Results 14,681-14,700 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

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

Frances Fitzgerald: Under which section?

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

Frances Fitzgerald: The framework will allow for proper supervision, governance and decision making in respect of these issues.

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

Frances Fitzgerald: Section 39 deals with this matter to a certain degree. Part 5 provides for matters relating to standards of integrity, codes of conduct and gifts. Section 36 provides that persons, including board members, shall maintain proper standards of integrity, conduct and concern for the public interest. I understand the attention as the Senator has described it but references to the agency in...

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

Frances Fitzgerald: The board is the governing body of the agency with the authority, in the name of the agency, to perform the functions of the agency. When we refer to "agency", it is a reference to the board of the agency under section 21(1). When we refer to it in the section relating to gifts, it is a reference to the board of the agency.

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

Frances Fitzgerald: I am informed that the word "judgment" can be spelled either way and that in legal terms it is generally spelled with the "e" . That is the information I have been given. I think the Senator disagrees. In my view this is an unnecessary amendment as it would not be possible for the Minister to give a direction that is not consistent with the agency's function. The agency can only act...

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

Frances Fitzgerald: I will give a final clarification on Report Stage. I am advised that legal judgments tend to use the spelling of the word with an "e" but that the spellings are interchangeable.

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

Frances Fitzgerald: I will certainly have a look at that and see quite how it fits with the formulation we have used in this legislation. I repeat that the phraseology used in sections 9(1) of the Bill, which refers to having "regard to the best interests of the child in all matters", is quite strong. I will examine the comment mentioned by the Senator to see what it says and come back to her on the matter on...

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

Frances Fitzgerald: I am satisfied that the provision I have made in section 9 has the intended effect, which is to create a child-centred approach to decision-making while restating the specific requirements for paramountcy in certain specific processes. I do not think there is a need to restate in this Bill the existing provisions relating to proceedings before a court or the Adoption Authority. Those...

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

Frances Fitzgerald: I think the same response applies to this amendment.

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

Frances Fitzgerald: It will be possible for that to be done by means of ministerial direction. Given that the Bill contains many good governance provisions, I expect that there will be transparency in this regard as well. As the Senator knows, the board is currently constituted as the board of the Family Support Agency. A certain level of remuneration is paid in the usual way in that context. I will provide...

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

Frances Fitzgerald: To clarify, they are not ruled out, but the Bill must be clear about which services will transfer. This is the only way there can be that clarity in terms of accountability.

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

Frances Fitzgerald: In section 9(2) the issue of paramountcy is acknowledged and restated. It provides that in the performance of its functions in respect of an individual child under the Child Care Act 1991 or the Adoption Act 2010 the agency shall regard the best interests of the child as the paramount consideration. It takes what is already in the Child Care Act, builds on it and includes it in this...

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

Frances Fitzgerald: I agree that educational welfare is an important aspect of the work of the new agency. In this regard, I refer the Senator to section 72(2) of the Bill which states: The functions vested in the National Educational Welfare Board by or under section 10(1) of the Education (Welfare) Act 2000 shall, on the establishment day, stand transferred to the Agency.Regarding the functions of the...

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

Frances Fitzgerald: I refer the Deputy to the following definition in section 2: "family" means spouse, parent, grandparent, step-parent, child (including a step-child), grandchild, brother, sister, half-brother, half-sister, and any other person who, in the opinion of the Agency, has a bona fide interest in the child;"It is a broad definition that encompasses a wide group of people who might have concerns about...

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

Frances Fitzgerald: The provision in section 41 for a performance framework will capture this concept of consistency. The important words "perform", "transparency" and "accountability" are written into the legislation. Consistency in regard to standards, which is absolutely essential, will be captured on an ongoing basis via the performance framework.

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

Frances Fitzgerald: Section 8 deals with the services the agency shall directly provide. While it will have psychologists working within it, the agency will not in itself provide specialist mental health services, which will remain under CAMHS. The establishment of the new agency is a major task of public sector reform, involving the bringing together of three existing agencies and the transfer of 4,000 staff....

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Foreign Adoptions (3 Dec 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 369, 373, 374, 379, 383 and 387 together. The Adoption Act, 2010, provides for adoptions from countries that have ratified the Hague Convention on adoption and from countries where there is a bilateral agreement in place. During the drafting of the Act a considered and detailed transitional process to deal with the change from previous legislation to the new...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Services Expenditure (3 Dec 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: The funding for 477 youth projects under the Special Projects for Youth Scheme, the Young Peoples Facilities and Services Fund, Rounds 1 and 2 and Local Drugs Task Force Projects is administered by my Department through funding administration bodies. In the main, these are the Education and Training Boards (ETBs) but they also include other bodies such as the HSE, some local authorities and,...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Services Funding (3 Dec 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: My Department provides a range of funding schemes, programmes and supports to the youth sector. These include the Youth Service Grant Scheme, the Special Projects for Youth Scheme, the Young Peoples Facilities and Services Fund (Rounds 1 and 2), the Local Youth Club Grant Scheme, Youth Information Centres, Léargas – The Exchange Bureau, Gaisce – the President’s Award...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Services Funding (3 Dec 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Youth Affairs Unit of my Department supports the delivery of a range of youth work programmes and services for all young people, including those from disadvantaged communities, by the voluntary youth sector. Total funding of €1.75 has been provided for a new capital funding programme for 2013. This includes €1.5m for youth cafés and €250,000 for play and...