Results 16,741-16,760 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: School Absenteeism (26 Sep 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 158 and 159 together. Under the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000 all recognised schools are obliged to submit an Annual Attendance Report to the National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB), which operates under the remit of my Department, on the levels of school attendance each year. The data collected on non-attendance in primary and post-primary schools...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: School Funding (26 Sep 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: My Department has received a proposal from Citywise seeking funding for a service in Dublin 24. The Citywise service involves the provision of a programme to children who are not participating in school. I have been advised by officials of my Department that this provision is not a recognised school within the meaning of the Education Act, 1998. The Minister for Education and Skills has...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Constitutional Amendment on Children (26 Sep 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: In conjunction with the 31st Amendment to the Constitution Bill I have produced the General Scheme of the Draft Adoption (Amendment) Bill 2012 the primary purpose of which is to set out legislative changes to follow on from the Constitutional Referendum on Children, if passed. - The provisions of the draft Adoption (Amendment) Bill 2012 aim to amend the Adoption Act 2010 (the '2010 Act') to...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Abuse (26 Sep 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: The issue raised by the Deputy is at the heart of the Government's programme of reform of children and family services. The need to realign existing services and to provide earlier intervention is accepted and was emphasised in the recent Report of the Task Force on the Child and Family Support Agency (CFSA). The Task Force emphasised the importance of identifying problems and providing...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Education Welfare Service (26 Sep 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: The National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) was established under the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000. The NEWB is a statutory agency under the remit of my Department. It has responsibility to ensure that every child attends school regularly, or otherwise receives a certain minimum education, to support regular school attendance, tackle problems of absenteeism and to provide an educational...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Services (26 Sep 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: My Department has a range of services in place for young people. Funding of some €56.806m is available from my Department in 2012 to support the provision of youth services and programmes to young people throughout the country through a number of schemes. These schemes include the Youth Service Grant Scheme, the Special Projects for Youth Scheme, the Young People's Facilities and...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childhood Obesity (26 Sep 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: Tackling obesity among children and young people requires a cross-departmental, cross-agency and multi-faceted response and health promotion and greater awareness is central to this response. All relevant Government Departments and Agencies, including my own, have a role. My Department has a key leadership role to play in this area through overseeing the on-going implementation of the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Abuse (26 Sep 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Deputy will be aware that I published the Heads of the Children First Bill in April 2012. The purpose of the Bill is to ensure that organisations and professionals who work with children have a statutory responsibility to report reasonable concerns about the abuse or neglect of children in their care to the HSE Child and Family Services. Children First has operated on the basis of...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Services (26 Sep 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: Funding provided by my Department provides support to youth services which also offer a range of counselling supports to young people. Teen Counselling aims to provide a professional counselling service for young people and their families who are struggling with behavioural and emotional difficulties and to inform, support and complement the role of the State sector and other voluntary...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Psychological Services (26 Sep 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: The type of research initiated through my Department’s National Children’s Research Programme and, in particular through the National Longitudinal Study of Children - Growing Up in Ireland - is providing us with a wealth of valuable data on all aspects of children’s development, including their psychological development. One of the aims of the study is to provide evidence...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Protection Issues (26 Sep 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: If any person has a concern about a child, this should be reported to the HSE Children and Family Service local Social Work duty service. If a child is in danger outside of office hours, the Gardaí should be contacted. This information, and the relevant contact details, are available on both my Department's website, www.dcya.gov.ie and the HSE website at www.hse.ie. The Deputy will...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services (26 Sep 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Government established the Department of Children and Youth Affairs to drive the delivery of key commitments in relation to children and young people. The Department was set up in June 2011 with a mandate to put in place a unified framework of policy, legislation and provision across Government in respect of children and young people. The Programme for Government commitments include: -...

An Bille um an Aonú Leasú is Tríocha ar an mBunreacht (Leanaí) 2012: Ordú don Dara Céim - Thirty-First Amendment of the Constitution (Children) Bill 2012: Order for Second Stage (25 Sep 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: Tairgim: "Go dtógfar an Dara Céim anois." I move: "That Second Stage be taken now."

An Bille um an Aonú Leasú is Tríocha ar an mBunreacht (Leanaí) 2012: An Dara Céim - Thirty-First Amendment of the Constitution (Children) Bill 2012: Second Stage (25 Sep 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: Tairgim: "Go léifear an Bille an Dara hUair anois." I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." The Bill I have brought to the House will allow for one of the most important referendums in the history of the State. I would like to begin by thanking Members on both sides of the political divide in this House who have given so much time and effort to the development of the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Preschool Services (25 Sep 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: Pre-school services, including childminding services, are currently regulated under the Child Care (Pre-School Services) (No. 2) Regulations 2006, as provided for under Part VII of the Child Care Act,1991. Under the regulations, the National Children and Family Office of the Health Service Executive (HSE) is responsible generally for inspecting pre-school services with the objective of...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Funding (25 Sep 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: My Department does not fund the Lifestart Project. I understand that the project involves the provision of a child-centred learning programme for parents of children aged from birth to five years of age. My Department has requested the HSE to consider the issue raised and respond directly to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Protection (25 Sep 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: The details of this case have been brought to the attention of the HSE National Office for Children First for their attention. The HSE has statutory responsibility for the welfare and protection of children, under the Child Care Act, 1991. The Deputy is advised that in cases where there is concern for the welfare and protection of a child, a report should be made at the earliest...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: National Lottery Funding Applications (25 Sep 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: Subhead C.6 of Vote 40 for my Department contains a funding provision of €500,000 in 2012 to support groups and organisations with an involvement in the provision of supports and services for children and young people under the application based National Lottery Funding Scheme. Full particulars of the funding scheme are available on my Department`s website - www.dcya.gov.ie...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Children's Rights Referendum (25 Sep 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: On 18 September, the Taoiseach announced to the Dáil that the Government has finalised the wording of a constitutional amendment on the protection of children and has decided to hold a referendum on Saturday, 10 November next.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Inter-Country Adoptions (25 Sep 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Adoption Act, 2010, which was commenced on 1st November 2010, coincided with Ireland's formal ratification of the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption. The purpose of the Adoption Act, 2010, is to improve standards in both domestic and intercountry adoption and its enactment coincided with the establishment of the Adoption...