Results 1,221-1,240 of 21,128 for speaker:James Reilly

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

James Reilly: The establishment of the Centre for Effective Services (CES) as a charitable organisation in 2008 reflected agreement, including a commitment to joint funding, by Atlantic Philanthropies, the Office for the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs and the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs to support the organisation. The purpose of which was to improve outcomes for...

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

James Reilly: I am aware of the relatively high cost to parents of childcare in this country and of the difficulties that this presents, particularly where both parents are in employment outside of the home. Prior to Budget 2016, my Department provided funding of more than a quarter of a billion euro annually to support the implementation of a number of childcare support programmes that assist parents...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care Education (22 Oct 2015)

James Reilly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 244 and 245 together. The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme currently provides a free pre-school year to all eligible children before commencing primary school. Funding of over €170 million is provided for the ECCE programme annually in which some 67,000 children participate. This programme is delivered for three hours per...

Other Questions: School Completion Programme (21 Oct 2015)

James Reilly: Obviously, we want flexibility as different things work in different areas, not only in educational disadvantage but many other areas of Government policy. What will work in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown will not necessarily work in Lusk and certainly will not work in Leitir Móir, County Galway. For this reason, flexibility is required and will be part of the future programme. I...

Other Questions: School Completion Programme (21 Oct 2015)

James Reilly: I will revert to the Deputy on his question concerning a review. On funding, I made my commitment to the school completion programme very clear last year when we protected the funding available for it. All Departments are continually asked to ring-fence funding for one programme or another. However, ring-fencing funds reduces the scope for other areas of activity which may be just as...

Other Questions: National Carers Strategy (21 Oct 2015)

James Reilly: The national carers strategy is led by the Department of Health. Many Departments, including my Department, have a role to play in its implementation. Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures, the national policy framework for children and young people for 2014 to 2020, was launched in April 2014. One of the key policy priorities under outcome 5 - connected, respected and contributing to their...

Other Questions: National Carers Strategy (21 Oct 2015)

James Reilly: For the purposes of clarity, the analysis will be published in early 2016 and, as such, not before Christmas. I reiterate that the national carers strategy is led by the Department of Health, although my Department has a role in it as it does in many different Departments. The issue of supports is one that would be more appropriate to the Department of Health.

Other Questions: Inter-Country Adoptions (21 Oct 2015)

James Reilly: I am very pleased that the Deputy acknowledges, as do all parents, that the best interests of the child must be paramount. Our problem is that the Russian State has not ratified the Hague Convention. If it had done so, we would not have this issue. The difficulties that are presenting as a consequence of our attempt to arrange a bilateral agreement are very complicated and affect our...

Other Questions: Inter-Country Adoptions (21 Oct 2015)

James Reilly: I hear what the Deputy is saying. Mine is a small Department and we have a number of people who are skilled in this area who are engaged in a myriad of other tasks related to adoption. That is not to say that they are ignoring this issue, but they have the information and tracing Bill to deal with, which is currently in progress. Communication is taking place, as should be the case, but I...

Other Questions: School Completion Programme (21 Oct 2015)

James Reilly: I thank Deputy Stanton for his question. Since he tabled the question, the ESRI has published the report on its website. It presents the findings of an examination of the operation of the school completion programme and makes recommendations for the future operation of the programme. The review is now being considered by my Department, and a range of actions have already been taken by the...

Other Questions: School Completion Programme (21 Oct 2015)

James Reilly: In overall terms, the ESRI report indicates that this programme is perceived as being extremely valuable by those who operate it. The programme has added value in terms of being successful in retaining young people in education. I have already pointed to some of the actions to be taken on foot of the review. Improvements will be made to the annual school retention plans to focus on the...

Seanad: Children First Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (21 Oct 2015)

James Reilly: I will address amendment No. 1 first. This is a technical amendment to amend the Long Title of the Bill in order to provide for the abolition of the defence of reasonable chastisement by way of an amendment to the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997, as proposed in amendment No. 2. As amendments Nos. 1 and 2 are being taken together-----

Seanad: Children First Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (21 Oct 2015)

James Reilly: This amendment proposes to amend the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997 and provide for the abolition of the defence of reasonable chastisement. As I stated on Committee Stage, the Government is fully committed to the elimination of corporal punishment and to protecting children from violence. This amendment not only abolishes the defence of reasonable chastisement but will also...

Seanad: Children First Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (21 Oct 2015)

James Reilly: I will make a few comments as concerns were raised by Senator Leyden on the effect of the amendments on Garda resources. Tusla will still be the first port of call. No new offence is created. I believe matters will be dealt with in the way they have always been addressed very seriously by Tusla if there are allegations or reports of any breach of the legislation. It is progressive...

Seanad: Children First Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (21 Oct 2015)

James Reilly: Schedule 2 specifies professions or occupations for the purposes of specifying classes of persons to be mandated persons in accordance with the Bill. Amendment No. 3 proposes to include a person taking care of one or more children in his or her home who is not a relative of the child. One of the reasons a person taking care of a child in his or her home is not a mandated person under the...

Other Questions: Child and Family Agency Funding (21 Oct 2015)

James Reilly: The Tusla 2016 Estimates business case identified a requirement of €137 million over a three-year period. This included a request for additional capital funding of €11.5 million. I was pleased to be able to allocate significant extra resources to Tusla for 2016. The overall level of funding that I have provided will significantly strengthen Tusla's base funding level and will...

Other Questions: Child and Family Agency Funding (21 Oct 2015)

James Reilly: I remind the Deputy that many Departments have had Supplementary Estimates over the years; they are not new. What is different about this year is that we have been able to predict much earlier what that supplementary budget would be and therefore accommodated it in a much more transparent way than in other years where it came in at the last minute before Christmas. Allegations of three-card...

Other Questions: Child and Family Agency Funding (21 Oct 2015)

James Reilly: Tusla's plan will become very clear once it has submitted its business plan to me. We will consider it and it will be published. It will be very clear to every Deputy then. I wish to reassure people that when we talk about high-priority cases, these are not children in any immediate risk. Anybody in immediate risk is looked after immediately. In other words - I have given this example...

Other Questions: Inter-Country Adoptions (21 Oct 2015)

James Reilly: Work on a bilateral agreement with the Russian Federation has not ceased. It remains the aim of my Department to achieve a bilateral agreement, but I do not believe this will be possible to finalise it in the short term because of a number of difficult issues outstanding. I recently met representatives of the Russian Irish Adoption Group. I am conscious that members of the group have...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Family Resource Centres (21 Oct 2015)

James Reilly: Tusla engages regularly with the Family Resource Centre National Forum. Earlier this year, the forum highlighted its wish to discuss various issues, including recent changes by Tusla to structures and funding, among other matters. Tusla had a productive meeting with the forum on 7 July last in which the following items were discussed: closer local liaisons between the family resource...