Results 20,401-20,420 of 21,128 for speaker:James Reilly

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Insurance Costs (26 Apr 2016)

James Reilly: Insurance cover is one of a number of costs that impact on the sustainability of services providing care and education in the early years sector. Early years childcare services are supported through a number of childcare support programmes implemented by my Department. In the region of €260 million has been provided annually over the past number of years to support these...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Staff (26 Apr 2016)

James Reilly: As these are operational matters, I have asked Tusla - the Child and Family Agency to respond directly to the Deputy with the most up-to-date information.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Services (26 Apr 2016)

James Reilly: As these are operational matters, I have asked Tusla - the Child and Family Agency to respond directly to the Deputy with the most up-to-date information.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Aftercare Services (26 Apr 2016)

James Reilly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 239 and 240 together. Aftercare is the term used to describe the planning and support put in place to meet the needs of a young person who is leaving statutory care at 18 years of age, to assist him/her in making the transition to independent living. An aftercare programme is based on assessed need, and an aftercare worker will arrange for various supports,...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Years Strategy Implementation (26 Apr 2016)

James Reilly: My Department currently administers four targeted childcare programmes to support low income families. These are: 1. Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) Programme 2. Childcare Education and Training Support (CETS) Programme 3. After-School Childcare (ASCC) Programme 4. Community Employment Childcare (CEC) Programme The combined budget for 2016 of these programmes is €70m. The recent...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Preschool Services (26 Apr 2016)

James Reilly: I have been conscious for some time of the difficulty experienced by some children with a disability in accessing and benefitting fully from the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme. With this in mind an Inter-Departmental Group, led by this Department, was established in June 2015 with a brief to bring forward recommendations to address this issue. The Group concluded its work...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services Funding (27 Apr 2016)

James Reilly: My Department provides funding to childcare facilities under a number of programmes, some of which are targeted at children from disadvantaged backgrounds, and others which make universal provision. The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme is the largest single programme administered by my Department - this provides free pre-school care and education to all children before...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care Education (28 Apr 2016)

James Reilly: The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme introduced the first-ever requirement for minimum qualifications for staff working in the childcare sector. Prior to the introduction of the programme there was no requirement for staff working directly with children in pre-school services to hold any educational qualification. New qualification requirements for childcare workers are...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care Education (28 Apr 2016)

James Reilly: In Budget 2016 it was announced that, from September 2016, children will be eligible to start free pre-school when they reach the age of 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 pre-school year i.e. end June). The age range for eligibility for children enrolling for the Early Childhood Care and...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services Funding (4 May 2016)

James Reilly: Capital funding of more than €420 million was provided by the State to support the development of childcare infrastructure in the period up until 2008. Since the economic downturn the limited funding available to this Department has been targeted to support the refurbishment and maintenance of childcare facilities in which there has already been considerable investment. I...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Children's Rights (4 May 2016)

James Reilly: I have received from the Children's Rights Alliance a copy of its recently published Report Card 2016. I gather that the CRA sent a copy to each member of the Oireachtas. The Deputy will be aware that the Report Card is an established accountability tool for the CRA and its more than 100 member organisations through which it has, since 2009, scrutinised progress on the commitments to children...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: State Properties Data (4 May 2016)

James Reilly: I can confirm that the only known sole occupancy property currently owned by Tusla, and which is vacant, is located at 69 Amiens Street, Dublin 1 in the Dublin City Council area and has been vacant for two years. Tusla is endeavouring to secure funding for a change of use from residential to office accommodation in order to meet future office accommodation requirements for the Agency. Funding...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Services (4 May 2016)

James Reilly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 131 and 132 together. My Department administers a range of funding schemes and programmes to support the provision of youth services to young people throughout the country including those from disadvantaged communities. The funding schemes support national and local youth work provision to some 380,000 young people and involve approximately 1,400 youth work...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency (4 May 2016)

James Reilly: The records from Saint Patrick's, on the Navan Road, Dublin 7 are currently in the TUSLA Child and Family Agency office in Blanchardstown, Dublin 15.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care Education (4 May 2016)

James Reilly: The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme currently provides one free pre-school year to children who are in the age range 3 years 2 months to 4 years and 7 months in September in the year of enrolment. It was the case that only children who satisfied the age criteria in September could access the programme during the following school year. In Budget 2016, I announced a...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Appointments to State Boards (4 May 2016)

James Reilly: Gaisce is a company limited by guarantee with charitable status. Under the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the company, the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs appoints members to the Council of Gaisce. I am advised that there are six vacancies at this time. A number of reappointments and appointments were made in 2015. Officials of my Department and Gaisce are engaging...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Children in Care (5 May 2016)

James Reilly: The latest figures I have to hand from the Child and Family Agency, Tusla, indicate that on 29th February 2016 there were 6,398 children in care. Almost 93% of children in care were in a foster care setting. Of all children in care, 93% (5,951) had an allocated social worker. Tusla's policy is that all children coming into care and those in high risk placements have an allocated social...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption Services Provision (5 May 2016)

James Reilly: As the Deputy may be aware, Barnardos provides professional supports to children adopted from abroad and their families who are living in the Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow area on a range of post adoption issues. In other areas, Tusla Adoption services provide information on the availability of local services, access to the social work duty system and facilitate peer support groups for parents...

Seanad: Health: Statements (21 Jun 2016)

James Reilly: I congratulate the Leas-Chathaoirleach on his recent election to the post and I also congratulate the Cathaoirleach, who is not present, on his appointment because this is my first opportunity to do so publicly. I also congratulate, Senator Buttimer, the new Leader of the House and, indeed, all new Senators. There is much I would like to say but I agree with everything that Senator Swanick...

Seanad: Health: Statements (21 Jun 2016)

James Reilly: I congratulate the Minister on his appointment and wish him well and will be as supportive as I can possibly be of him. I encourage him to pursue the issue of a patient safety authority urgently. It was to be advertised before I left office and then, suddenly, it all changed into something else. We still have no patient advocacy agency in this country, and we need one. I often said that I...