Results 19,961-19,980 of 21,128 for speaker:James Reilly

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Preschool Services (5 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: My Department funds a number of childcare support programmes that assist parents in accessing affordable and quality childcare. These include the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme, which provides free pre-school education; the Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) programme to support low income and disadvantaged families, and three Training and Employment Childcare...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care Education (5 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme, which represents an annual investment of more than €170 million, is funded by my Department through capitation grants paid directly to participating pre-school providers. This capitation payment is for the provision of the ECCE Programme, including preparatory and supportive work such as engagement with parents. The...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care Education (5 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: Pre-school services are governed by Part VII of the Child Care Act 1991 and by the Child Care (Pre-School Services) (No 2) Regulations 2006. The adult/child ratios recommended for childcare services providing full day care, part-time care and sessional care are set out in the Explanatory Guide to the 2006 Regulations. The ratios recommended for children availing of sessional pre-school...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: School Completion Programme (10 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: The School Completion Programme aims to retain young people in the formal education system to completion of senior cycle and to generally improve the school attendance, participation and retention of young people who are at risk of educational disadvantage. The Programme is a targeted intervention aimed at school communities identified through the Department of Education and Skills’...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: School Absenteeism (10 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: Since 2014, Tusla, the Child and Family Agency under the remit of my Department, has a general function to ensure that each child attends a recognised school or otherwise receives a certain minimum education. The education welfare services of Tusla, comprising the statutory Education Welfare Officers, the School Completion Programme and the Home School Community Liaison Scheme are key...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency (10 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: Thank you for bringing this to my attention but as the Deputy will appreciate, it is not appropriate for me to comment on an individual case. I have forwarded the information supplied by the Deputy to Tusla, and I requested a short report on the matter. I will revert to the Deputy with appropriate information when the report is received.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: National Lottery Funding Disbursement (10 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: I believe that there is value in providing small grants targeted at specific projects or activities that benefit children and young people. With this in mind, I am working with my officials to put in place a scheme of modest one-off grants in 2016 for local projects or groups working with children and young people. Rather than using National Lottery funding, the scheme will utilise some...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care Education (10 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme is currently provided by private commercial and community/not-for-profit pre-school services with more than 4,300 services throughout the country participating in the programme. I announced in Budget 2016 additional annual funding of €85 million to support the achievement of affordable, accessible, high quality childcare....

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care Education (10 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: At present, the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme provides one free pre-school year for each eligible child before commencing primary school. Each qualifying child is entitled to one free pre-school year only. As this child has received the full free pre-school complement in the 2014-2015 academic year, no additional provision can be made. The recent Budget decisions,...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services Expenditure (10 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: My Department has provided funding over the past four years to support the upgrading and refurbishment of early years services under the Early Years Capital Programme as follows:- - 2012 - capital funding of €6 million was provided to fund a maintenance programme for services (i.e. to address remedial, maintenance and renovation work and to purchase equipment). This funding, which...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Foster Care Supports (10 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: Under the Child Care Act, 1991 and the Child and Family Agency Act, 2013, the Child and Family Agency has a statutory duty to promote the welfare of children who are not receiving adequate care and protection. The majority of children in care are in foster care, one third of whom are placed with relatives. Foster care allowances are provided in order to allow foster carers meet all of the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Seirbhísí Chúram Leanaí (10 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: Ba mhaith liom dearbhú don Teachta Dála go bhfuil na bearta a d’fhógair mé mar chuid de Bhuiséad 2016 ar fáil ag gach soláthróir cúraim leanaí, iad siúd atá lonnaithe i bpobail Ghaeltachta san áireamh. Faoi láthair soláthraíonn mo Roinn maoiniú de níos mó ná ceathrú...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Children in Care (10 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: The information requested by the Deputy on the number of children accommodated under Section 5 of the Child Care Act 1991 can be found in the Review of Adequacy. This is the annual report compiled and published by the HSE (now Tusla) which reviews the adequacy of the child and family services provided as required under Section 8 of the Child Care Act 1991. Under Section 5, the children...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption Authority of Ireland (10 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: Section 98 of the Adoption Act 2010, sets out particular requirements for membership of the Adoption Authority of Ireland. In addition to the legislative requirements for Board members contained in the Act, consideration is also given to particular knowledge, skills and experience that would strengthen the capacity of the Board. A person with personal experience of adoption may apply for...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption Authority of Ireland (10 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: Section 98 of the Adoption Act 2010, sets out particular requirements for membership of the Adoption Authority or Ireland. In addition to the legislative requirements for Board members contained in the Act, consideration is also given to particular knowledge, skills and experience that would strengthen the capacity of the Board. My decisions on appointments to boards are subject to the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Costs (10 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: I am aware of the relatively high cost to parents of childcare in this country and of the difficulties that this presents, particularly where both parents are in employment outside of the home. Prior to Budget 2016, my Department provided funding of more than a quarter of a billion euro annually to support the implementation of a number of childcare support programmes that assist parents...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care Education (10 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: At present, children qualify for the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme when they are within the qualifying age range which is 3 years and 2 months to 4 years and 7 months in the September of the relevant year. This means, for example, that children born between 2 February 2011 and 30 June 2012 qualified for free pre-school from September 2015. Children who turn 3 from 1...

Order of Business (11 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: Mick Jagger.

Economic Partnership Agreements: Referral to Select Committee (11 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: I move:That the proposal that Dáil Éireann approves the terms of the Economic Partnership Agreements:(i) Economic Partnership Agreement between the West African States, the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, and the West African Economic and Monetary Union, UEMOA, of the one part, and the European Union and its member states, of the other part, and ii) Economic...

Children First Bill 2015: From the Seanad (11 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: I understand that we are discussing amendments Nos. 1 and 3 together but I wish to make a few introductory remarks before referring to those amendments. Today, we enact important legislation, as the Taoiseach has just said. This legislation is important for Ireland's children. The legacy of child abuse in Ireland casts a dark shadow over our Republic, a republic that declared in its...