Results 1,221-1,240 of 2,723 for speaker:Barry Andrews

Written Answers — Children in Care: Children in Care (20 May 2009)

Barry Andrews: As this is a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.

Written Answers — Children in Care: Children in Care (20 May 2009)

Barry Andrews: As this is a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.

Written Answers — Children in Care: Children in Care (20 May 2009)

Barry Andrews: The Health Service Executive has established a high level Review Group to review the deaths of children in the care of the state since 2000. The Terms of Reference are as follows: To review reports of the deaths of children in the care of the state since 2000 to: • Identify key messages of the reports. • To identify learning from each report. • To identify key themes or issues common...

Written Answers — Residential Care Services: Residential Care Services (20 May 2009)

Barry Andrews: As this is a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.

Written Answers — Pre-school Services: Pre-school Services (20 May 2009)

Barry Andrews: As the Deputy will be aware I have responsibility for the implementation of the new scheme to provide a free Preschool year of Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) which was announced recently by the Minister of Finance. The Early Childcare Supplement (ECS) will be withdrawn at the end of 2009 and will be replaced by the Preschool Year in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) from...

Written Answers — Detention Centres: Detention Centres (20 May 2009)

Barry Andrews: The position is that children are remanded to custody in a Children Detention School or St Patrick's Institution on the order of the Court when criminal charges have been made against them. While it is a matter for the judiciary to decide on the disposal of each individual case, information as to the basis for the Judge's decision is not available.

Health Services. (21 May 2009)

Barry Andrews: According to a 2008 HSE survey, 6,473 cases were unallocated at the end of 2008. However, all such cases are managed by a social work team leader or principal social worker. The majority of unallocated cases are also receiving input from other members of the staff in that department, such as family support workers. All child abuse reports are subject to a phased process of initial...

Health Services. (21 May 2009)

Barry Andrews: I share with Deputy O'Sullivan the horror everybody who has read parts of the report to which she referred feels. It makes for extremely harrowing reading. On her question on an out of hours service, 12 months ago a case came to light regarding a child that was in a Garda station overnight in Cork. At that time, many people asked why there was no service where a phone could be picked up and...

Health Services. (21 May 2009)

Barry Andrews: The overall policy of the Office of the Minister for Health and Children, in line with the HSE, is to try to move towards early intervention and prevention. If there were 50 or 60 social workers employed, as would be required under the proposal made regarding an out of hours service, I would love to put them into the families most at risk and try to avoid a situation that leads to children...

Health Services. (21 May 2009)

Barry Andrews: The appropriate response is, first, to provide a place of safety, as outlined in section 12, and then tie in, under the HSE reconfiguration, to the primary care system, so we can also tie into the acute hospitals and the out of hours services that are available.

Departmental Reports. (21 May 2009)

Barry Andrews: I am not in a position to comment on any of the content of the report that has been redacted following legal advice, and that includes recommendations so affected. I indicated at the outset that I was determined to publish as much of the report as was possible following legal advice and in the public interest, and that is the context in which the redacted report was published on 12 May,...

Departmental Reports. (21 May 2009)

Barry Andrews: I have said it before and I will repeat that I had no obligation to publish anything in this report. I was anxious to publish as much of it as I could, subject to the legal advice that I received. If we were in the business of cover up, none of the report would have been published. The most hard hitting recommendations would not have been published. Those parts that were not published...

Departmental Reports. (21 May 2009)

Barry Andrews: I reject all of that. I consider myself fully accountable to this House and to its committees. I discharge my responsibility with a great seriousness. I do not discharge it on an institutional basis, but to the best of my ability. Deputy Shatter referred to section 12 of the Child Care Act and the obligation of the Garda Síochána. That obligation exists and should be discharged. The...

Departmental Reports. (21 May 2009)

Barry Andrews: -----and their obligations are understood among each other. The Ryan commission report is an absolute catalogue of failure and neglect by the State and religious congregations. The Cabinet has undertaken to consider it next week, and a debate will take place in this House on 9 June. We will be able to go into it in more detail then.

Health Service Inquiries. (21 May 2009)

Barry Andrews: As I have indicated, I am considering the option of apprising the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health and Children on the substance of the redacted recommendations in a manner and context which ensures the rights of those involved are protected and no reputational damage is suffered. That process is ongoing and I am seeking legal advice in that regard. Some seven of the recommendations of...

Health Service Inquiries. (21 May 2009)

Barry Andrews: I did not say the most hard-hitting recommendations were left in and less hard-hitting ones left out. I simply said that those recommendations that were published were hard hitting. I was trying to underline the point that we were not in the business of censoring or covering up whatsoever.

Health Service Inquiries. (21 May 2009)

Barry Andrews: The point I am trying to make is-----

Health Service Inquiries. (21 May 2009)

Barry Andrews: You are suggesting that there is a cover-up and we are trying to protect reputations.

Health Service Inquiries. (21 May 2009)

Barry Andrews: That is simply not the case.

Health Service Inquiries. (21 May 2009)

Barry Andrews: The recommendations will need to be taken on board by the relevant statutory authorities and the Ministers responsible. Regarding their implementation, I am seeking advice on how I can circulate to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health and Children the substance of the recommendations and also ensure that the committee would be satisfied that those recommendations would have been followed...