Results 15,521-15,540 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Health Services Provision (12 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: Child Care Services Regulation (12 Jun 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: Under the Child Care (Preschool Services) (No 2) Regulations 2006, the inspection of preschools 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 multifaceted 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: Child Protection Issues (12 Jun 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 202 and 203 together. In the first instance, I would like to clarify that the Reception and Integration Agency (RIA) is a functional unit of the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS), a division of the Department of Justice and Equality. RIA is charged with providing accommodation and ancillary services to asylum seekers, that is, adults and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Child Care Facilities and Inspections: Discussion (11 Jun 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: A number of issues have been raised in this part of the discussion. Senator Hayden asked questions about child minding. It is true that most parents in Ireland make their own informal arrangements with childminders. They do not go to the more formal sector. There is an international debate about how regulated that should be. Over the last few decades we have taken the decision, for...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Child Care Facilities and Inspections: Discussion (11 Jun 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: It is important that we do not raise unnecessary fears among parents. We all know that parents take very careful decisions on the care of their children. The vast majority - 70% - of parents make the decision that their child should be looked after by a childminder. On the other hand, we know that it is very important to be vigilant. If parents have questions or see something they do not...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Child Care Facilities and Inspections: Discussion (11 Jun 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: On Deputy Naughten's question, three services providing ECCE had their payments stopped last year.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Child Care Facilities and Inspections: Discussion (11 Jun 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: They were ceased more for administrative reasons than quality reasons. Ms Moira O'Mara will comment further.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Child Care Facilities and Inspections: Discussion (11 Jun 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: A number of members asked about regulation of after-school child care. The introduction of a regulatory environment for after-school services is a priority for the Department and must be dealt with. Previous child care legislation did not include after-school services, so legislation must be introduced to deal with it. We must amend the legislation to deal with that. The child care...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Child Care Facilities and Inspections: Discussion (11 Jun 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: Deputy Troy asked me whether I had seen the programme before it was broadcast. I had not.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Child Care Facilities and Inspections: Discussion (11 Jun 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I welcome the focus of this debate on the transparency that needs to exist. RTE changed the context in which we are having this discussion by bringing to it the national focus I have advocated from the moment I was appointed Minister. A number of the Senators and Deputies present have a close interest in this area but the kind of national focus that now obtains is important. When I hear...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Child Care Facilities and Inspections: Discussion (11 Jun 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: In line with this work, as members will be aware, we are working on a comprehensive preschool quality agenda; those are very important words. We have identified eight key areas of action, which need to be considered and addressed as a matter of urgency. Work has been ongoing on these areas, namely, publishing inspection reports online as soon as possible; strengthening the national...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Child Care Facilities and Inspections: Discussion (11 Jun 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I thank the committee for asking me to come before it today to discuss issues relating to the quality of early childhood care and education in our preschool services. Those services have, for more than a decade, suffered as a result of an excessive and unbalanced focus on bricks and mortar and supply of places, rather than on quality assurance, workforce development and outcomes for...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Legislative Programme (11 Jun 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Deputy will be aware that I published the Draft Heads and General Scheme for the Children First Bill 2012 on the 25th of April 2012 and immediately referred the Heads of Bill to the Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children for consideration and advice. The Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children published their report in July 2012. As part of the Joint Committees...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Protection Issues (11 Jun 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 838, 850, 853 to 856, inclusive, 858 and 862 together. 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), and I have referred the Deputies’ specific queries to the HSE for direct reply. I understand that, in 2011, 2,789 childcare providers...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: UN Conventions Ratification (11 Jun 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: Ireland has signed but not yet ratified the Second Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on the rights of the child on the sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography. It is my intention to progress to ratification in due course, once I am satisfied that the State will be able to meet all its obligations therein. I discussed the issue of ratification of this Protocol in a...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Services Funding (11 Jun 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Youth Affairs Unit of my Department provides a range of funding schemes, programmes and supports to the youth sector. Funding of some €53.498m is available in 2013 to support the provision of youth services and programmes to young people throughout the country including those from disadvantaged communities. Targeted supports for disadvantaged, marginalised and at risk young people...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Proposed Legislation (11 Jun 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 841 and 842 together. The Deputy will be aware that I published the Draft Heads and General Scheme for the Children First Bill 2012 on 25 April 2012 and immediately referred the Heads of Bill to the Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children for consideration and advice. The Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children published their report in July...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Years Strategy Publication (11 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: Child Abuse Issues (11 Jun 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: As this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive for the information in question which I will forward to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services Regulation (11 Jun 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 845, 847, 849, 852, 861, 870 and 872 together. I have already outlined, to both the Dáil and the Seanad, that I found the scenes broadcast on the Prime Time programme of 28th May distressing, shocking, and absolutely unacceptable. What we saw was poor practice and a dereliction of duty and care, resulting in the appalling mistreatment of young...