Results 321-340 of 17,751 for speaker:Brendan Smith

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (2 Oct 2007)

Brendan Smith: Pre-school services are subject to statutory regulation and inspection in accordance with Part VII of the Child Care Act 1991. The Child Care (Pre-School Services) Regulations 1996 and (Amendment) Regulations 1997, which were introduced to give effect to this provision, were replaced with effect from 3 September 2007 by the revised and improved Child Care (Pre-School Services) (No. 2)...

Tackling Crime: Statements (Resumed) (3 Oct 2007)

Brendan Smith: He is a valuable Member of this House.

Seanad: Cancer Screening Programme (4 Oct 2007)

Brendan Smith: I thank Senator Fitzgerald for raising this important issue. I will reply on behalf of the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney, who is unavoidably absent. To address unacceptable delays in processing smear tests, from January this year, the Health Service Executive outsourced the processing of more than 35,000 smear tests to a fully accredited United States laboratory. Quest...

Seanad: Parking Regulations (4 Oct 2007)

Brendan Smith: I thank Senator Hannigan for raising this issue. I am replying on behalf of the Minister for Transport, Deputy Noel Dempsey, who is unavoidably absent. The provision and management of car parks is a day-to-day operational matter for Iarnród Éireann. I can see no value in introducing a new layer of regulation providing for ministerial control in this area. New facilities are being provided...

Seanad: Parking Regulations (4 Oct 2007)

Brendan Smith: From reading the script, I understand that the provision and management of car parks is a day-to-day operational matter for Iarnród Éireann. Surely Iarnród Éireann, which has the remit of maximising the usage of public transport, should not put a deterrent in the way of customers coming to access its service.

Seanad: Parking Regulations (4 Oct 2007)

Brendan Smith: I hope the business concepts will gel and meet together and that maximum use will be made of the public transport facility which has been provided at great cost by taxpayers. There has been a major upgrade of the rail system in recent years. I understand it is a day-to-day matter for Iarnród Éireann. We all want to reduce the layers of bureaucracy and administration rather than adding to...

Seanad: Rail Network (4 Oct 2007)

Brendan Smith: I will respond on behalf of the Minister for Transport and the Marine, Deputy Dempsey, who is unavoidably absent. Metro north is a core part of the investment strategy set out in Transport 21 to provide a modern, high quality and high capacity public transport system to address the transport needs of the greater Dublin area. It is a critical project not only in meeting existing transport...

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (9 Oct 2007)

Brendan Smith: As signalled at the launch of the National Childcare Investment Programme 2006-2010 (NCIP), the successor programme to the EOCP, a new scheme to support community childcare services with a focus on disadvantage will be introduced on 1 January 2008 and will continue to complement the universal supports in place for all parents in the form of Child Benefit and the Early Childcare Supplement....

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (9 Oct 2007)

Brendan Smith: Under the Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme 2000-2006 (EOCP), which is co-funded under the EU Social Fund (ESF), targeted support was provided through the staffing support grant scheme whereby community based not-for-profit childcare providers with a focus on disadvantage were awarded grant aid towards their staffing costs to allow them provide services to families which otherwise would...

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (9 Oct 2007)

Brendan Smith: I propose to take Questions Nos. 223 and 224 together. 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, which is in recognition of the higher childcare costs of pre-school children, is the responsibility of my Office, and it alone amounts to expenditure of over...

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (9 Oct 2007)

Brendan Smith: I propose to take Questions Nos. 225, 251 and 260 together. Under the Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme 2000-2006 (EOCP), which is co-funded under the EU Social Fund (ESF), targeted support was provided through the staffing support grant scheme whereby community based not-for-profit childcare providers with a strong focus on disadvantage were awarded grant aid towards their staffing...

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (9 Oct 2007)

Brendan Smith: I propose to take Questions Nos. 226 and 227 together. Under the Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme 2000-2006 (EOCP), which is co-funded under the EU Social Fund (ESF), targeted support was provided through the staffing support grant scheme whereby community based not-for-profit childcare providers with a strong focus on disadvantage were awarded grant aid towards their staffing costs to...

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (9 Oct 2007)

Brendan Smith: As the Deputy will be aware, I have responsibility for the Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme 2000-2006 (EOCP) and the National Childcare Investment Programme 2006-2010 (NCIP), which are being implemented by the Office of the Minister for Children. In relation to the Group in question, an interim staffing grant application under the NCIP was recently declined by the Secretary General as...

Written Answers — Child Care Service: Child Care Service (9 Oct 2007)

Brendan Smith: As the Deputy will be aware I have responsibility for the Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme 2000-2006 (EOCP) and the National Childcare Investment Programme 2006-10 (NCIP), which are being implemented by the Office of the Minister for Children. The EOCP has both an equal opportunities and a social inclusion focus and aimed to increase the supply of centre based childcare places by 55...

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (9 Oct 2007)

Brendan Smith: My Office have sought an urgent report in relation to this matter from the Health Service Executive (HSE). In addition, the Deputy's question has been forwarded to the HSE and I have requested that the HSE reply to the Deputy directly.

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (9 Oct 2007)

Brendan Smith: As the Deputy will be aware, I have responsibility for the Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme 2000-2006 (EOCP) and the National Childcare Investment Programme 2006-2010 (NCIP), which are being implemented by the Office of the Minister for Children. With regard to the application for capital grant assistance under the National Childcare Investment Programme 2006-2010 referred to in the...

Written Answers — Child Care Payments: Child Care Payments (10 Oct 2007)

Brendan Smith: The main supports the Government makes available to parents to assist them with their child care costs are Child Benefit and the Early Childcare Supplement. The latter payment, which is in recognition of the higher child care costs of pre-school children, is the responsibility of my Office, and it alone amounts to expenditure of over €400m in a full year. These payments are universal and...

Establishment of Committees (11 Oct 2007)

Brendan Smith: The Tánaiste and Minister for Finance, Deputy Cowen, would not allow such a siege to occur.

Establishment of Committees (11 Oct 2007)

Brendan Smith: I wish to share time with Deputy Darragh O'Brien.

Establishment of Committees (11 Oct 2007)

Brendan Smith: I am glad to have the opportunity to inform the House of the intention to establish a joint committee of the Oireachtas, to be called the Joint Committee on the Constitutional Amendment on Children, to further the proposal to amend the Constitution in respect of children's rights. The establishment of this important committee will be the latest in a series of key developments in improving the...