Results 1,401-1,420 of 16,537 for speaker:Brian Lenihan Jnr

Written Answers — Education Welfare Service: Education Welfare Service (7 Feb 2006)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: The Education (Welfare) Act 2000 established the National Educational Welfare Board as the single national body with responsibility for school attendance. The Act provides a comprehensive framework promoting regular school attendance and tackling the problems of absenteeism and early school leaving. The general functions of the board are to ensure each child attends a recognised school or...

Written Answers — School Absenteeism: School Absenteeism (7 Feb 2006)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: The Education (Welfare) Act, 2000 established the National Educational Welfare Board as the single national body with responsibility for school attendance. The Act provides a comprehensive framework promoting regular school attendance and tackling the problems of absenteeism and early school leaving. The general functions of the board are to ensure that each child attends a recognised school...

Finance Bill 2006: Second Stage (Resumed). (8 Feb 2006)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I wish to share my time with Deputy Kelly. I am pleased to address the House and I welcome the provisions of the Finance Bill 2006 which give effect to many of the initiatives announced by the Minister for Finance, Deputy Cowen, in the budget for 2006. As Minister of State with special responsibility for children, I especially welcomed the decision announced in the budget to introduce a new...

Finance Bill 2006: Second Stage (Resumed). (8 Feb 2006)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I will come to that in a moment. As a new payment affecting some 350,000 children, it is evident that a new system of administrative arrangements must be established to give effect to the supplement. As with any other payment scheme, care is taken at the planning stage to ensure it will operate in a streamlined way, which is done to facilitate the recipients of the payment so that, for...

Finance Bill 2006: Second Stage (Resumed). (8 Feb 2006)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: That is a matter that can be examined and monitored. This is only the beginning of a very ambitious child care strategy embarked upon by the Minister for Finance and the Government in the budget. A number of initiatives are being taken. I would have liked to mention another number but, for reasons of time, I am constrained from doing so. It is important to bear in mind that this is a...

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (8 Feb 2006)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I propose to take Questions Nos. 171 and 174 together. As the legislation governing this new payment is currently being finalised as part of the Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2005, and as the payment will be made by the Department of Social and Family Affairs using information on their database to which my Department currently has no access, I am not in a position to answer questions...

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (8 Feb 2006)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: Responsibility for the national child care investment programme 2006-2010 has now been assigned to my Department under the general aegis of the office of the Minister of State with responsibility for children. The new national child care investment programme 2006-2010, which succeeds the Equal Opportunities Child care Programme, EOCP, 2000-2006, is a major new five year investment programme...

Written Answers — National Children's Strategy: National Children's Strategy (8 Feb 2006)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: It is assumed that the Deputy is referring to the How Are Our Kids research project undertaken by the childhood development initiative and Dartington social research unit which was published in October 2004. This report was one of eight preliminary research documents which culminated in the publication of A Place for Children, a ten year strategy by the childhood development initiative in...

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (8 Feb 2006)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: Responsibility for the new national child care strategy 2006-2010, including the national child care investment programme 2006-2010 has been assigned to the Office of the Minister for Children under the aegis of my Department. Under the national child care strategy, a new early child care supplement of €1,000 per annum is being introduced in respect of all children less than six years of...

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (8 Feb 2006)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I propose to take Questions Nos. 212 and 214 together. One of the three national goals identified in the national children's strategy, NCS, launched in November 2000 is that "children will have a voice in matters which affect them and their views will be given due weight in accordance with their age and maturity". Various actions to be taken towards the achievement of this national goal are...

Written Answers — Foster Care: Foster Care (14 Feb 2006)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: The latest available statistics from the child care interim dataset show that 4,016 children were in foster care in 2003. My Department has asked the Health Service Executive to provide me with the figures for 2004 and 2005 and as soon as they are received, I will forward them to the Deputy.

Written Answers — State Property: State Property (14 Feb 2006)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: 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 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 — Education Welfare Service: Education Welfare Service (15 Feb 2006)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: The Education (Welfare) Act 2000 established the National Educational Welfare Board as the single national body with responsibility for school attendance. The Act provides a comprehensive framework for promoting regular school attendance and tackling the problems of absenteeism and early school leaving. The general functions of the board are to ensure that each child attends a recognised...

Written Answers — Education Welfare Service: Education Welfare Service (15 Feb 2006)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: The Education (Welfare) Act 2000 established the National Educational Welfare Board as the single national body with responsibility for school attendance. The general functions of the board are to ensure that each child attends a recognised school or otherwise receives a certain minimum education. To discharge its responsibilities, the board is developing a nationwide service that is...

Written Answers — Implementation of Legislation: Implementation of Legislation (15 Feb 2006)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: In October 2004, the Government endorsed a joint proposal from the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform and the Minister of State with responsibility for children to examine the scope for rationalising and restructuring the delivery of the State's services in the area of youth justice in accordance with the Children Act 2001. To this end, a project team within the Department of...

Written Answers — Detention Centres: Detention Centres (15 Feb 2006)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: The occupancy level of each of the five children's detention schools on 31 January 2006 is as set out in the table. At present, the overall capacity of the children's detention schools, at 114 places, can cater adequately for the number of children committed by the courts. However, my Department is monitoring the position on a continuous basis, in consultation with the special residential...

Written Answers — Early School Leavers: Early School Leavers (15 Feb 2006)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: Improving participation and achievement at every level of education is a key priority for this Government. We have pursued a dual strategy of both encouraging more young people to finish school and ensuring much greater second chance and further education opportunities for those who left school early. This kind of strategy ensures that young people are empowered to achieve their full...

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (15 Feb 2006)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I propose to take Questions Nos. 197 and 198 together. I have no ministerial function in regard to the direct provision of play facilities for children and teenagers. As the Deputy may be aware, the office of the Minister of State with responsibility for children is currently developing a recreation policy for young people aged 12 to 18 in conjunction with a number of Government Departments...

Order of Business. (16 Feb 2006)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: A northside Minister uses public transport.

Health Services. (16 Feb 2006)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I am addressing this matter on behalf of the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney. As the Deputy is aware, the management and delivery of health and personal social services are the responsibility of the Health Service Executive. This includes responsibility for the provision of haemodialysis services for people who live in County Kilkenny. As the Deputy pointed out,...