Results 1,401-1,420 of 21,128 for speaker:James Reilly

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services Funding (22 Sep 2015)

James Reilly: A total of €7 million was made available under the Early Years Capital Programme in 2015. Of this funding, €5 million was made available for grants specifically for community/not-for-profit early years services. This funding provided for the allocation of capital grant aid in the region of €500,000 for significant upgrades of services such as major refurbishment or...

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

James Reilly: Funding of more than a quarter of a billion euro is provided annually by my Department towards childcare. All childcare programmes supported by my Department currently provide funding directly to childcare providers, either in the form of capitation or subvention payments. This kind of funding mechanism provides the leverage to progressively build the quality of childcare provision, while at...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services Expenditure (22 Sep 2015)

James Reilly: The State promoted the development of the childcare infrastructure by means of considerable capital investment in the period between 1998 and 2008 during which approximately €425 million was invested in the provision of quality childcare services. This investment was provided to address the increasing demand for childcare services resulting from the rapid expansion of the Irish...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Funding (22 Sep 2015)

James Reilly: Since its establishment, Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, has been engaged in a comprehensive and much needed programme of reform across our child welfare and protection system. In this regard, Tusla must ensure that it makes the most effective use of its resources in a manner that is sustainable. Tusla's budget is directed towards services which are best aligned to those outcomes in its...

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

James Reilly: It is now widely accepted that young people leaving State care face a unique set of challenges and present, in some instances, with particular vulnerabilities. It is this recognition that underpins both the current aftercare provision as well as the forthcoming Aftercare Bill. Such awareness has been due to analyses of a range of reports, both State sanctioned and from a range of advocates...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: HIQA Reports (22 Sep 2015)

James Reilly: The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) carried out an unannounced inspection of Ballydowd Special Care Unit on 10 and 15 July 2015 following a concern relating to the practice of single separation. The Inspection Report was published on 31 August 2015. In Ballydowd Special Care Unit, single separation means the removal of a child to a separate locked room for as short a period...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Children in Care (22 Sep 2015)

James Reilly: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, in discharging its functions, is placing a strong emphasis on prevention, early intervention, family support, therapeutic and care interventions, all of which are key to the provision of integrated, multi-disciplinary services for vulnerable children and families. Tusla has specific responsibility for psychology services for children as set out in...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Children in Care (22 Sep 2015)

James Reilly: I have been advised by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, that work has commenced in ensuring there are robust systems supporting Tusla's practices in relation to the Vienna Convention. Part of this work included reviewing current policies and establishing national structures to support this work. The protocol has been agreed and is in operation. Tusla has also advised me that a...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services Funding (22 Sep 2015)

James Reilly: A total of €7 million was provided under the Early Years Capital Programme in 2015. Under this Programme, applications were invited from all early years services contracted to deliver the Department of Children and Youth Affairs childcare programmes. All applications submitted under the following strands were evaluated by Pobal, who administers the Programme on behalf of my...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Funding (22 Sep 2015)

James Reilly: My Department has not provided funds to the company mentioned by the Deputy.

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

James Reilly: I have asked Tusla, the Child and Family Agency to look into the case raised by the Deputy and provide a report to me on the situation. I will revert to the Deputy when the report is to hand

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Pension Provisions (22 Sep 2015)

James Reilly: My Department does not make pension payments to retired civil servants. All civil service pensions are paid directly by the Paymaster General's Office which falls under the aegis of my colleague, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. As such I am not in a position to provide the information requested.

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

James Reilly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 712 and 713 together. The majority of children with special needs are able to access the free pre-school year, provided under the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme, in mainstream pre-school services, without the provision of any additional supports. In the region of 67,000, including children with special needs, avail of the free...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Foster Care (22 Sep 2015)

James Reilly: I want to thank the Deputy for bringing this to my attention. 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 (22 Sep 2015)

James Reilly: A total of €7 million was made available under the Early Years Capital Programme in 2015. €5 million of the grant funding was made available specifically for community/not for profit childcare services while the other €2 million was made available to both private and community/not for profit childcare facilities to access grants for quality improvement measures,...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Foster Care (22 Sep 2015)

James Reilly: I want to thank the Deputy for bringing this to my attention. 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: Departmental Funding (22 Sep 2015)

James Reilly: Interim funding of €10,000 on a monthly basis has been provided to Arc Adoption and Helping Hands Mediation Agency, who are both currently accredited to provide intercountry adoption mediation services since January 2014. This interim funding was suspended in June 2015, until deliberations in relation to the provision of intercountry adoption services, including the issue of the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Functions (22 Sep 2015)

James Reilly: My Department has an established Internal Audit Unit and an Audit Committee both of which operate under charters approved by the Secretary General and the Audit Committee. The Department’s Audit Committee is part of its control environment, tasked with providing independent advice to the Secretary General, as Accounting Officer, regarding the suitability and robustness of the...

Seanad: Children First Bill 2014: Second Stage (21 Jul 2015)

James Reilly: I am pleased to have the opportunity today to introduce the Children First Bill 2014 to the House and look forward to engaging in a constructive debate as the Bill proceeds through the various Stages. The Bill represents an important and necessary extra protection in the child welfare and protection area. It meets the commitment in the programme for Government to put key elements of the...

Seanad: Children First Bill 2014: Second Stage (21 Jul 2015)

James Reilly: I thank the Senators for their contributions and general support for the Bill. We will have the opportunity to discuss it further on Committee Stage. I note that several issues have been raised, some of which I can address today and some of which I will remark on today although they do not form part of the Bill. The issue of criminal sanctions on mandated persons has been raised. Taking...