Results 2,141-2,160 of 2,723 for speaker:Barry Andrews

Written Answers — Pre-school Services: Pre-school Services (11 May 2010)

Barry Andrews: I have responsibility for implementing the free Pre-School Year in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) scheme, which was introduced in of January this year. Children will qualify for the scheme where they are aged more than 3 years and 2 months and less than 4 years and 7 months at 1 September each year. This means that children born between 2 February 2006 and 30 June 2007 will...

Written Answers — Children in Care: Children in Care (11 May 2010)

Barry Andrews: The Independent Review Group on Child Deaths has commenced its work. It is intended that the Group will complete its work within a period of six months. The HSE is in the process of validating details regarding the deaths of children in care over the last ten years. I would expect that the case referred to by the Deputy will be included as part of the validated list to be supplied to the...

Written Answers — Pre-school Services: Pre-school Services (11 May 2010)

Barry Andrews: I have responsibility for implementing the free Pre-School Year in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) scheme, which was introduced in January of this year. As I pointed out the Deputy in my previous reply, children aged more than 3 years and 2 months and less than 4 years and 7 months at 1 September each year are eligible for the ECCE scheme. There is no provision under the scheme for...

Written Answers — Pre-school Services: Pre-school Services (11 May 2010)

Barry Andrews: I have responsibility for implementing the free Pre-School Year in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) scheme, which was introduced in January this year and which replaced the Early Childcare Supplement. This scheme provides for a free pre-school year for qualifying children before they commence primary school. Children will qualify for the free pre-school year place when they are...

Written Answers — Pre-school Services: Pre-school Services (11 May 2010)

Barry Andrews: I have responsibility for implementation of the National Childcare Investment Programme 2006-2010 (NCIP) which is a multi-annual programme to improve the availability and quality of childcare options, primarily through capital grant-aiding the construction and refurbishment of childcare facilities. As you are aware, following the review of Government expenditure last year, a decision was...

Energy (Biofuel Obligation and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2010 [Seanad]: Second Stage (Resumed) (12 May 2010)

Barry Andrews: I am concluding. I presume there is Deputy Deenihan, if he wishes to speak.

Written Answers — Youth Cafés: Youth Cafés (12 May 2010)

Barry Andrews: I propose to take Questions Nos. 144 to 146, inclusive, together. On 12 April last I was pleased to announce details of a dedicated youth café funding scheme of €1.5m from dormant accounts funds. This is the first dedicated youth café funding scheme in Ireland and was launched along with the publication of two relevant associated publications: ""outh Cafe9s in Ireland: A best practice...

Written Answers — Pre-school Services: Pre-school Services (12 May 2010)

Barry Andrews: I have responsibility for implementing the free Pre-School Year in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) scheme, which was introduced in January of this year. I understand that the childcare facility referred to by the Deputy is participating in the new ECCE scheme and that to date capitation funding in the region of €95,000 has been allocated by my Office to the facility to enable it...

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (12 May 2010)

Barry Andrews: I have responsibility for implementing the free Pre-School Year in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) scheme, which was introduced in January of this year. Children qualify for the scheme where they are aged more than 3 years and 2 months and less than 4 years and 7 months at 1 September each year. This means that children born between 2 February 2005 and 30 June 2006 qualified for...

Written Answers — Redundancy Payments: Redundancy Payments (12 May 2010)

Barry Andrews: I have been informed by the Irish Youth Justice Service that the Labour Court Recommendation in this regard was referred to the Department of Finance for their approval to implement it. I understand that the Department is currently examining the Recommendation and has sought some clarification from the Labour Court on issues arising from it. A final decision on the matter will be taken in...

Written Answers — Children in Care: Children in Care (13 May 2010)

Barry Andrews: I am currently giving consideration to the legal position with regard to the provision of aftercare services, having regard to the existing legislative provisions as set out in the Child Care Act 1991. I met recently with Focus Ireland in this regard and had a constructive exchange of views and discussion on these matters. I have received legal advice which confirms that the obligation...

Child Care Services (18 May 2010)

Barry Andrews: I welcome the publication last week of the ombudsman's report on Children First. The report identifies many of the implementation difficulties highlighted in previous reviews of the Children First guidelines. It acknowledges that planned and substantial steps were taken to implement the guidelines but also that efforts to drive forward implementation were not always sustained and were not...

Child Care Services (18 May 2010)

Barry Andrews: I welcomed the report in the first instance because it is a good report which gives a good summary of the way in which efforts have been made to implement the Children First guidelines uniformly throughout the State. I would not expect the Deputy to refer to the positive progress identified by the ombudsman, particularly in reference to the Office of the Minister for Children and Youth...

Child Care Services (18 May 2010)

Barry Andrews: I am eager to tackle the Deputy's two specific questions on administration. The second one is-----

Child Care Services (18 May 2010)

Barry Andrews: I expressed no such criticism of the Deputy.

Child Care Services (18 May 2010)

Barry Andrews: I absolutely reject the Deputy's unfair claims. The Government committed €15 million to this area in the last budget at a time of retrenchment in almost every other Department and within the Department of Health and Children itself.

Child Care Services (18 May 2010)

Barry Andrews: That funding will be applied to the recruitment of 200 additional social workers. Any fair analysis of this situation will show that I am absolutely committed to the delivery of improved compliance with the Children First guidelines. That is central to the taskforce on the standardisation of business processes. It is central to our commitment in the last budget to the roll-out of...

Constitutional Amendment on Children: Motion (18 May 2010)

Barry Andrews: Yes. I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "children;" in the third paragraph and substitute the following: "— acknowledges the commitment in the renewed programme for Government 2009 to proceed, subject to appropriate Oireachtas approval, with proposals to hold a constitutional referendum to consider children's rights, based on the work of the Joint Committee on the...

Home Help Services (18 May 2010)

Barry Andrews: I thank Deputy Ring for raising this issue as it provides me with an opportunity to update the House on Government policy on the home help service specifically, and community services generally, for older people. The guiding principle of Government policy in this area is to support older people to live in dignity and independence in their own homes and communities for as long as possible....

Children in Care (18 May 2010)

Barry Andrews: I welcome the opportunity to reply to this Adjournment matter. The tragic circumstances of the death of Daniel McAnaspie are particularly harrowing and all the more difficult for his family and friends. As Deputy Shatter mentioned, the case is the subject of a murder investigation being carried out by the Garda and therefore I am limited in what I can say about the specifics of the case....