the best services in terms of special care. Clearly, there are many challenges in relation to the development of the type and level of child protection services that we all want to see provided. This will not happen overnight. As I said on the last occasion we discussed this legislation, there is a national plan in place to increase the...

Seanad: Child and Family Agency Bill 2013: Committee Stage (3 Dec 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I will take the last point first concerning which services get outsourced and which will be delivered by the agency itself. That is precisely the benefit of having an agency that is pulling together all the services for children, as well as bringing together the relevant agencies dealing with family support, education and welfare, child and family services, and child protection services....

Seanad: Child and Family Agency Bill 2013: Committee Stage (3 Dec 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: Section 21(1) reads: "The Board shall be the governing body of the Agency with authority, in the name of the Agency, to perform the functions of the Agency." This is clear and unequivocal. I am satisfied that references to the agency in this context are to its board. Therefore, it is not necessary to insert a reference to the board where there is already a reference to the agency. When...

Seanad: Child and Family Agency Bill 2013: Committee Stage (3 Dec 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I refer the Senator to subsection (f), which reads: "ensure, having regard to net expenditure limits determined under section 45, the integrity of the Agency's accounting and financial reporting systems [surely this includes the reporting of key decisions taken in the course of the agency's work], including the independent audit, and that appropriate systems of control are in place, in...

Seanad: Child and Family Agency Bill 2013: Committee Stage (3 Dec 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: Something that the agency must do as soon as it is appointed is devise a code of governance. The Minister of the day also has the power to issue guidelines, not just directions. There is no reason that the issues raised cannot be addressed within a code of governance or ministerial guidelines. The mechanisms mentioned by Senator Hayden are in place to deal with such issues. The appointment...