Results 1,001-1,020 of 2,723 for speaker:Barry Andrews

Child Abuse. (8 Dec 2009)

Barry Andrews: I will be responding in the context of the reports of the Dublin Archdiocese Commission of Investigation and the Oireachtas Joint Committee on the Constitutional Amendment on Children. The report of the Dublin Archdiocese Commission of Investigation documents the litany of abuses perpetrated by clergy operating under the aegis of the Dublin Archdiocese. The HSE is finalising its audits of...

Child Abuse. (8 Dec 2009)

Barry Andrews: With regard to the referendum, the committee has until the end of next week to provide its consensus on wording to improve the position of children in the Constitution. A decision on a date of a referendum will follow consideration of that report by the Government. HSE powers under section 3 of the Child Care Act are very clear in terms of abuse that might occur within a family. Both the...

Child Abuse. (8 Dec 2009)

Barry Andrews: First, the perpetrators are brought to book through the criminal justice system, not through commissions of inquiry. Commissions of inquiry are supposed to try to find out what went wrong in the past, who was responsible and-----

Child Abuse. (8 Dec 2009)

Barry Andrews: A Garda inquiry concerns criminal justice. The Deputy asked whether all dioceses should be referred to the commission, if I am clear on his question. The Deputy must remember the Dublin commission looked at only a sample of cases, so it was not an effort to try to bring perpetrators to book. Rather, it was an exercise to try to find out what went wrong, who was responsible and what we can...

Child Abuse. (8 Dec 2009)

Barry Andrews: On the second issue, it is a matter for the DPP and the Garda and I do not have a role in that regard. With regard to the social workers, while there have been 100 appointments this year, some of these are temporary staff who have been made permanent and some staff have taken retirement, so the net additional position is approximately 50. Therefore, there is a further number to be gained and...

Child Abuse. (8 Dec 2009)

Barry Andrews: I wish to be clear that while an out-of-hours service was the key recommendation, the conclusion of the report was that it would not have saved those lives. We have to be clear about the context in which this recommendation was made. Nevertheless, as a result of that, in June 2009, the HSE with the Garda began operating a protocol for a place of safety under section 12 of the Child Care...

Children in Care. (8 Dec 2009)

Barry Andrews: The HSE has provided the following information on the number of separated children or unaccompanied minors seeking asylum who have gone missing from the care of the HSE since 2007. In 2007, 32 separated children went missing from the care of the HSE, in 2008 22 went missing, and up to October 2009 45 young people went missing from the care of the HSE. It is a matter of great concern to the...

Children in Care. (8 Dec 2009)

Barry Andrews: It is an issue of serious concern that the figure has increased in 2009 after a very low figure in 2008. For this reason we have included it in our implementation plan arising from the Ryan report. In order to prevent this from happening we need to bring children seeking asylum into a position of equality with children in residential or foster care so that they are provided with the same...

Children in Care. (8 Dec 2009)

Barry Andrews: I completely reject the assertion that I clapped myself on the back earlier this year.

Children in Care. (8 Dec 2009)

Barry Andrews: I was only a Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children for half of the previous year. I fail to see how I could be credited with positive development that occurred in the previous year. The more serious issue raised by Deputy Naughten is the location of appropriate accommodation for children separated or seeking asylum. The anti-human trafficking unit in the Department of...

Children in Care. (8 Dec 2009)

Barry Andrews: I will provide the report to Deputy Naughten.

Order of Business (3 Dec 2009)

Barry Andrews: Perhaps there was a touch of populism there.

Order of Business (3 Dec 2009)

Barry Andrews: It is conditional.

Order of Business (3 Dec 2009)

Barry Andrews: Does the Deputy seek legislation?

Report by Commission of Investigation into the Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin: Statements (Resumed) (3 Dec 2009)

Barry Andrews: The Murphy report concludes with the telling words of Mrs. Marie Collins. Mrs. Collins told the commission she no longer trusts her church. Judge Murphy wrote: After years spent trying to get her church to deal openly and truthfully with the challenge posed to it by the scandal of child sexual abuse she has concluded that within the institutional church there has been no change of heart,...

Written Answers — Children in Care: Children in Care (2 Dec 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 (2 Dec 2009)

Barry Andrews: Under the Child Care Act 1991, my Office is responsible for the Child Care (Pre-School Services) (No. 2) Regulations 2006, which are implemented by the Pre-School Services Inspectorate of the Health Service Executive (HSE). As the Deputy is probably aware, school age childcare services are not subject to specific regulation and I have already signalled that this is an issue I would like to...

Written Answers — Departmental Publications: Departmental Publications (2 Dec 2009)

Barry Andrews: As the Deputy has indicated the Implementation Plan for the Report of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse states that a revised edition of the Children First National Guidelines will be published by December, 2009. My office is currently working towards meeting this timeframe.

Written Answers — Juvenile Offenders: Juvenile Offenders (2 Dec 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 will take place in 2010. Construction is expected to be undertaken in phases with the first phase scheduled to be completed by end...

Report by Commission of Investigation into the Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin: Statements (1 Dec 2009)

Barry Andrews: The Ryan report and the Murphy commission have set out a litany of abuse, evil, crimes and omissions which have caused and will cause Ireland to have to rewrite its social and political history. In that sense, they have done a great service to our country and society in terms of knowing the facts. I share with my colleagues on both sides of the House an abhorrence and disgust at the crimes...