Results 521-540 of 18,442 for speaker:Brendan Smith
- Seanad: Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (20 Dec 2007)
Brendan Smith: Schedule 1 provides for the amendment of particular functions of certain corporate bodies. The establishment audit for the corporate bodies established under the 1961 Act provides that certain powers, functions and activities relevant to the bodies are to be carried out by the Minister, or in other instances are exercisable by the bodies themselves, subject to ministerial approval or with...
- Seanad: Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (20 Dec 2007)
Brendan Smith: As already indicated, the purpose of these provisions is to put beyond any doubt the capacity of St. James's and Beaumont hospitals to enter into co-location arrangements. During the period 2003 to 2004, the Department of Health and Children came under considerable pressure from the former Mid-Western Health Board to sanction the development of a private hospital on the grounds of Limerick...
- Seanad: Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (20 Dec 2007)
Brendan Smith: Senator Fitzgerald asked about the clear legal advice that was made available to officials from the Department of Health and Children on foot of their discussions with their counterparts in the Office of the Chief Parliamentary Counsel. The proposed new Article 4A has been designed to allow public land to be leased, and no more, for the development of co-located hospitals. There will be an...
- Seanad: Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (20 Dec 2007)
Brendan Smith: Senator Fitzgerald mentioned staffing. As stated by the Minister in previous debates, the project agreement between the HSE and the private provider requires that the private facility in each hospital will be capable of treating all private patients that are currently in the associated public hospital. The specific minimum requirements for the co-located hospitals include the ability to...
- Seanad: Health Services (20 Dec 2007)
Brendan Smith: I thank Senator Maria Corrigan for raising this important issue. I will take this item on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Mary Harney. I assure Senator Corrigan that the Government is committed to the full implementation of A Vision for Change and has accepted the report as the basis for the future development of mental health services. The report...
- Seanad: Health Services (20 Dec 2007)
Brendan Smith: My colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Jimmy Devins, is anxious to ensure that the funding allocated for these services delivers real outcomes for the people who need them. The Minister of State, Deputy Devins, will be vigorous in his work in this area and I have no doubt that substantial improvements will occur in the lifetime of this Government under the stewardship of the Minister of...
- Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (30 Jan 2008)
Brendan Smith: The Deputy's question relates to the management and delivery of health and social services, which are the responsibility of the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004. Accordingly, my Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to have the matter investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.
- Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (30 Jan 2008)
Brendan Smith: As the Deputy will be aware, I have responsibility for the National Childcare Investment Programme 2006-2010 (NCIP) which, together with the earlier Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme 2000-2006 (EOCP), are implemented by the Office of the Minister for Children. The main supports the Government makes available to parents to assist them with their childcare costs are Child Benefit and the...
- Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (30 Jan 2008)
Brendan Smith: The Deputy's question relates to the management and delivery of health and social services, which are the responsibility of the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004. Accordingly, my Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to have the matter investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.
- Written Answers — Adoption Services: Adoption Services (30 Jan 2008)
Brendan Smith: At present, there is no limit in Irish statute in relation to intercountry adoption, nor is one applied by the Board in relation to the decision to issue a Declaration of Eligibility and Suitability, the legal document required by prospective adoptive parents to complete an intercountry adoption. The Board advises applicants who are given a Declaration and who are 45 years of age and over...
- Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (30 Jan 2008)
Brendan Smith: As the Deputy will be aware, I have responsibility for the National Childcare Investment Programme 2006-2010 (NCIP) which is being implemented by the Office of the Minister for Children. With regard to the application for capital grant assistance referred to in the question, I understand that the Group have applied for â¬100,000 under the NCIP and that the application is in the final phase...
- Written Answers — Foster Care: Foster Care (30 Jan 2008)
Brendan Smith: The Deputy's question relates to the management and delivery of health and social services, which are the responsibility of the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004. Accordingly, my Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to have the matter investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.
- Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (30 Jan 2008)
Brendan Smith: The Deputy's question relates to the management and delivery of health and personal social services, which are the responsibility of the Health Service Executive (HSE) under the Health Act 2004. Accordingly, my Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to have this matter investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.
- Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (30 Jan 2008)
Brendan Smith: As the Deputy will be aware, I have responsibility for the National Childcare Investment Programme 2006-2010 (NCIP) which, together with the earlier Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme 2000-2006 (EOCP), are implemented by the Office of the Minister for Children. The main supports the Government makes available to parents to assist them with their childcare costs are Child Benefit and the...
- Written Answers — Inquiry into Child Abuse: Inquiry into Child Abuse (30 Jan 2008)
Brendan Smith: I am not in a position to comment on the exact sequence of events relating to the letter referred to by the Deputy. However, I can confirm once again that a substantial body of correspondence was received from the person concerned, outlining a range of concerns and allegations regarding Finglas Child and Adolescent Centre and related matters. On receipt of correspondence from that person in...
- Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (31 Jan 2008)
Brendan Smith: As the Deputy will be aware, I have responsibility for the National Childcare Investment Programme 2006-2010 (NCIP) which, together with the earlier Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme 2000-2006 (EOCP), are implemented by the Office of the Minister for Children. The main supports the Government makes available to parents to assist them with their childcare costs are Child Benefit and the...
- Written Answers — Detention Centres: Detention Centres (31 Jan 2008)
Brendan Smith: At the time of the drafting of the Ombudsman for Children Act 2002, children detained in St. Patrick's Institution were excluded from the remit of the Ombudsman for Children for a number of reasons. Firstly, the Ombudsman Act 1980 exempted prisons and it was decided there should be consistency of approach in the Ombudsman for Children Bill. Secondly, the remit of the Ombudsman for Children...
- Written Answers — Inter-Country Adoptions: Inter-Country Adoptions (31 Jan 2008)
Brendan Smith: The HSE has statutory responsibility for the implementation of policy with regard to assessments for inter-country adoption. As the Deputy may be aware, requests for assessment for inter-country adoption are continuously increasing. The recent study on inter-country adoption, undertaken by the Children's Research Centre in Trinity College, revealed that Ireland has one of the highest rates...
- Written Answers — Departmental Studies: Departmental Studies (31 Jan 2008)
Brendan Smith: Towards 2016 includes a commitment that a study of the extent to which children undertake inappropriate care roles will be undertaken to establish the extent and degree to which this issue arises and the levels of impact it has on the lives of the children concerned. The Office of the Minister for Children will be commissioning this study in 2008, following consultation with the relevant...
- Written Answers — Child Abuse: Child Abuse (31 Jan 2008)
Brendan Smith: As the Deputy is aware the management and delivery of health and social services are the responsibility of the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004. Under Section 31 of that Act, the Health Service Executive must prepare and submit to the Minister its Service Plan for the coming year, for approval. The National Service Plan (NSP) must, amongst other things, indicate the type and...