Results 781-800 of 21,128 for speaker:James Reilly

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Children in Care (2 Feb 2016)

James Reilly: Growing up in Ireland is a national population sample, with all sub-groups and segments of the population being selected on a pro rata basis based on their representation in the national population. On this basis, although children in care (fostered and adopted) are represented in the sample, their absolute number is too small to allow them to be analysed as a separate group or to be tracked...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Abuse (2 Feb 2016)

James Reilly: At the end of November 2015, the Child and Family Agency, Tusla, reported there were 19,847 children (open cases) who had an allocated social worker dealing with issues of assessment, child protection, and children in care. There were a further 6,382 children (open cases) who had been assessed as needing a dedicated social worker and were waiting for one to be allocated. Some of these cases...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency (2 Feb 2016)

James Reilly: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency provides a range of services aimed at addressing emergency situations in the area of child welfare and protection. In the main, these emergency situations arise out of hours. The out-of-hours service provides access to a Child and Family Agency Social Worker and the placement of children removed by An Garda Síochána under the Child Care Act,...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services Funding (2 Feb 2016)

James Reilly: City and County Childcare Committees offer a wide variety of services locally including; advice on setting up a childcare business; childcare information sessions; training courses for those considering a career in childcare; and advice and support on applying for childcare programmes. City and County Childcare Committees also offer services to parents, such as providing information on local...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services Funding (2 Feb 2016)

James Reilly: The information requested is currently being compiled and will issue directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care Education (2 Feb 2016)

James Reilly: At present, the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme covers children who have reached the age of 3 years and 2 months by 1 September of the relevant year. Children born between 2 February 2011 and 30 June 2012 are eligible to avail of the programme in the current school year. In Budget 2016 I announced that from September 2016 children will be eligible to start free...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Preschool Services (2 Feb 2016)

James Reilly: In Budget 2016 it was announced that, from September 2016, children will be eligible to start free pre-school when they turn age 3, and can continue in free pre-school until they start primary school (once the child is not older than 5½ years at the end of the relevant pre-school year i.e. end June). This extension of free pre-school will increase the number of children benefiting...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care Education (2 Feb 2016)

James Reilly: I have been conscious for some time of the difficulty experienced by some children with a disability in accessing and benefiting fully from the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme. With this in mind, I requested that an Inter-Departmental Group, led by this Department, be established with a brief to bring forward recommendations to address this issue. The Group has...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Appointments to State Boards Data (2 Feb 2016)

James Reilly: I am responsible for the appointment of members to the boards of the Adoption Authority of Ireland, the Child and Family Agency (Tusla), Gaisce and the Board of Management for the Children Detention Schools. From the establishment of my Department in June 2011 until 31 December 2013 the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs was responsible for appointments to the Boards of the Family...

Other Questions: Child Care Services Provision (28 Jan 2016)

James Reilly: Last year, I established an interdepartmental group to consider options for future investment in early years and after school child care. This group reported to the Government last July, setting out a range of options for future investment to enhance the affordability, increase the accessibility and improve the quality of early years and after school child care. In the 2016 budget, the...

Other Questions: Child Care Services Provision (28 Jan 2016)

James Reilly: I am glad the Deputy raised the issue of where I might have been on the night she was entertaining a certain gentleman.

Other Questions: Child Care Services Provision (28 Jan 2016)

James Reilly: I was in Fingal County Council celebrating with the six young women from Loreto Secondary School in Balbriggan who had such an outstanding achievement in the Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition. We should be very proud of these young women. They showed the power of the diversity of our community and the future we all have, which we can face with confidence.

Other Questions: Child Care Services Provision (28 Jan 2016)

James Reilly: The additional funding also provides for a range of measures to improve the provision of after school child care, including a once-off minor capital fund to develop after school services in conjunction with community, not-for-profit and private providers. The Government is committed to child care and children.

Other Questions: Child Care Services Provision (28 Jan 2016)

James Reilly: The Government has shown its commitment by increasing the child care budget by one third. While we would love to do more, even if we had more money the sector has highlighted that there are capacity issues, and that is why we have done it in a staged and staggered fashion. We want affordable and accessible child care, and we want quality child care. I will not engage in an ideological...

Other Questions: Emergency Accommodation Provision (28 Jan 2016)

James Reilly: On 14 January, I led the delegation at Ireland’s examination in Geneva by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, regarding Ireland’s consolidated 3rd and 4th periodic reports. As is normally the case, the delegation consisted of officials from the Attorney General’s Office, my Department and officials from a number of other Government Departments,...

Other Questions: Emergency Accommodation Provision (28 Jan 2016)

James Reilly: As the Deputy well knows, housing is an issue for the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, which received a separate budget. My Department has a budget to support children who are at risk. The Child and Family Agency has a specific team that engages with homelessness services to seek to ensure there are no child protection risks and action is taken if such risks...

Other Questions: Child Protection Services (28 Jan 2016)

James Reilly: In many instances, the supports would benefit from improvement. That is the Government plan and that is why additional resources are going into this area. As the population grows, there will be a need for more investment in this area. I would not stand here and say that everything is perfect in the services. They are far from perfect. We have come through the worst recession the...

Other Questions: Children in Care (28 Jan 2016)

James Reilly: The Child and Family Agency, Tusla, has a statutory duty under the Child Care Act 1991 to promote the welfare of children who are not receiving adequate care and protection and, if necessary, to receive a child into the care of the State. Data published in recent years indicate that the numbers of children entering care has been decreasing while the overall number has increased due to...

Other Questions: Children in Care (28 Jan 2016)

James Reilly: I pointed out that 92% of children in the care of the State are in foster families. That is way above international norms and reflects extremely well on the service. Like the Deputy, I thank the many who volunteer to be foster parents and who give homes to children. It is a reflection on the quality of that care that many of the children leave school and go to third level, and that many...

Other Questions: Children in Care (28 Jan 2016)

James Reilly: I absolutely agree with the Deputy. We all are aware of the terrible tragedies that occurred in more recent years where children, having left care, seemed to fall off a cliff with no supports and with tragic consequences for some. That is why we brought in the after-care Act. It is now a statutory right that any child who has been in care for longer than a year, from the age of 13 upwards,...