Results 20,021-20,040 of 21,128 for speaker:James Reilly

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption Authority of Ireland (18 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: The Board of the Adoption Authority has been appointed as of the 1st of November 2015, in accordance Section 98 of the Adoption Act 2010. Section 98 sets out the particular requirements for membership of the Adoption Authority or Ireland. In addition to the legislative requirements for Board members contained in the Act, consideration is also given to particular knowledge, skills and...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care Education (18 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: At present, the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme provides 38 weeks of free pre-school to children who have reached the age of 3 years and 2 months by 1st September of the relevant year. From September 2016, I am expanding the ECCE programme to allow children to access free pre-school from the time they are 3 years of age until they start primary school. There will be...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care Education (18 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme which provides for free pre-school provision for children before commencing primary school is implemented by my Department. While certain flexibilities had been built in to the ECCE Programme to facilitate the inclusion of children with a disability, Better Outcomes, Brighter Futuresthe children and young people's policy framework...

Seanad: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2015: Report and Final Stages (18 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: I take the opportunity to welcome to the Gallery the children from Clare. Senator van Turnhout knows my views on this amendment and I do not propose to accept it. As we discussed on Committee Stage in this House, 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...

Seanad: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2015: Report and Final Stages (18 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: I thank the Senators for their contributions today and over the past two weeks. The Bill provides for an explicit requirement to prepare an aftercare plan in respect of a specified cohort of children and young people as they transition from State care. It puts aftercare planning on the same footing as other statutory obligations of the Child and Family Agency. The legislation underpins...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency (19 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: There are a number of commitments with regard to the provision of support for parents set out in Better Outcomes, Brighter Future;the National Policy Framework for Children and Young People. With regard to positive parenting initiatives I am informed that the Child and Family Agency continues to implement the Parenting Support Strategy which was launched in 2013. This gives a mandate for the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Funding (19 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: The total budget for Tusla in 2015 is €643 million. This is made up of €631 m in current funding and €12 m in capital funding. In the Budget 2016 announcement I was successful in securing significant additional resources for Tusla. In 2016 Tusla will have an overall budget of some €676 m, which includes €662.4 m in current funding and €13.6 m...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Data Protection (19 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: No legislation has been enacted either by or on behalf of my Department, since the establishment of the Department in June 2011, containing a provision amending the Data Protection Acts.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: State Bodies (19 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: The Child and Family Agency is the only organisation/agency established by my Department since its establishment in June 2011 and it is not subject to a sunset clause. The Child and Family Agency, established on 1st January 2014 under the Child and Family Agency Act 2013, has statutory responsibility for services previously provided by the National Educational Welfare Board and the Family...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Defined Benefit Pension Schemes (19 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: There are eight public service defined benefit schemes in operation across my Department and agencies under its remit. All schemes operate on a “pay as you go” basis and the question of deficits does not therefore arise. Seven of the schemes are legacy schemes in that they apply only to civil or public servants employed prior to January 2013. Since January 2013, all new...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services Regulation (24 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: Some community childcare services are dependent on Community Employment (CE) participants to make up the numbers to satisfy the adult/child ratios set out in the Pre-School Regulations. There is currently no minimum qualification standards for staff working in the childcare sector. However, this will change next year with new minimum qualification standards being introduced as part of the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Foster Care (24 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: The Foster Care Allowance is currently €325 per week per child under 12 and €352 per week per child of 12 and over. It is provided in order to allow foster carers to meet all of the child's daily living needs including food, clothing, basic travel, education costs and hobbies and sporting activities. There is no intention to increase the rate of the Foster Care Allowance at this...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency (24 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: All provisions of the Child and Family Agency Act 2013 were commenced with effect from 1 January 2014. The relevant Statutory Instrument is the Child and Family Agency Act 2013 (Commencement) Order 2013 (S.I. 502/2013).

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Preschool Services (24 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: In Budget 2016 it was announced that, from September 2016, children will be eligible to start free pre-school when they turn age 3, and can continue in free pre-school until they start primary school (once the child is not older than 5½ years at the end of the relevant pre-school year i.e. end June). This extension of free pre-school will increase the number of children benefitting...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Reports (24 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, inspects and registers children’s residential centres run by the private and voluntary sectors. The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) inspects Tusla child welfare and protection services under the Health Act 2007, and children’s residential care centres and foster care services under the Child Care Act, 1991. All inspections are...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care Education (24 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. The recent Budget decisions, which introduced an extended provision under the ECCE programme that allows children to access the free pre-school programme from...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care Education (24 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme is implemented by my Department and provides free pre-school for children before they commence primary school. Parents of a child with special needs can make an application to my Department for an exemption which will allow the child to access the ECCE programme over a two year period. My Department has not received any...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Funding (24 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: I have requested information from the Child and Family Agency and I will forward the reply to the Deputy once I have been furnished with this information.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care Education (25 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 who turn 3 from 1...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Agencies (25 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency is the only agency established by my Department since the Department itself was established in June 2011. Tusla was established on 1st January 2014 under the Child and Family Agency Act 2013. It has statutory responsibility for services previously provided by the National Educational Welfare Board, the Family Support Agency and Children and Family...