Results 16,941-16,960 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

Child and Family Support (10 Jul 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: The task force that I established to advise on the necessary transition programme to set up a child and family support agency has undertaken a considerable body of work. I met the task force at its 18th meeting last month for an update on this work and I anticipate that the final report will be submitted in July. The report will be brought to the Government, laid before the Oireachtas and...

Child and Family Support (10 Jul 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: Yes.

Child and Family Support (10 Jul 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: I can confirm that I will publish it on receipt and will circulate it to all Members in the House. It will also be available for people to read and respond to. I welcome a debate both within and outside the Houses on the work. Great care has been taken and much hard work has been put in by the members of the task force since last September, when I appointed them. It has taken submissions...

Child and Family Support (10 Jul 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: I take the points made by the Deputies on the importance of this report and that we have a comprehensive discussion on its recommendations. It suggests the potential blueprint for the establishment of the new agency and, as such, it is critical to have a good discussion on its recommendations and the implementation of same. With regard to the report of the special rapporteur, the procedure...

Child and Family Support (10 Jul 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: Yes, but the normal process is to ask other Departments to respond to it. Those responses have been received and I hope to be in a position to place the report before the Houses before the Dáil concludes this term.

Child Care Services (10 Jul 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: Preschool services, including child minding 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. Operational responsibility for the management and delivery of health and personal social services, including the inspection of child care facilities, was assigned to the Health Service...

Child Care Services (10 Jul 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: I agree that we must have a very clear focus on quality and standards in early years. Significant improvements have been made but there must be ongoing work to ensure there is a robust system of regulation and inspection. That is one of the reasons I have included in the terms of reference of the new early years group to review the inspection regime and make recommendations on how it can be...

Children in Care (10 Jul 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: At present over 92% of children in care have an allocated social worker. In May 2012 there were 6,282 children in care compared to 6,015 children in care in February 2011. The figures reflect an increase over the period of 267 in the number of children in care, adding to the challenge for the HSE in ensuring that all children in care have an assigned social worker. The allocation of a...

Children in Care (10 Jul 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: Since March of this year, I am very pleased to say we have seen an increase in the number of children who have a social worker. The number is steadily going in the right direction. One can take any period of time and parse and analyse it but what we need to do is look at the overall situation. It is true that 2011 was a very difficult year for the HSE child and family services. It was...

Children's Rights Referendum (10 Jul 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Programme for Government 2011 - 2016 states that the referendum on children's rights is a priority and that the wording of the proposed referendum will be along the lines of that proposed by the all-party Joint Committee on the Constitutional Amendment on Children, JCCAC. From the outset of deliberations on the constitutional amendment on children's rights, the need for all-party...

Children's Rights Referendum (10 Jul 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: As the Deputy will be aware, this was a priority for the Government and we have not put off a decision on holding the referendum. We have made it clear that it will be held this year and, given its importance and the range of issues to be addressed, that it will be a stand alone referendum. That is an indication of our commitment and such a timely response has not been seen from a...

Children's Rights Referendum (10 Jul 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: I understand the point the Deputy is making. I do not accept that the delay has been inordinate. On the contrary, this is a priority issue for the Government and our actions reflect that. My Department and the Office of the Attorney General is doing detailed and committed work on the issue and it is subject to considerable interaction and discussion between the Attorney General's office...

Child Care Services (10 Jul 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: In response to the publication of the report of the independent child death review group, I reaffirmed my view on the importance of children in crisis, no matter where they are, having access to 24-hour social work assistance. I recently discussed this issue with Mr. Gordon Jeyes, national director for children and family services in the HSE. I expect the HSE to bring forward an...

Child Care Services (10 Jul 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: I want to inform the House that the existing pilot projects that were running in Cork and Donegal will continue in 2012. Clearly, whatever model emerges will need to address the challenges of the varying demographic demands in rural and urban settings. For example, the number of referrals to the Cork pilot project was 29, while the Donegal pilot only received eight referrals. Building on...

Child Care Services (10 Jul 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: Given the current financial situation resources is a key issue. Replacement of social workers is outside of the embargo. The director of child and family services has the authority to replace social workers within the resources available to him. These are greater than previously. There is a great deal of demand in this area although not so much in terms of out-of-hours services but in...

Children in Care (10 Jul 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: I indicated when I published the report of the Independent Child Death Review Group that I welcomed its findings and recommendations and that I fully accept the need for action in the areas identified. As advised at a recent meeting of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health and Children, following consultations with the Taoiseach, I am putting in place an implementation process for the...

Children in Care (10 Jul 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: I join the Deputy in thanking the authors of the report for their work. It is pretty devastating to read a report on the deaths of children. In this House just two years ago there was a lack of clarity even on the figures. With this report we now clearly have increased transparency. Clearly the kinds of reforms needed in this area will not take place overnight and a great deal of work...

Children in Care (10 Jul 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: In regard to any deaths in the recent period, the Deputy will be aware that reports have been published and information is in the public arena on how many of those deaths were natural deaths. It is important to remind ourselves that non-natural and natural deaths of children under the age of 18 occur. They are reported on now immediately by the review mechanism and panel that is in place in...

Court Proceedings (10 Jul 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: I thank the Deputy for his question on the in camera rule in the courts. This was clearly identified in the child death report as an issue and it was felt that there was a need for more transparency. I believe that there is scope for more transparency in regard to the private nature of court proceedings relating to child welfare and protection cases. We certainly need to put in place a...

Court Proceedings (10 Jul 2012)

Frances Fitzgerald: I spoke to the Minister, Deputy Shatter, about this issue today. I cannot give the Deputy an indication of precisely when this legislation will come forward but the Minister is actively considering it. That is progress because this issue has been around for many years and has never been dealt with. The Minister, Deputy Shatter will bring forward legislation to deal with it. I am in a...