Results 15,241-15,260 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Foster Care Provision (18 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: My Department has sought the information requested by the Deputy from the HSE and I will provide the Deputy with the information as soon as it becomes available

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services Provision (18 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: My Department has sought the information requested from the HSE and I will provide the Deputy with the information as soon as it becomes available.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Inter-Country Adoptions (18 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Adoption Authority of Ireland is the central authority in Ireland for intercountry adoption. Agencies are accredited by the Adoption Authority to provide mediation services in relation to intercountry adoption to assist prospective adoptive parents with the adoption process in respect of particular countries. The operation of such bodies is seen as an additional safeguard for countries...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Agencies Pension Provisions (18 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I would like to inform the Deputy there are four agencies which are funded by the Exchequer through my Department's Vote. These are the Adoption Authority of Ireland ; the Family Support Agency; the National Educational Welfare Board and the Ombudsman for Children's Office. Employees of the Adoption Authority of Ireland, the National Educational Welfare Board and the Family Support Agency...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Ministerial Travel (18 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: The mileage claims and travel expenses in respect of the use of my personal car on official business since the establishment of my Department in June 2011 is set out hereunder: Miles claimed Travel Expenses paid 34,857 €20,170

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Legislative Process (18 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: No amendments to legislation were proposed by my Department and no amendments to legislation were accepted by my Department, during committee and report stages in Seanad Éireann in 2012.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Ministerial Staff (18 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: Both my Private and Constituency Offices are staffed in accordance with the Guidelines on Staffing of Ministerial Offices as issued by the Department of Finance in April 2011. These guidelines set out the maximum numbers of staff that can be employed in each office and I can confirm that staffing of my offices are fully compliant with the guidelines. The specific details requested by the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Exchequer Savings (18 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: As advised to the Deputy, in response to her Parliamentary Question of the 16th July, if both my Special Advisers were capped at the first point of the Principal Officer scale, the total savings to the Exchequer in 2013 would amount of €4,535. With effect from 1st July 2013 my Ministerial salary amounts to €70,282, which is less than the first point of the Principal Officer...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Protection Guidelines (18 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: Dr. Geoffrey Shannon is the current Special Rapporteur on Child Protection. The functions of the Rapporteur are: - to keep under review and to audit legal developments for the protection of children; - to assess what impact, if any, litigation in national and international courts will have on child protection; - to prepare, annually, a report setting out the results of the previous...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Child Care Education Standards (18 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 651 and 658 together. The commitment to improve the quality of early childhood care and education has been a key priority for me since becoming Minister for Children and Youth Affairs. This is why my Department and I have been progressing work on Ireland's first-ever Early Years Strategy and this why we have been working on a comprehensive Pre-School Quality...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Staff Numbers (18 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: Figures supplied by the HSE, from its census of employment in the public health and social care sector, indicate that the number of whole-time equivalent (WTE) social workers employed in the HSE Children and Families service area was 1,397 at the end of June 2013, which is the latest date for which figures are available. The census numbers reflect the outcome of a process of...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Child Care Education Issues (18 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: Pre-school services are subject to the Child Care (Pre-School Services) (No.2) Regulations 2006, as provided for under Part VII of the Child Care Act 1991. The implementation of these Regulations and the inspection of pre-schools is the responsibility of the Health Service Executive (HSE). Management reforms are underway in the HSE in advance of the establishment of the Child and...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Justice (18 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: The legal detention capacity of the Children's Detention School on the Oberstown campus comprises 24 male bed spaces in Trinity House School, 8 female bed spaces in Oberstown Girls School, and 20 male bed spaces in Oberstown Boys School. However, only 16 of the certified 24 male bed spaces in Trinity House School are currently available for use due to staffing shortages. The Irish Youth...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Proposed Legislation (18 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: The General Scheme and Heads of Bill of the Children First Bill 2013 are to be submitted to Government shortly for approval to draft the Bill.. The General Scheme and Heads of Bill of the proposed Adoption (Amendment) Bill were published in September 2012 in conjunction with the publication of the referendum proposal to inform the public of proposed changes to adoption law if the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Protection Issues (18 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I indicated when I published the report of the Independent Child Death Review Group (ICDRG) that I welcome the findings and recommendations of this report, and that I accept fully the need for action in the areas identified. The necessary actions are being implemented in the context of the Government's reform programme for children's services, the most radical reform of child welfare and...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Child Care Education Issues (18 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I assume that the Deputy is referring to the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme which provides for a free pre-school year to all eligible children in the year before they commence primary school. Almost every pre-school service (more than 4,300) in the State is participating with over 68,000 children, or 94% of the eligible age cohort, availing of free pre-school this year....

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services Regulation (18 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: The quality assurance of the Further Education system in Ireland is the responsibility of Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI), a recently established body drawn from the merging of the Further Education Training Awards Council, the Higher Education and Training Awards Council, the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland and the Irish Universities Quality Board. In 2011,...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Appointments to State Boards (18 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I would like to inform the Deputy there are four agencies which are funded by the Exchequer through my Department's Vote. These are the Adoption Authority of Ireland (AAI); the Family Support Agency (FSA); the National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) and the Ombudsman for Children's Office (OCO). With effect from 1 January 2012, I have taken responsibility for the Children Detention...

Child and Family Agency Bill 2013: Second Stage (17 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: Hear, hear.

Child and Family Agency Bill 2013: Second Stage (17 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I thank all Deputies for their contributions and for their support for the child and family agency. There were some very thoughtful and thought-provoking contributions on the development of the new agency. I listened with interest to the valuable input of Deputies on all sides. The various issues raised will be considered further by my Department as the Bill makes its way through the...