Results 15,361-15,380 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Child Detention Centres (4 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: Every effort is being made to ensure this happens.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Child Detention Centres (4 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: The report was received by the board in May and it is acting on it and working with the staff to ensure the issues highlighted are dealt with. I have also obtained agreement on extra funding for staffing when the new facility comes on board. I will also put in place regulations to ensure we can use the beds allocated for young girls. This will involve a reorganising of staffing and...

Other Questions: Youth Services Funding (4 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Department provides a range of funding schemes, programmes and supports to the youth sector. Funding of approximately €53.498 million is available in 2013 to support the provision of youth services. In 2013 an allocation of €11.997 million was provided to City of Dublin Youth Services Board to support the provision of youth services to young people in the city of Dublin...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Child Protection Issues (4 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Deputy should recognise the substantial work being carried out in respect of developing the Children First legislation. We want to make sure we have robust and substantial legislation. There is a range of issues I have outlined to the Deputy. I gave him a detailed response with regard to the range of issues that arose. I made the decision after I made some of those comments with...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Child Protection Issues (4 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: Let me remind the Deputy that his own party promised for 12 years to put a children's referendum before the people. That involved a considerable amount of preparation and legislation. Let me remind him that a new agency is being created, a huge amount of work has been done on that and legislation will be in the House very shortly. Let me remind him that his party promised many years ago to...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Child Protection Issues (4 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am answering the question. Those are extremely complex issues relating to reporting of concerns for organisations and individuals. There will be criminal sanctions. I have had very good consultations with stakeholders concerning the development of this legislation and very substantial heads of the Bill will be going to Government shortly. It will be worked on over the summer period and...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Child Detention Centres (4 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I wish to update the House on the significant and ground-breaking programme of work being implemented by this Government in the area of child detention. I am sure the Deputy will acknowledge that we are the first Government to have ended the detention of 16 year olds in St. Patrick's Institution. In addition, we have provided capital funding of €50 million for the development of the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Missing Children (4 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: During the initial set-up of the hotline, the ISPCC focused on community-based promotion of the service, holding many presentations for local community groups and producing posters, flyers and business cards for distribution to all Garda stations from headquarters. The Garda has been very co-operative in the development of this hotline and many businesses have also been informed. The ISPCC...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Missing Children (4 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: It is surprising that Finland, a very child-centred country which has good services for children, does not operate the hotline. I understand initiatives are being taken to ensure all member states will have the hotline. This 116000 number is not an emergency contact. If there is an emergency, people should contact 999. It is a support and alert service for children who are in a position...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Child Protection Issues (4 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: In July I published revised Children First national guidance and my Department initiated work on an implementation framework. That is extremely important because it means all the services coming into contact with children will be alert to Children First. We know from a variety of reports that there is inconsistency in that regard. The revised guidance and implementation framework were...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Child Care Services Regulation (4 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I can confirm that Pobal is in contact with the particular providers because it provides the compliance for my Department in regard to the early child care and education scheme. Those providers provide the ECCE scheme, so it would be appropriate that Pobal meet the providers and investigate the various issues in regard to compliance which arose. It is in the process of doing that and has...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Child Care Services Regulation (4 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: In regard to the Deputy's question about access to inspection reports online, I have asked that any recent reports, reports prior to 1 July, which can be put online are put online. I have asked that any other reports, which are ready and are suitable, are put online, although there is a question about, and much background work to be done on, formats and there are legal, insurance issues etc....

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Child Care Services Regulation (4 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: This is linked to the way the inspection reports are done. We need a very clear statement in those reports as to whether a prosecution is taking place. If a prosecution is deemed necessary, that must be very clearly indicated. We must start to put a range of sanctions in place because there is not a range of sanctions in place currently. There were three prosecutions last year, of which I...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Missing Children (4 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I welcome the launch of the 116000 missing children hotline in Ireland which is being funded by my Department together with the EU. The 116000 missing children hotline is an EU-wide initiative designed to provide a single point of contact across the European Union for missing children and their families. The number is currently operational in 23 EU countries and the number has been...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Child Care Services Inspections (4 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: In the context of changing the inspection regime, it is clear that what will have the greatest impact will be the implementation of new standards with regard to the inspection of facilities. The new national quality standards will have precisely that impact. Work has been ongoing on those standards for many years. This area has been hugely neglected by previous Governments. We are now...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Child Care Services Inspections (4 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: Unfortunately, money was not invested in developing a national inspection system. Neither was it invested in quality measures. Both the Deputy and I have spoken about such measures recently. There is no doubt that money was not invested in a national service or in examining issues relating to quality. That is what we must do now. I accept that some work was done and that the Aistear and...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Child Care Services Inspections (4 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: As I stated in response to questions posed at committee meetings, I want a mentoring programme to be put in place. The Deputy also inquired about the expansion of the directorate and further recruitment. I am currently involved in discussions with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Howlin, in respect of that matter in order to ensure that there will be sufficient...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Child Care Services Regulation (4 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I have previously outlined to the Oireachtas that I found the scenes broadcast on the "Prime Time" programme distressing, shocking, and absolutely unacceptable. There is no question about that. The mistreatment of young children is currently, and rightly, the subject of a thorough and comprehensive investigation by the HSE and Garda. The owners and managers of child care services, in...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Child Care Services Inspections (4 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I welcome the greater priority focus being afforded to the early years and child care sector, as evidenced by the first two questions today. I have previously stated my commitment and that of the Government to improving quality in preschool services. Improving quality also represents an essential building block toward the extension of universal early years provision. As previously...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Care Services (4 Jul 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: Section 45 of the Child Care Act 1991 places a statutory duty on the HSE to form a view in relation to each person leaving care as to whether there is a "need for assistance" and if it forms such a view, to provide services in accordance with the legislation and subject to resources. All young people who have had a care history with the HSE, be it foster care, residential care or high...