Results 15,541-15,560 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

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

Frances Fitzgerald: Any forms of assault which may take place in a children detention setting, either by children against other children or by children against staff, is of course totally unacceptable from any point of view. I am advised that all possible means are employed in the children detention setting of the Oberstown campus, Lusk, Co Dublin to create and maintain stable relationships based on the child...

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: Child Care Qualifications (11 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: School Funding (11 Jun 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I was successful in securing €2.75m in capital funding in Budget 2013 to support the ongoing improvement of the childcare sector via the 2013 Childcare Capital Programme. This programme is being implemented by Pobal on behalf of my Department. Both community not-for-profit childcare facilities and private childcare facilities currently participating in one of the three childcare...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: EU Directives (11 Jun 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: My Department is not currently undertaking any work on legislation of the type referred to by the Deputy.

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

Frances Fitzgerald: The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme provides for one free pre-school year for all eligible children before commencing primary school. The programme includes a number of additional provisions to take account of children with special needs. These include an exemption from the upper age limit for qualification under the programme where a child is developmentally delayed...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Proposed Legislation (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 consultation...

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

Frances Fitzgerald: The School Completion Programme (SCP) aims to retain young people in the formal education system to completion of senior cycle and to generally improve the school attendance, participation and retention of its target cohort. Projects within the School Completion Programme, including those in Counties Kerry and Limerick, are managed and directed by a Local Management Committee (LMC), which...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Detention Centres (11 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 Monday 10...

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

Frances Fitzgerald: I am aware of the difficulties that parents face in meeting childcare costs. Significant investment totalling in excess of €260 million is being provided this year by my Department to assist parents with the cost of childcare. My Department provides two targeted childcare support programmes - the Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) programme and the Childcare Education and Training...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: UN Convention on Children's Rights (11 Jun 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: Ireland ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1992. Ireland submitted our second progress report to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in 2005/2006. Following the establishment of my Department in June 2011, I directed that a substantial progress report, combining the 3rd and 4th reports , to cover the period 2006 to 2011 inclusive should be submitted to the...

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

Frances Fitzgerald: The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme, which represents an annual investment of approximately €175 million, makes early learning in a formal setting available to eligible children in the year before they commence primary school. Participating childcare services provide age-appropriate activities and programmes to children within a particular age cohort. It is a...

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

Frances Fitzgerald: The Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) programme provides funding to community childcare not-for-profit services to enable them to charge reduced childcare rates to parents in receipt of social welfare payments or on low to middle incomes. Community childcare services qualify for grant aid on the basis of the level of service they provide and the profile of the parents benefiting from...

Seanad: Early Child Care Education Standards: Statements (30 May 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: As I said in the Dáil yesterday, I found the scenes broadcast on Tuesday night's programme on RTE distressing, shocking and absolutely unacceptable. What we saw was poor practice and a dereliction of duty and care, resulting in the mistreatment of young children. It was abusive, distressing and inappropriate and showed a poor understanding of children's developmental needs, as all of...

Seanad: Early Child Care Education Standards: Statements (30 May 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: As I said in the Dáil yesterday, I found the scenes broadcast on Tuesday night's programme on RTE distressing, shocking and absolutely unacceptable. What we saw was poor practice and a dereliction of duty and care, resulting in the mistreatment of young children. It was abusive, distressing and inappropriate and showed a poor understanding of children's developmental needs, as all of...

Seanad: Early Child Care Education Standards: Statements (30 May 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I thank Senators for their contributions. It is extremely important that we have had the opportunity to discuss this issue. The public debate under way is probably the first real national debate we have had on the early years sector. We have had this type of debate on child protection in a broader sense, but it is good to focus on the early years. I regret what has precipitated the debate...

Seanad: Early Child Care Education Standards: Statements (30 May 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: It is happening right now. Mr. Jeyes is establishing a national approach to inspection which will give him the opportunity to redeploy staff to areas where they are needed. I have spoken to him directly about that. I also want to see greater attention being paid to risk information in judging the timing of inspections. If complaints have been made about a service, inspectors need to return...

Seanad: Early Child Care Education Standards: Statements (30 May 2013)

Frances Fitzgerald: I do not want to prejudice any investigation or make any comment on the investigation. A serious investigation on the part of the Garda and HSE into incidences of alleged abuse is taking place. Senators have all made comments on whether they consider it to be abuse but I do not want to prejudice what is a very serious investigation. It will take its course. As I said, there have been...