Results 1,121-1,140 of 21,128 for speaker:James Reilly

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care Education (18 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme which provides for free pre-school provision for children before commencing primary school is implemented by my Department. While certain flexibilities had been built in to the ECCE Programme to facilitate the inclusion of children with a disability, Better Outcomes, Brighter Futuresthe children and young people's policy framework...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Education Welfare Service (17 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: Early Childhood Care Education (17 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: Children born between 1st January 2012 and 31st August 2013 are eligible to avail of the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme from September 2016. Based on the information supplied by the Deputy, this child is eligible to participate in the programme from September 2016.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption Services Provision (17 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: I am aware that there is an issue regarding the repayment to clients of refundable registration fees they are owed by the agency the Deputy has referred to. These fees were paid as part of an agreement between this agency and its clients. My Department was not party to this agreement and therefore has no legal responsibility for repayment of these fees. While my Department made a once off...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption Legislation (17 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: Work on the Adoption (Amendment) Bill is at an advanced stage. The Bill provides for theadoption of any child where the parents have failed for such a period of time as may be prescribed by law in their duty towards the child and where the best interests of the child so require. It also provides for the voluntary placement for adoption and the adoption of any child. These legislative...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Services (17 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, provide and fund a wide range of services within the county of Donegal. These include social work services, such as child protection and welfare, alternative care including fostering services, children in care support and adoption services. Other services provided include family support, counselling, educational welfare services, domestic, sexual and...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Aftercare Services (17 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: I want to thank the Deputy for his question. The Deputy will appreciate that this is an operational matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, and it would be inappropriate for me to comment on the matter raised. My Department has, however, referred this to Tusla for attention and asked that they liaise directly with the person concerned.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services Funding (17 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: In Budget 2016, I announced an €85 million package of additional investment for childcare. This includes funding for: - An extension to the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme so that children can enrol in the programme at age three and continue in the programme until they make the transition to primary school. This will reduce childcare costs by an additional...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care Education (17 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...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency (17 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: The funding previously provided to Rape Crisis Network Ireland by Tusla was to develop and maintain a database of information recorded by workers in Rape Crisis Centres. Tusla had concerns that this database did not capture information from all 16 Rape Crisis Centres as not all centres were affiliated with the Network. In addition, Tusla did not always have timely access to the data...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Funding (17 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, has statutory responsibility for the care and protection of victims of domestic, sexual or gender based violence whether in the context of the family or otherwise. In 2015, Tusla will have provided over €19 million euro in funding to the provision of domestic and sexual violence services. This funding is allocated to specialist organisations...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Aftercare Services (17 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: As the Deputy is aware, the Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2015 is currently progressing through the Houses of the Oireachtas. The Bill is primarily concerned with aftercare – the planning and support put in place to meet the needs of a young person who is leaving statutory care at 18 years of age, to assist him or her in making the transition to independent living. The Bill obliges the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency (17 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: One of Tusla’s key priorities is to ensure that the needs of victims of domestic violence are being met in the best way possible. For this reason, the 2015 budget was directed towards front-line services and working towards ensuring that no potential service user is disadvantaged because of geography. Tusla recognises that organisations providing services to meet the needs of...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Funding (12 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: The Department provided interim funding of €10,000 per month to Arc Adoption from January 2014 to May 2015 to assist with operational costs and to allow an opportunity to work towards a sustainable model of service provision. It was never the intention of the Department to fund the operational costs fully, and this was always made clear to Arc Adoption. This funding was suspended...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Protection Services (12 Nov 2015)

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. At present, out-of-hours emergency services for children at risk in the greater Dublin area are provided by Tusla through the Crisis Intervention Service (CIS). The remit of the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Preschool Services (12 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme provides free preschool care and education to children before commencing primary school. The programme is designed to be delivered for three hours per day, five days per week, over 38 weeks (183 days per year), and capitation fees are paid to participating services on the basis of this provision. A standard capitation fee of...

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

James Reilly: Is it in order for me to respond to some of the issues raised by Deputy Troy?

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

James Reilly: It is. I will be very brief. Deputy Troy mentioned the issue of criminal sanction in relation to people who run services for children not having a safety statement. The matter was discussed at length on Committee Stage and in the Seanad. The rationale is straightforward. It would require a huge amount of time and money to put in place an inspectorate with all the judicial requirements...

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...