Results 3,821-3,840 of 7,126 for speaker:Alan Farrell
- Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Estimates for Public Service 2019
Vote 40 - Children and Youth Affairs (Revised) (6 Mar 2019) Alan Farrell: -----additional staff. Does the Minister have a breakdown of their numbers?
- Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Estimates for Public Service 2019
Vote 40 - Children and Youth Affairs (Revised) (6 Mar 2019) Alan Farrell: The Minister can find it later.
- Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Estimates for Public Service 2019
Vote 40 - Children and Youth Affairs (Revised) (6 Mar 2019) Alan Farrell: Perhaps the Minister will supply a note to the secretariat on the issues of staffing and allocation. It would be helpful.
- Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Estimates for Public Service 2019
Vote 40 - Children and Youth Affairs (Revised) (6 Mar 2019) Alan Farrell: If members are satisfied with programme A, we will move on to programme B.
- Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Estimates for Public Service 2019
Vote 40 - Children and Youth Affairs (Revised) (6 Mar 2019) Alan Farrell: I am sorry to interrupt, but I would like to add to what Deputy Rabbitte has just said. One of the conversations that I have had since taking on the role of Chairman of this committee has been with primary educators on how the ECCE programme and early years education integrates with primary-level education. It is not a dissimilar question to the one posed by Deputy Rabbitte. Is there an...
- Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Estimates for Public Service 2019
Vote 40 - Children and Youth Affairs (Revised) (6 Mar 2019) Alan Farrell: Or have started at least----
- Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Estimates for Public Service 2019
Vote 40 - Children and Youth Affairs (Revised) (6 Mar 2019) Alan Farrell: As I stated at the outset, this is a very positive meeting. The vast majority of Departments are receiving increases in funding. The Department of Children and Youth Affairs is no exception and it is using that money to really good effect. However, there are a number of issues, some of which have been identified already with regard to social workers. I am also slightly disappointed by...
- Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Estimates for Public Service 2019
Vote 40 - Children and Youth Affairs (Revised) (6 Mar 2019) Alan Farrell: The target for 2018. The target for 2019 is 109,500 children. It was revised down and approximately 20,000 fewer children participated in the ECCE programme, according to figures supplied for Vote 40 for 2019. I would like to understand why that was the case. Is there a deficiency there in terms of parents making a choice? Is there a difficulty with parents finding a facility nearby into...
- Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Estimates for Public Service 2019
Vote 40 - Children and Youth Affairs (Revised) (6 Mar 2019) Alan Farrell: It is not a criticism at all.
- Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Estimates for Public Service 2019
Vote 40 - Children and Youth Affairs (Revised) (6 Mar 2019) Alan Farrell: It is a marvellous programme. Both of my children have gone through it.
- Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Estimates for Public Service 2019
Vote 40 - Children and Youth Affairs (Revised) (6 Mar 2019) Alan Farrell: It is incredibly beneficial to young boys and girls around the country. Of course, it is incredibly beneficial to their parents too. Of the 20,000, did a fair percentage go into CCS, to the Department's knowledge, or is there an element of assumption in that? Is there something within the programme that is not working for parents? The age limit issue was resolved in 2018 and I would have...
- Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Estimates for Public Service 2019
Vote 40 - Children and Youth Affairs (Revised) (6 Mar 2019) Alan Farrell: It is. It is a question I would love to ask both the Minister, Deputy Zappone, and the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy McHugh, in the same room. It is a question I ask every December and January when my office is bombarded with parents saying their child is 35th on the waiting list for the local primary school. When I ask what age the child is and the parent says "four", I...
- Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Estimates for Public Service 2019
Vote 40 - Children and Youth Affairs (Revised) (6 Mar 2019) Alan Farrell: It would be helpful to schedule some time at the committee later in the year to discuss the matter, as it is interesting. We might try to slot it into the work programme. In light of what the Minister has said, can the Department produce some figures on the uptake of the scheme, perhaps on a geographic basis? Are there any other measures the Department uses, including socioeconomic or...
- Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Estimates for Public Service 2019
Vote 40 - Children and Youth Affairs (Revised) (6 Mar 2019) Alan Farrell: I was moving to capital, but the Deputy has asked a worthy question. The affordable childcare scheme is referenced on page 10 of the Minister's opening statement. The Minister said she is planning a phased regulation of school-age childcare services and has set aside €450,000 for a Tusla early-years inspectorate. The Minister said she hoped to begin to register services with effect...
- Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Estimates for Public Service 2019
Vote 40 - Children and Youth Affairs (Revised) (6 Mar 2019) Alan Farrell: An area the State neglects in the overall context of childcare provision and early-years education is the tremendous service being provided across the State in after-school care services. We must ensure standards are being adhered to and that ratios, which are not set out, are put in place. We need to evaluate that. While €450,000 has been set aside for the regulation of the sector,...
- Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Estimates for Public Service 2019
Vote 40 - Children and Youth Affairs (Revised) (6 Mar 2019) Alan Farrell: It might be difficult for the Minister to recall the following, but one of her officials might be able to support her on it. There was a pilot trial of an after-school care service in County Cork, which a former Chairman of this committee and now Minister of State with responsibility for older people, Deputy Jim Daly, discussed here a couple of years ago. Does the Department have any...
- Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Estimates for Public Service 2019
Vote 40 - Children and Youth Affairs (Revised) (6 Mar 2019) Alan Farrell: In my view, they are State assets and they might as well be used.
- Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Estimates for Public Service 2019
Vote 40 - Children and Youth Affairs (Revised) (6 Mar 2019) Alan Farrell: I will move on to the affordable childcare scheme. The Minister has proposed to increase the threshold by 26% to €60,000 income per household for targeted supports to be provided for those not in receipt of social welfare, which is very welcome. The entire programme has, regrettably, taken a little longer than anticipated but it will be a tremendous success in providing supports to...
- Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Estimates for Public Service 2019
Vote 40 - Children and Youth Affairs (Revised) (6 Mar 2019) Alan Farrell: I am not dismissing the gift horse. I really am not.
- Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Estimates for Public Service 2019
Vote 40 - Children and Youth Affairs (Revised) (6 Mar 2019) Alan Farrell: I did not realise that it is a net figure.