Results 19,981-20,000 of 21,128 for speaker:James Reilly

Children First Bill 2015: From the Seanad (11 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: Is it in order for me to respond to some of the issues raised by Deputy Troy?

Children First Bill 2015: From the Seanad (11 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: It is. I will be very brief. Deputy Troy mentioned the issue of criminal sanction in relation to people who run services for children not having a safety statement. The matter was discussed at length on Committee Stage and in the Seanad. The rationale is straightforward. It would require a huge amount of time and money to put in place an inspectorate with all the judicial requirements...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Public Investment Projects (11 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: My Department has a resource allocation of €22.614 million in 2015 to support capital developments across a range of programmes and services that includes: -General Childcare Programmes - €8.250 million -Youth Organisations and Services - €0.750 million -National Children’s Detention Facility - €13.614 million The amounts approved for funding from the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care Education (11 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: At present, children qualify for the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme when they are within the qualifying age range which is 3 years and 2 months to 4 years and 7 months in the September of the relevant year. This means, for example, that children born between 2 February 2011 and 30 June 2012 qualified for free pre-school from September 2015. Children whose third birthday...

Seanad: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (11 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: The child care law reporting project, an important project, does not have a statutory remit. It is permitted to report on child care proceedings under section 29 of the Child Care Act 1991. The amendment would provide for a definition of relevant court documents for the purposes of section 29 of the Child Care Act 1991. The section in question provides for the powers to report on child...

Seanad: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (11 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: We covered this earlier and I do not propose to accept either part of this amendment. It has been ruled out of order in any event as it would involve a charge on the Exchequer, which is not allowed under the rules of the House. The amendment seeks to provide Tusla with the ability to extend - at its discretion - the duration of aftercare support to a young person who has attained the age of...

Seanad: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (11 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: I will give the Senator a very straight answer to that question. Absolutely. Tusla may - that is what it says - support them. So it has the authority to do so. There is no question about that. As for the Senator's interpretation of my previous comments, we are talking about limited resources as is always the case. In such circumstances, there always has to be a balancing of what is...

Seanad: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (11 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: I am very happy to confirm that and this is why those words are there. They indicate very clearly that there will be circumstances where the agency will feel the need to continue support. I do not intend to rehearse all we have gone through.

Seanad: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (11 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: I take on board the Senator's comments. We must remember where this Bill comes from and where we have come from. I am not trying to score any political points but I think we were all horrified by the number of children who having left care fell off the cliff and ended up dead - sometimes by their own hand and sometimes by accident. Clearly, the supports were not there and that was a very...

Seanad: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (11 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: I know the Senator feels that what he is proposing is helpful but were it to be adopted, the amendment would require that aftercare plans would have to be prepared one year in advance of a child leaving the care of the State. A year in the life of a young person is an eternity from their point of view. As a parent, I know the difficulties that present in teenage years. Things that are...

Seanad: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (11 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: I reassure the Senator that aftercare planning in general starts at the age of 16 years, but the plan is not finalised until six months prior to the child leaving care.

Seanad: Education (Welfare) (Amendment) Bill: Second Stage (11 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: I am pleased to have the opportunity to address Seanad Éireann in response to the Education (Welfare) (Amendment) Bill 2015 put forward by Senator Mary Moran. Any proposal that seeks to raise the education and skill level of young people when they leave school and set out to make their way in the world must be welcome. Government policy objectives are laid out in a national policy...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Funding (12 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: The Department provided interim funding of €10,000 per month to Arc Adoption from January 2014 to May 2015 to assist with operational costs and to allow an opportunity to work towards a sustainable model of service provision. It was never the intention of the Department to fund the operational costs fully, and this was always made clear to Arc Adoption. This funding was suspended...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Protection Services (12 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, provides a range of services aimed at addressing emergency situations in the area of child welfare and protection. In the main, these emergency situations arise out of hours. At present, out-of-hours emergency services for children at risk in the greater Dublin area are provided by Tusla through the Crisis Intervention Service (CIS). The remit of the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Preschool Services (12 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme provides free preschool care and education to children before commencing primary school. The programme is designed to be delivered for three hours per day, five days per week, over 38 weeks (183 days per year), and capitation fees are paid to participating services on the basis of this provision. A standard capitation fee of...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Education Welfare Service (17 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: Since 2014, Tusla, the Child and Family Agency under the remit of my Department, has a general function to ensure that each child attends a recognised school or otherwise receives a certain minimum education. The education welfare services of Tusla, comprising the statutory Education Welfare Officers, the School Completion Programme and the Home School Community Liaison Scheme are key...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care Education (17 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: Children born between 1st January 2012 and 31st August 2013 are eligible to avail of the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme from September 2016. Based on the information supplied by the Deputy, this child is eligible to participate in the programme from September 2016.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption Services Provision (17 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: I am aware that there is an issue regarding the repayment to clients of refundable registration fees they are owed by the agency the Deputy has referred to. These fees were paid as part of an agreement between this agency and its clients. My Department was not party to this agreement and therefore has no legal responsibility for repayment of these fees. While my Department made a once off...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption Legislation (17 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: Work on the Adoption (Amendment) Bill is at an advanced stage. The Bill provides for theadoption of any child where the parents have failed for such a period of time as may be prescribed by law in their duty towards the child and where the best interests of the child so require. It also provides for the voluntary placement for adoption and the adoption of any child. These legislative...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Services (17 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, provide and fund a wide range of services within the county of Donegal. These include social work services, such as child protection and welfare, alternative care including fostering services, children in care support and adoption services. Other services provided include family support, counselling, educational welfare services, domestic, sexual and...