Results 17,921-17,940 of 18,645 for speaker:Brendan Smith

Seanad: Arts Funding (23 Apr 2008)

Brendan Smith: I thank Senator Keaveney for raising this important matter which I am taking on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, Deputy Séamus Brennan, who is unavoidably absent. Education in the arts is a lifelong learning experience involving a range of different people interacting with the arts in a variety of education settings. Primary and post primary schools are key...

Seanad: Mine Disaster (23 Apr 2008)

Brendan Smith: I am taking this matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy Brian Lenihan, who unfortunately, due to other business, cannot be here this evening. The matter raised by Senator Ó Domhnaill concerns a tragic incident which occurred almost 65 years ago. I will briefly give the details of the tragedy as they appear in the documentation file in...

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (22 Apr 2008)

Brendan Smith: As the Deputy will be aware, I have responsibility for the National Childcare Investment Programme 2006-2010 (NCIP) under which the Community Childcare Subvention Scheme (CCSS) is being implemented. The main supports the Government makes available to parents to assist them with their childcare costs are Child Benefit and the Early Childcare Supplement. The latter payment is the...

Written Answers — Adoption Services: Adoption Services (22 Apr 2008)

Brendan Smith: The Deputy's question relates to the management and delivery of health and personal social services, which are the responsibility of the Health Service Executive (HSE) under the Health Act 2004. Accordingly, my Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to have this matter investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (22 Apr 2008)

Brendan Smith: Under the National Childcare Investment Programme, €5.8 million has been allocated to dedicated out of schools services to date, of which €1.35 million is designated for RAPID and CLÁR areas. An additional €157 million has been allocated for larger integrated childcare services many of which also provide out of school places. Of these, €52 million is for services within RAPID and...

Written Answers — Health Service Staff: Health Service Staff (17 Apr 2008)

Brendan Smith: The Deputy's question relates to the management and delivery of health and social services which are the responsibility of the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004. Accordingly, my Office has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to have the matter investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Inter-Country Adoptions: Inter-Country Adoptions (17 Apr 2008)

Brendan Smith: The Deputy's question relates to the management and delivery of health and personal social services, which are the responsibility of the Health Service Executive (HSE) under the Health Act 2004. Accordingly, my Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to have this matter investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy. As the...

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (17 Apr 2008)

Brendan Smith: As the Deputy will be aware, I have responsibility for the National Childcare Investment Programme 2006-10, which will invest €575 million over 5 years, with €358 million of this in capital grant aid for child care services. I understand the Group in question has applied through its local County Childcare Committee for capital funding under the programme. However the committee requires...

Written Answers — Courts Service: Courts Service (17 Apr 2008)

Brendan Smith: As this question relates to a request for information arising from criminal court proceedings, it is more appropriate to my colleague, the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform.

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (17 Apr 2008)

Brendan Smith: As the Deputy will be aware, I have responsibility for the National Childcare Investment Programme 2006-2010 (NCIP) under which the Community Childcare Subvention Scheme (CCSS) was introduced in January of this year. The CCSS replaced the previous staffing support grant scheme which was implemented under the EU co-funded Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme 2000-2006 (EOCP) and which...

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (17 Apr 2008)

Brendan Smith: As the Deputy will be aware, I have responsibility for the National Childcare Investment Programme 2006-2010 (NCIP), which will invest €575 million over 5 years, with €358 million of this in capital grant aid for child care services. The NCIP came into effect in January 2006, and aims to provide a proactive response to the development of quality child care supports and services, which are...

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (17 Apr 2008)

Brendan Smith: The Deputy's question relates to the management and delivery of health and social services which are the responsibility of the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004. Accordingly, my Office has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to have the matter investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (17 Apr 2008)

Brendan Smith: I propose to take Questions Nos. 278 to 280, inclusive, together. Under the Health Acts, the Health Service Executive (HSE) has statutory responsibility for the implementation of the Child Care (Pre-School Services) (No. 2) Regulations 2006. Where lapses of care have occurred while a pre-school service was operational but the service has subsequently closed, the response of the various...

Written Answers — Homeless Persons: Homeless Persons (17 Apr 2008)

Brendan Smith: I assume the Deputy is referring to those young people who have been identified as being homeless on an individual basis and not within their family unit. The most recent figures collated by the Health Service Executive indicate that in 2005 approximately 378 (This figure is a national figure but does not include figure from the south western area in Dublin region) children nationally were...

Written Answers — Asylum Support Services: Asylum Support Services (10 Apr 2008)

Brendan Smith: In relation to the funding options open to support groups, play-schools and other agencies to establish communal areas, family supports and child care to children of asylum seekers, my colleague, Deputy Brian Lenihan, Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, is the Minister with responsibility for these matters.

Written Answers — Residential Care Homes: Residential Care Homes (10 Apr 2008)

Brendan Smith: I propose to take Questions Nos. 92, 94 and 95 together. Under the Health Act 2004, responsibility for the provision of health and personal social services, including residential care for troubled children, lies with the Health Service Executive. Therefore I have forwarded the Deputy's questions to the Executive and have requested them to reply to the Deputy directly.

Written Answers — Residential Care Homes: Residential Care Homes (10 Apr 2008)

Brendan Smith: The Social Services Inspectorate (SSI) was established in April 1999, initially on an administrative basis. The main function of the Inspectorate is to support the child care services by promoting and ensuring the development of quality standards. The Inspectorate play a crucial role in ensuring a quality assured system of care for children and young people who are in the care of the state....

Written Answers — Residency Permits: Residency Permits (9 Apr 2008)

Brendan Smith: The Immigration Division of my Department has informed me that no application for residency or permission to remain in the State has been received from the person referred to by the Deputy.

Seanad: Voluntary Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2007 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (9 Apr 2008)

Brendan Smith: I wish to apologise for inconveniencing the House and thank all Members for their co-operation in deferring this discussion from 3.30 p.m. I was launching a child and adolescent centre in Finglas and was back in Leinster House at 3.30 p.m. so I was being cautious in notifying our Whip that I might be delayed. I am reporting back to Seanad Éireann on some minor amendments that were made in...

Seanad: Voluntary Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2007 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (9 Apr 2008)

Brendan Smith: The amendments contained in this group cover minor technical issues, being amendments made on foot of consideration by the Office of the Attorney General of the initial text. Amendments Nos. 7 and 8 more accurately reference the companies and insurance Acts. Some of the amendments have been made to improve the clarity of the provisions. Amendment No. 19 puts it beyond doubt that only one...