Results 18,161-18,180 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2009: From the Seanad (21 Jul 2011)

Frances Fitzgerald: I thank Deputies for their comments. I have referred the Donegal case to the HSE group responsible for the review of serious incidents to carry out a review of the circumstances there. I hope to have a report from the group in the near future. Certainly, we must understand precisely what happened, if other interventions could have been made and we must analyse exactly the role of the...

Written Answers — Official Engagements: Official Engagements (20 Jul 2011)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Department of Children and Youth Affairs was established in June 2011 and there are no Minister of States assigned to it.

Written Answers — Children in Care: Children in Care (20 Jul 2011)

Frances Fitzgerald: As this is a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.

Written Answers — Foster Care: Foster Care (20 Jul 2011)

Frances Fitzgerald: I have been informed by the HSE that a reply issued to the question referred to by the Deputy on the 23rd of June 2011.

Written Answers — Foster Care: Foster Care (20 Jul 2011)

Frances Fitzgerald: The DCYA has contacted the HSE in relation to the parliamentary question referred to by the Deputy. The situation is that the HSE will provide a response for the Deputy this week, however, some of the data required is not immediately available.

Seanad: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2009 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (20 Jul 2011)

Frances Fitzgerald: Some broad points have been raised about the child protection system in this country, particularly aftercare but also the overall system. As, Gordon Jeyes, director of the child and family services in the HSE has said, we need a child protection system that is fit for purpose. He also spoke last week about developing an Irish model of child protection. As the previous speaker and others...

Seanad: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2009 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (20 Jul 2011)

Frances Fitzgerald: The next group of amendments is group 6, Nos. 13 and 14, which are required to reflect the enactment of the Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act 2011, which established the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform is now responsible for the modernisation and development of the public service along with certain other functions which...

Seanad: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2009 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (20 Jul 2011)

Frances Fitzgerald: Amendment No. 15 deletes references to the Children Acts Advisory Board, CAAB, as contained in the Child Care Act 1991. It is required in the context of the dissolution of the CAAB, which is provided for in Part 6 of the Bill. It has been decided in the context of the need to rationalise State agencies and in accordance with Government policy to dissolve the CAAB and to subsume many of its...

Seanad: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2011: Motion to Recommit (20 Jul 2011)

Frances Fitzgerald: I thank Senators for their contributions. The main objective of the Bill is to safeguard the best interests of children who are in need of special care, as we have been discussing. What is being enshrined in the Bill will support the achievement of that. Special care is a last resort but it is an important part of child care which does meet the express needs of a very small number of...

Seanad: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2011: Motion to Recommit (20 Jul 2011)

Frances Fitzgerald: With regard to the guardian ad litem, the amendments I committed to bringing forward will remove the discretion of the judge as to whether a guardian ad litem is legally represented and provide that the guardian ad litem may instruct a solicitor and, having regard to the circumstances of the case, may instruct counsel. The effect of the amendment is to continue the practice for the guardian...

Seanad: Hospital Services (20 Jul 2011)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am replying on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health, Deputy James Reilly. Navan hospital is an integral part of the Louth/Meath hospital group and the Minister is determined that it will continue to play an important role in the delivery of clinical services in the Louth/Meath area and to patients in other parts of the north-east region. At present, Navan hospital continues to...

Seanad: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2009 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (20 Jul 2011)

Frances Fitzgerald: I thank the Acting Chairman for his kind words. This is important legislation, the objective of which is to provide for the High Court to have statutory jurisdiction to hear applications by the Health Service Executive for special care orders or interim special care orders and related matters in respect of children where their welfare may require their detention in a special care unit. The...

Seanad: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2009 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (20 Jul 2011)

Frances Fitzgerald: I thank the Senators for their comments on the important issues the Government has been dealing with recently. We are determined to give them an urgent response including the provision of a range of protective measures in legislation. We are not dealing with these in this Bill as it is mainly about transferring authority and powers to my office. This Bill also ensures the HSE keeps me...

Seanad: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2009 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (20 Jul 2011)

Frances Fitzgerald: The second group, amendments Nos. 2, 4, 5, 17 and 20, consists of technical amendments which were required in the context of amendment No. 17. This amendment provided for the inclusion in the Bill of a new section 46 which amended the definition of the term "bilateral agreement", as contained in the Adoption Act 2010, to ensure the definition was consistent with the provision on bilateral...

Seanad: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2009 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (20 Jul 2011)

Frances Fitzgerald: Amendment No. 7 relates to section 3(4) of the Child Care Act 1991, which deals with the functions of the Health Service Executive and connects the Child Care Acts with the Health Acts. The reason for the amendment is that section 3(4) becomes a meaningless and moot section in the context of the establishment of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and transfer of the Child Care Acts...

Seanad: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2009 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (20 Jul 2011)

Frances Fitzgerald: The next group, amendments Nos. 8 and 9, consists of two technical amendments to section 23NP, which provides for offences under the Bill. The amendments are in accordance with section 5 of the Fines Act 2010, which provides that fines between €2,500 and €4,000 are class B fines.

Seanad: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2009 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (20 Jul 2011)

Frances Fitzgerald: Amendments Nos. 10, 12 and 16 are concerned with inspections by the Health Information and Quality Authority, HIQA. The authority allowing HIQA to conduct inspections of children's residential facilities and services, including the special care units, an issue the House will discuss tonight, is provided under the provisions of section 69 of the Child Care Act 1991. Amendment No. 10...

Commission of Investigation Report in the Catholic Diocese of Cloyne: Motion (Resumed) (20 Jul 2011)

Frances Fitzgerald: It is important that we together declare our determination in one voice, clear and unequivocal, to stand with the nation in seeking to safeguard our children. We have done that today by the adoption of an all-party motion in this House. I welcome that and I express my appreciation for the all-party support in the range of contributions here today. For our part and on behalf of the...

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (19 Jul 2011)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Childcare Education and Training Support (CETS) programme was introduced in September last year and is implemented by my Department, on behalf of FÁS and the Vocational Educational Committees (VECs). The CETS programme replaces the previous child care support programmes implemented by FÁS and the VECs under which qualifying students and trainees were paid a weekly Child care Allowance...

Written Answers — Adoption Services: Adoption Services (19 Jul 2011)

Frances Fitzgerald: As this is a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.