Results 17,661-17,680 of 21,096 for speaker:Charles Flanagan

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Appointments to State Boards (10 Jul 2014)

Charles Flanagan: I can confirm to the Deputy that I have made no appointments to State Boards under the Aegis of this Department since taking Office on May 8th 2014.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Preschool Services (10 Jul 2014)

Charles Flanagan: The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme is a free and universal programme which provides a free preschool year to all eligible children. The programme includes a number of additional provisions which provide for an exemption from the upper age limit for qualification under the programme in certain circumstances, and permits certain children to have the preschool year split...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Statutory Instruments (10 Jul 2014)

Charles Flanagan: I can confirm to the Deputy that I have not signed any Statutory Instrument since taking Office on May 8th 2014.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Expenditure (9 Jul 2014)

Charles Flanagan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 478 and 479 together. I would like to inform the Deputy at the outset that it is the policy of my Department to minimise to the greatest extent possible, professional fees. For the purposes of this response I have taken professional fees to refer to accountable persons from whom Professional Services Withholding Tax has been deducted in respect of...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Staff Training (9 Jul 2014)

Charles Flanagan: The information requested by the Deputy is set out in tabular form below. Training Courses Total Generic T&D for Civil Service Work €7,222 Customer Service Workshop €345 Excel €1,644 Freedom of Information training €2,060 Minute Taking for Meetings €390 Powerpoint €249 Speech Writing €1,470 Team & People Management...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Staff Training (9 Jul 2014)

Charles Flanagan: Costs associated with staff learning & development across my Department during 2013 were €100,000. This represents just over 1% of total costs associated with the administration and running of my Department in that year. As a relatively small Department with a significant body of work to carry out in the coming years, I am very much aware of the key role that learning and...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Expenditure (9 Jul 2014)

Charles Flanagan: With a funding allocation of €138,000 in the Administrative Budget of my Department to meet travelling and subsistence costs in 2014, the annual savings accruing to the Exchequer from the reductions set out by the Deputy are as follows: Reduction Saving 1.5% €2,070 7% €9,660 10% €13,800 12% €16,560 15% €20,700 17% €23,460 20% €27,600

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Expenditure (9 Jul 2014)

Charles Flanagan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 483 and 485 together. In accordance with Public Financial Procedures it is normal practice that any unspent balance in relation to current funding provisions be surrendered to the Exchequer at the end of the year. It is not envisaged at this time that savings will arise in the Vote of my Department for 2014 but the situation will continue to be closely...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Expenditure (9 Jul 2014)

Charles Flanagan: It is not envisaged at this time that a carryover of capital resources provisions in the Vote for my Department for 2014 will be required. However, expenditure on capital programmes will continue to be closely monitored over the remainder of the year.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Garda Investigations (9 Jul 2014)

Charles Flanagan: I have requested the information from the Child and Family Agency and I will revert to the Deputy when this information is to hand.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services Provision (9 Jul 2014)

Charles Flanagan: It is a matter of record that this Centre has been experiencing cash flow difficulties. The Centre incurred expenditure of €2.022m in 2013 and received funding amounting to €1.96m, resulting in a deficit of €62,000. Projections by the Centre show that income of approximately €1.8m is anticipated during 2014. With such a level of financial support available it...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Staff Recruitment (9 Jul 2014)

Charles Flanagan: There are seventeen staff on temporary or other non-permanent contracts in my Department. Five of these relate to personal appointments I am making and each contract is coterminous with my appointment as Minister. In addition to these, my Department has engaged twelve temporary clerical officers for project work over the summer months. The average duration of each of these temporary clerical...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: State Bodies Data (9 Jul 2014)

Charles Flanagan: There are no commercial State companies under the remit of my Department.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: State Bodies Data (9 Jul 2014)

Charles Flanagan: There are two non-commercial State sponsored bodies under the remit of my Department which have Chief Executive Officer positions. These are the Child and Family Agency and the Adoption Authority of Ireland. While there are no CEO positions in the Children Detention Schools, there are two Director positions which I have included in the table below. Furthermore the Ombudsman for Children, as...

Topical Issue Debate: Child Care Costs (8 Jul 2014)

Charles Flanagan: The expenditure of €260 million annually cannot be regarded as lip service. Deputies will be aware of the very stringent financial parameters within which we are operating. I accept the Deputy's point that the Donegal report is a most valuable piece of evidence and it feeds into the review under way in my Department. The issue of early childhood education will be a priority not only...

Topical Issue Debate: Child Care Costs (8 Jul 2014)

Charles Flanagan: I thank the Deputy. I welcome very much the publication of this report, which provides most useful comparisons on the structure and organisation of early childhood education and care in the countries that comprise the European Union. This most comprehensive report has only recently been published and it will require careful consideration by officials in my Department. The report provides...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Child Care Education (8 Jul 2014)

Charles Flanagan: The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme is a free and universal programme which provides a free pre-school year to all eligible children. Children are eligible to avail of the free pre-school year where they are aged more than 3 years 2 months and less than 4 years 7 months at 1 September in the relevant year. Children born between 2 February 2010 and 30 June 2011 will...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Education Welfare Service Staff (8 Jul 2014)

Charles Flanagan: As the Deputy will be aware the functions and operational responsibilities of the former National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) are now part of the Child and Family Agency, which was established on 1 January 2014. Since this date the staff of the former NEWB, including its Education Welfare Officers (EWOs), have transferred to the new Agency. The three service strands formerly under the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: School Completion Programme (8 Jul 2014)

Charles Flanagan: The School Completion Programme (SCP) aims to retain young people in the formal education system to completion of senior cycle and to generally improve the school attendance, participation and retention of its target cohort. The SCP is a targeted intervention aimed at those school communities identified through the Department of Education and Skills’ DEIS Action Plan for Educational...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Children in Care (8 Jul 2014)

Charles Flanagan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 858 to 860, inclusive, together. The Child and Family Agency compiles monthly performance reports which include statistics in relation to children in care. These reports are published on the Agency's website. At the end of December 2013 there were 6,462 children in care. Of these 92% (number 5,935) had an allocated Social Worker and 87% (number 5,648) had a...