Results 16,381-16,400 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Education (20 Nov 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: The 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. Approximately 65,700 children are availing of the ECCE programme in the current school year and €175.8 million has been provided to cover the cost of the programme. Since the introduction of...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services (20 Nov 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) programme is implemented by my Department and provides support to community childcare services to enable them to provide childcare at reduced rates to low income families and to families where one or both parents is in receipt of a social welfare payment. The CCS programme provides support to all qualifying parents including those parents whose...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Legislative Programme (20 Nov 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Government has approved the Heads of the Child and Family Support Agency Bill and has also agreed to the priority drafting of this Bill. The necessary legislative and organisational preparations are being prioritised so that the Agency can be established early in 2013. Drafting of the Child and Family Support Agency Bill is under way, in line with the policy decisions of Government. This...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption Services (20 Nov 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: Section 66(2) of the Adoption Act, 2010 allows for the Adoption Authority of Ireland (AAI) to delegate certain functions in relation to making arrangements for adoptions to the Health Service Executive or such accredited bodies as the Authority may specify. In the notice of 21 December 2011 published on the AAI website, the Authority noted that on 3 May 2011, pursuant to Article 22 of the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Contracts (15 Nov 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: An Post were awarded the contract to deliver the Department's Children's Referendum information booklet to all addresses throughout the State.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Children in Care (15 Nov 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: I have been advised by the HSE that there were a total of 5,739 children in Foster Care at end of August 2012. Of these 3,936 were in general foster care and 1,803 were in relative foster care. The following is a breakdown of this information by HSE area: HSE Dublin Mid Leinster Foster Care total care placements Dún Laoghaire 103 Dublin South East 79 Wicklow 111 Dublin...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Social Workers Deployment (15 Nov 2012)

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

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Consultations (15 Nov 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: My Department has carried out two Public Consultations since the start of 2012. 1) A public consultation on "Improving the lives of children and young people". 2) A public consultation on "National Children Detention Facilities".

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: National Educational Welfare Board (14 Nov 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: I have been advised that the National Educational Welfare Board has recently appointed an Interim Chief Executive Officer on a fixed term contract. The Interim Chief Executive Officer had retired from his position as an Assistant Chief Inspector in the Department of Education and Skills prior to his consideration for appointment by the Board. The pension abatement rules with regard to the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Referendum Expenditure (14 Nov 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: To date, an amount of €9,693 has been spent on the Department's Children's Referendum website which includes costs in respect of website development, maintenance, design and translation of material into the Irish language. An amount of €428,487 has been spent to date on the Department's Children's Referendum information booklet which includes costs in respect of design,...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Public Sector Reform (14 Nov 2012)

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). In July 2011, the Government decided that the Family Mediation Service should transfer from...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Staff Promotions (14 Nov 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: I can confirm that there have been no internal promotions at my Department since its establishment in June 2011.

Leaders' Questions (13 Nov 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: It is preliminary.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Social Workers Register (13 Nov 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: The HSE compiles a monthly census of employment in the public health and social care sector. Figures supplied by the HSE indicate that the number of whole-time- equivalent (WTE) social workers employed in the Children and Families Service area of the HSE was 1,300 at the end of July 2012. The number of social workers employed in the Children and Families Service area at the end of February...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Education (13 Nov 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme was introduced in January 2010 and provides for one free pre-school year for all eligible children in the year before commencing primary school. In line with the Programme for Government, my Department has maintained the pre-school year on a universal and free basis. The universal nature of this programme is critical for childhood...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Support Agency (13 Nov 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 571 and 575 together. Work is proceeding as a priority of Government on the preparation of the legislation necessary to give effect to the establishment of a new Child and Family Support Agency. The intention, subject to the passing of the legislation, is that the new Agency will be established in January 2013. My Department is working closely with staff...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Detention Centres (13 Nov 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: Ballydowd Young Peoples Centre, which has a capacity for 10 beds, is one of three Special Care units in the country which are operated by the HSE under a single national governance arrangement. The other two units are Gleann Álainn (Cork) and Coovagh House (Limerick). Special Care involves the detention of a child for his or her own welfare and protection in a Special Care Unit....

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Missing Children (13 Nov 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Universal Service Directive requires Member States to "make every effort to ensure that citizens have access to a service operating a hotline to report cases of missing children. The hotline shall be available on the number 116 000." The same Directive also requires Member States to "ensure that citizens are adequately informed of the existence and use of services provided under the 116...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Expenditure (13 Nov 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: Four agencies are funded by the Exchequer through my Department's Vote: the Adoption Authority of Ireland; the Family Support Agency; the National Educational Welfare Board; and the Ombudsman for Children’s Office. I have set out in tabular format the amount being budgeted for by the State agencies under the remit of my Department for the current year. I am not in a position to...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Funding (13 Nov 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: The information sought by the Deputy regarding grant disbursements in the period March 2011 to September 2012 is currently being compiled by my Department and will be forwarded to the Deputy in the near future.