Results 1,501-1,520 of 2,723 for speaker:Barry Andrews

Written Answers — Inter-Country Adoptions: Inter-Country Adoptions (16 Sep 2009)

Barry Andrews: Declarations of eligibility and suitability are issued on an ongoing basis by the Adoption Board. Such declarations are not country specific although applicants will have indicated which country they intend adopting from as part of the assessment process. My understanding, at this stage is that over 350 applicants who have received declarations have indicated a preference for adopting from...

Written Answers — Pre-school Services: Pre-school Services (16 Sep 2009)

Barry Andrews: As the Deputy will be aware I have responsibility for the implementation of the new scheme to provide a free Pre-School year of Early Care and Education (ECCE) to eligible children and which will be introduced in January 2010. Services can choose to deliver the Pre-School Year from a range of options. A full or part-time day-care service will normally provide the place for 2 hours 15...

Written Answers — Pre-school Services: Pre-school Services (16 Sep 2009)

Barry Andrews: As the Deputy will be aware, I have responsibility for the implementation of the new Early Childhood Care and Education scheme which provides a free Pre-School year to eligible children and which will be introduced in January 2010. As part of the preparations for introducing the new scheme, the Childcare Directorate of my Office wrote to almost 5,000 private and voluntary pre-school service...

Written Answers — Departmental Correspondence: Departmental Correspondence (16 Sep 2009)

Barry Andrews: A substantial reply to the correspondence sent by the Deputy (details supplied) on 31 July, 2009 has not issued because there is no record of the letter having been received by the Department on or after this date. This information has been communicated to the Deputy and arrangements are being made to have the letter resent and the query answered.

Criminal Law (Home Defence) Bill 2009: Second Stage (17 Sep 2009)

Barry Andrews: I am pleased to be able to speak on this Bill. I commend Fine Gael for putting it to the House and commend the discussion and the contributions of all Members of both sides. Deputy Doyle made the point that there was an increase in crime in Wicklow. It is something that has been seen in certain places and it may be attributable to the difficult budgetary situation and the condition of the...

Criminal Law (Home Defence) Bill 2009: Second Stage (17 Sep 2009)

Barry Andrews: It is not subject to what is termed "the vagaries of juries". I would not agree with the Law Reform Commission's comments quoted by Deputy Creighton. Our juries must be trusted as a jury of our peers in these cases.

Criminal Law (Home Defence) Bill 2009: Second Stage (17 Sep 2009)

Barry Andrews: The Deputy is counting the seats already. Is that not complacent?

Criminal Law (Home Defence) Bill 2009: Second Stage (17 Sep 2009)

Barry Andrews: It is not mentioned in the Bill.

Written Answers — Pre-school Services: Pre-school Services (17 Sep 2009)

Barry Andrews: As the Deputy will be aware, I have responsibility for the implementation of the new Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) scheme which provides a free Pre-School year to eligible children and which will be introduced in January 2010. Children will qualify for the free pre-school year where they are aged between 3 years 3 months and 4 years 6 months at the start of each academic year....

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (17 Sep 2009)

Barry Andrews: As the Deputy will be aware, I have responsibility for the National Childcare Investment Programme (NCIP) 2006 - 2010, under which the Community Childcare Subvention Scheme (CCSS) is being implemented. The Community Childcare Subvention Scheme (CCSS) subsidises childcare costs for low paid and disadvantaged parents in community based, not for profit childcare facilities. Funding for CCSS...

Written Answers — Detention Centres: Detention Centres (22 Sep 2009)

Barry Andrews: In March 2008, the Government approved the development of new national children detention facilities on the Oberstown campus near Lusk, Co. Dublin. The project is currently at the design stage and it is anticipated that the tendering process for construction should take place in 2010. Construction is expected to be undertaken in phases with the first phase scheduled to be completed in 2012....

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (22 Sep 2009)

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

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (22 Sep 2009)

Barry Andrews: As the Deputy is aware the National Childcare Investment Programme (NCIP) 2006 - 2010 is implemented by my Office with the assistance of Pobal, who manage the day to day operation of the programme. With the economic downturn Government expenditure, particularly in the area of new capital commitments, was reviewed earlier this year. As a result, with the exception of a limited number of...

Written Answers — Foreign Adoptions: Foreign Adoptions (22 Sep 2009)

Barry Andrews: As the Deputy will be aware, I visited the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in June/July last. During the course of our discussions on the agreement, the situation of 20 applications on hand in Hanoi, which were due to be returned by the Department of International Adoptions in Vietnam, was discussed. The Vietnamese side agreed to process the 20 applications as a gesture of goodwill. I made...

Written Answers — Foreign Adoptions: Foreign Adoptions (22 Sep 2009)

Barry Andrews: I outlined in some detail the developments regarding discussions on a bilateral inter-country adoption agreement with the Socialist Republic of Vietnam last week. I referred, in particular, to two significant reports which have been undertaken regarding child welfare, protection and adoption in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Firstly, in August, 2009, the Vietnamese Ministry of Labour,...

Written Answers — Foreign Adoptions: Foreign Adoptions (22 Sep 2009)

Barry Andrews: As the Deputies are aware, the Adoption Bill, 2009, which will give force of law to the Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Inter-country Adoption, was published on 23 January, 2009. Under the proposed new legislative regime, prospective adoptive parents will be able to adopt from countries that have ratified the Hague Convention as well as from those...

Written Answers — Foreign Adoptions: Foreign Adoptions (22 Sep 2009)

Barry Andrews: Adoption agencies are licensed by the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in the context of bi-lateral agreements with the state of origin of such agencies. In the absence of a bi-lateral agreement with Ireland, no Irish agency is licensed to operate in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam at this time. This does not affect the registration of such agencies under Irish law.

Foreign Adoptions. (23 Sep 2009)

Barry Andrews: I apologise to the House. My voice has gone and my fellow Minister of State, Deputy John Moloney, will speak for me.

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (24 Sep 2009)

Barry Andrews: As the Deputy will be aware, I have responsibility for the implementation of the new Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) scheme which provides a free Pre-School year to eligible children and which will be introduced in January 2010. In setting out the terms and conditions for childcare practitioners to be included in the new Early Childhood Care and Education scheme, a number of factors...

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (6 Oct 2009)

Barry Andrews: As the Deputy will be aware, I have responsibility for the implementation of the free Pre-School Year in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) scheme which is being introduced in January 2010. The ECCE scheme is a general one and services participating will be required to make reasonable accommodation for children with special needs in accordance with the Equal Status Acts 2000 and 2004....