Parliamentary questions

Child Protection Services Provision

Robert Troy

1. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs his plans to address continuing child protection and welfare concerns in respect of children at risk who are waiting to be allocated a social worker. [14644/15]

Child Protection Services Provision

Sandra McLellan

2. Deputy Sandra McLellan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the actions taken to urgently address the substandard and inadequate provision of care to minors, in view of the recent report by the Health Information and Quality Authority which revealed shocking findings from a full inspection of services in County Cork in October 2014, where children have been waiting years to be allocated a social worker and are accordingly at risk. [14710/15]

Child Care Services Provision

Seamus Healy

3. Deputy Seamus Healy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if, in view of the fact that, effective from 2 July 2015, single parents of children over seven years of age will be required to participate in activation measures outside the home in order to receive the full jobseeker's transition payment, he will provide free child care outside school hours and in school holiday periods for the children affected as a matter of urgency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14646/15]

Preschool Services

Robert Troy

4. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs his views on concerns that the inspection system for preschools is not robust enough to identify centres that pose risks to the health and welfare of children in their care. [14716/15]

Early Childhood Care and Education

Seamus Healy

5. Deputy Seamus Healy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he will increase the capitation fee payable under the early childhood care and education scheme to the level required to provide the service; if he will reinstate the 2011 level of capitation as an interim measure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14647/15]

Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries

Clare Daly

6. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the role of the mother and baby homes commission of investigation in relation to its powers to order exhumations and excavations of graves. [14403/15]

Child Protection

Richard Boyd Barrett

7. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs his views on the recent report by the Health Information and Quality Authority into services provided by Tusla - Child and Family Agency - in County Cork, which saw 234 high risk children still waiting to be allocated a social worker; his plans to address this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14401/15]

Child Protection Services Provision

Mick Wallace

8. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of children deemed at risk who have not been allocated a social worker, particularly in view of the recent Health Information and Quality Authority report on child welfare services in County Cork, which highlighted long waiting times for the allocation of social workers for vulnerable children, resulting in these children remaining at risk for prolonged periods of time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14398/15]

Child and Family Agency Services

Seán Kyne

9. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of children's services committees; the local authority areas which have such a committee; if it is envisaged that all counties would have a committee; and if he will report on the way the committees interact with the local community development committees. [14468/15]

Foster Care

Sandra McLellan

10. Deputy Sandra McLellan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the provision this Government made for survivors of child abuse, who lived under State-paid foster care during the period 1953 to 1967, which abuse was reported by social workers and the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children to the Government of the day; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14465/15]

Child Care Services Provision

Sandra McLellan

11. Deputy Sandra McLellan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he will provide an update on the recent interdepartmental group policy seminar, in which he invited child stakeholders to contribute to the discussions; and the outcome of that meeting. [14467/15]

School Completion Programme

Maureen O'Sullivan

12. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he is committed to the work of the school completion programme, and the need for funding to be maintained; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8809/15]

Child Poverty

Catherine Murphy

13. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he is aware that the present housing crisis is one of the biggest contributors to child poverty, curtailed educational attainment and childhood health concerns; his views that the extreme pressures placed on families who are homeless or at risk of homelessness create an urgent child welfare issue in many cases; the measures he proposes to address this; the correspondence he has had with the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government and with the Minister for Social Protection on this matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14402/15]

Child Care Services Provision

Seamus Healy

14. Deputy Seamus Healy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he is now in a position to provide extra resources to child care providers, in respect of children with additional and special needs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14456/15]

Child Protection

Robert Troy

15. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs his views on the report by the Health Information and Quality Authority into child protection and welfare services in the Cork area that found more than one in four children, who had been the subject of a referral, did not have an allocated social worker; the measures that are being taken to address these shortcomings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14471/15]

National Youth Strategy

David Stanton

16. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs further to Parliamentary Question No. 150 of 24 February 2015, the progress that has been made in the development of a National Youth Strategy; when he expects this to be completed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14462/15]

Child Protection Services Provision

Thomas P. Broughan

17. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he will report on the measures his Department is putting in place to monitor the wellbeing of children currently residing in emergency homeless accommodation; the family supports his Department is providing to these children; the collaborative measures he and the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government are undertaking to reduce the impact of the lack of stability for these children; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14406/15]

Early Childhood Care and Education

Seán Kyne

18. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs in relation to the Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures policy framework from 2014 to 2020, the progress at achieving the commitment to introduce a second free preschool year, which is envisaged for introduction before the end of the policy framework duration; and if consideration is being given to enhancing and extending the hours currently provided under the first preschool year, as a precursor to the introduction of the second year. [14469/15]

Child Abuse

Mick Wallace

19. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the procedures in place for carrying out investigations into cases of historical child abuse by State institutions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14399/15]

School Completion Programme

Robert Troy

20. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he will provide a commitment to reversing cuts to the school completion programme and ensuring that the programme is secured for the future. [14473/15]