Results 15,501-15,520 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

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

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 487 and 488 together. The adult/child ratios recommended for childcare services providing full day care, part-time care and sessional care are set out in the Explanatory Guide to the Child Care (Pre-School Services) (No 2) Regulations 2006. The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme makes early learning in a formal setting available to...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Staff Sick Leave (18 Jun 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: As my Department was established on 2nd June 2011, the information requested by the Deputy is provided from June 2011 onwards. Absenteeism information relating to staff currently employed by my Department for the years 2009, 2010 and up to end May 2011 will be included in the returns from the Departments where the staff involved were employed prior to transfer to my Department. YEAR...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Strategies (18 Jun 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: My Department is currently developing a new Children and Young People's Policy Framework which will set out high level goals for both my own and other Departments for the next five years. The Policy Framework is expected to be published in mid 2013 and will build on Our Children - Their Lives, Ireland's first Children's Strategy which was published in 2000. This is relevant to the Early Years...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Preschool Services (18 Jun 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: The free Pre-School Year in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme was introduced in January 2010 and provides a free pre-school year to all eligible children in the year before commencing primary school. In line with the Programme for Government, my Department has made a significant commitment to maintaining this universal programme. Approximately 53,000 children, or 83%...

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

Frances Fitzgerald: As there is no single approved definition of a regulatory body in terms of public service regulators, it is quite difficult to reply categorically to this question. However, an acceptable definition of public service regulator might be that it has functions in at least two of the following three areas of activities: the formulation of goals, the making of rules, [and/or] the setting of...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Agencies Issues (18 Jun 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I can confirm that there are no semi-state organisations currently in operation under the aegis of my Department. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Agencies Issues (18 Jun 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I can confirm that no semi-state organisations come under the remit of my Department and no new semi-state organisations have been established since March, 2011. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Detention Centres Provision (13 Jun 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I assume that the Deputy is referring to custodial accommodation for persons under the age of 18 years, which corresponds to the definition of a child under the Children Act, 2001. This Act provides the legal framework for the operation of the criminal justice system in relation to children. At this time, custodial accommodation for under 18 year olds is provided on the Oberstown campus,...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption Records Provision (13 Jun 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: Work is ongoing on the Adoption (Information and Tracing) Bill, which will provide for a structured and regulated approach to providing access to adoption information and will facilitate contact for those affected by adoption, including in circumstances where an adoption order was not effected. Complex issues have arisen during the course of the preparation of the Bill, including the criteria...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Child Care Education Standards (13 Jun 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: The implementation of Síolta and Aistear is the responsibility of the Department of Education and Skills. The DES has an Early Years Policy Unit which is co-located in Mespil Road with my Department and is responsible for these areas. Síolta (the Irish word for Seeds) – the Childcare Quality Framework (2006) - is a set of National Principles, Standards and Components of...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Child Care Education Issues (13 Jun 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Workforce Development Plan for the Early Years Sector was published in 2010 by the Department of Education and Skills. The Plan acknowledged national and international research evidence which establishes a strong correlation between the availability of an appropriately trained workforce to staff early years services and the ability to deliver high quality pre-school provision. The...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services Inspections (13 Jun 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: Under the Child Care (Pre-School Services) (No 2) Regulations 2006, the inspection of pre-schools is the responsibility of the Health Service Executive (HSE). It is important to realise that inspections alone are not the answer to improving quality. What is required is a multi-faceted approach, and since this Government came to office we have been working to ensure issues relating to child...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Preschool Services (13 Jun 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: The employment of pre-school staff is a matter for each individual childcare service and therefore I do not have a role in this matter. The question of development of standard childcare sector contracts is a matter for consideration by the sector itself.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Qualifications (13 Jun 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme introduced the first-ever requirement for minimum qualifications for staff working in the childcare sector. Under the programme, the pre-school leader delivering the programme must hold a qualification in childcare/early education at a minimum of Level 5 on the National Framework of Qualifications of Ireland (NFQ), or an equivalent...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: After-School Support Services (13 Jun 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: As part of Budget 2013 I, together with my colleague, the Minister for Social Protection, was pleased to announce a new After-school Childcare initiative which will be targeted at low-income parents availing of employment opportunities. Lack of access to affordable, quality childcare is a significant barrier to many low income and disadvantaged families seeking to avail of work...

Leaders' Questions (12 Jun 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: Like saving the mother.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Reports (12 Jun 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: My Department has not completed any such exercises as described by the Deputy. However, a Value for Money Policy Review has commenced on a number of schemes funded by the Youth Affairs Unit within my Department. It is expected that the report of the Value for Money Review will be available by the end of 2013.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Preschool Services (12 Jun 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: The free Pre-School Year in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme was introduced in January 2010 and provides a free pre-school year to all eligible children in the year before commencing primary school. In line with the Programme for Government, my Department has made a significant commitment to maintaining this universal programme. Approximately 53,000 children, or 83% of...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Detention Centres (12 Jun 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I can confirm that three boys currently serving a sentence of detention in Oberstown Boys School, Lusk, Co Dublin absconded from custody on the night of Monday, 3 June 2013. I am advised that in line with standard operational protocols, detailed descriptions and photographs of the three boys concerned were notified by Oberstown Boys School to an Garda Síochána. As of Tuesday, 10...