Results 1,201-1,220 of 21,128 for speaker:James Reilly

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Services (3 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: There is no provision/requirement in the relevant legislation, the Child Care Act 1991, for an approved list of organisations/solicitors firms that offer Guardian ad litemservices. I have requested the Child and Family Agency to provide directly to the Deputy the information he has requested in relation to payments made to individual organisations or solicitors firms that offer Guardian ad...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services Data (3 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: Almost all early years services in this country are provided by private commercial or community/ not-for-profit providers. The terms and conditions of employment , including salary scales, in the early years sector are matters to be agreed between employer and employee. My Department makes no recommendations in relation to these matters.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Services (3 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 626 and 627 together. My Department administers a range of funding schemes and programmes to support the provision of youth services to young people throughout the country including those from disadvantaged communities. The funding schemes support national and local youth work provision to some 380,000 young people by the voluntary youth sector. There are...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (3 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: The Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes and certain related matters was established by Government Order on 17 February 2015 (S.I. No 57 of 2015). It is essential to recognise that in accordance with Section 9 of the Commissions of Investigation Act 2004, a Commission of Investigation is entirely independent in the performance of its functions. I am therefore not in a...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Funding (3 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: I am pleased to be able to inform the Deputy that significant extra resources have been allocated to Tusla for 2016. The 2016 gross funding allocation under Budget 2016 includes an allocation of €676 million for Tusla, representing an increase of €38 million over the 2015 allocation. This includes €662.4 million in current expenditure and €13.6 million in capital...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency (3 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: The information sought by the Deputy has been requested from the Child and Family Agency and I will respond directly to the Deputy when the information is received.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Employment Initiative (3 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: I was pleased to announce the Youth Employability Initiative on the publication of the National Youth Strategy 2015 – 2020 last month. The Initiative will provide €600,000 in grants to the voluntary youth services for programmes that target disadvantaged young people to improve their employability. My Department administers a range of funding schemes and programmes to support...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care Education (3 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 will qualify in the school year commencing in September 2015. The recent Budget...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Staff Career Breaks (3 Nov 2015)

James Reilly: The current Career Break Scheme is governed by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform's Circular 4/2013. The relevant employment legislation is the Civil Service Regulation Acts 1956 - 2006. Since its establishment in June 2011, four members of staff have returned to my Department following career break.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: General Scheme of Adoption (Information and Tracing) Bill 2015: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Oct 2015)

James Reilly: Unfortunately Ms Michelle Shannon cannot be here as she is unwell, so we are joined by Ms Anne-Marie Kilkenny instead.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: General Scheme of Adoption (Information and Tracing) Bill 2015: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Oct 2015)

James Reilly: I thank the Chairman and the Oireachtas Joint Committee for Health and Children for inviting me to address it on the heads of the adoption (information and tracing) Bill 2015. The legislation is of huge importance to people who have been affected by adoption, and addresses some very challenging legal issues, so I am grateful to the committee for taking the time to provide pre-legislative...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: General Scheme of Adoption (Information and Tracing) Bill 2015: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Oct 2015)

James Reilly: I am always delighted to hear my constituency colleague, but not during the course of this.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: General Scheme of Adoption (Information and Tracing) Bill 2015: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Oct 2015)

James Reilly: Indeed, and newfangled technology. As all of those affected by adoption in this country will know, efforts have been ongoing for many years to provide a statutory entitlement to identity information, in particular an original birth certificate, to adopted people. My overall policy objective in bringing forward this legislation has always been to provide access to as much information as...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: General Scheme of Adoption (Information and Tracing) Bill 2015: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Oct 2015)

James Reilly: I echo Deputy Catherine Byrne's comments about the work of the staff of the Department on this legislation. They have worked tirelessly on a compromise to find a means of balancing rights. What they have achieved is very fair. I thank Deputy Robert Troy for his remarks. What is seldom is wonderful. Many members have referred to the need for a statutory declaration. I know that it is a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: General Scheme of Adoption (Information and Tracing) Bill 2015: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Oct 2015)

James Reilly: This issue was also mentioned by Senator Jillian van Turnhout, who asked where the bar was. As I said, arising out from the committee's consideration in the pre-legislative process, we will look at what people are saying. Ultimately, where the bar should be will be legally determined. We will consider the matter. I will restate what we are trying to achieve. We want to give people as...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: General Scheme of Adoption (Information and Tracing) Bill 2015: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Oct 2015)

James Reilly: The Adoption Authority of Ireland will have the authority to obtain records. We are still working with the Data Protection Commissioner on some grey areas, for example, in cases where information could be held in a piecemeal fashion in various ledgers and so forth. This was the experience of officials when they sought information and found bits of information in one ledger and other bits in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: General Scheme of Adoption (Information and Tracing) Bill 2015: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Oct 2015)

James Reilly: No, people attribute far more knowledge to me than I possess.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: General Scheme of Adoption (Information and Tracing) Bill 2015: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Oct 2015)

James Reilly: That is a fair point and one we will certainly consider. We do not want people to feel they must return to the place where they were hurt.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Cafés Provision (22 Oct 2015)

James Reilly: Youth Cafés offer young people a safe, alcohol and drug free space, for recreation, non-formal learning and youth activities and they make an important contribution to facilities for young people at local level. In recent years capital funding has been made available to my Department for the development of youth café facilities. Some 100 new youth café facilities have...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency (22 Oct 2015)

James Reilly: With regard to the specific question raised by the Deputy, I expect to be in a position to furnish a complete reply very shortly. My Department has, in recent days, received additional information and clarification requested from Tusla, the Child and Family Agency to allow for a complete response to issue. We are in the process of compiling this information for issue to the Deputy. I...