Results 14,621-14,640 of 16,537 for speaker:Brian Lenihan Jnr

Written Answers — Foster Care: Foster Care (1 Nov 2006)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: The Deputy's question relates to the management and delivery of health and personal social services, which are the responsibility of the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004. Accordingly, my Department has requested the parliamentary affairs division of the executive to arrange to have this matter investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Foster Care: Foster Care (1 Nov 2006)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: The Deputy's question relates to the management and delivery of health and personal social services, which are the responsibility of the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004. Accordingly, my Department has requested the parliamentary affairs division of the executive to arrange to have this matter investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Foster Care: Foster Care (1 Nov 2006)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: The Deputy's question relates to the management and delivery of health and personal social services, which are the responsibility of the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004. Accordingly, my Department has requested the parliamentary affairs division of the executive to arrange to have this matter investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Education Welfare Service: Education Welfare Service (1 Nov 2006)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: The National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) was established under The Education (Welfare) Act, 2000 as the single national body with responsibility for school attendance. The Act provides a comprehensive framework which promotes regular school attendance and tackles the problems of absenteeism and early school leaving. The general functions of the Board are to ensure that every child...

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (26 Oct 2006)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: As the Deputy will be aware, I have responsibility for the Equal Opportunities Child care Programme 2000-2006 (EOCP) and the National Child care Investment Programme 2006-2010 (NCIP), which are being implemented by the Office of the Minister for Children. The Group in question has been provisionally approved capital funding of €1.4 million under the EOCP, in respect of a proposal to develop...

Seanad: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2006: Second Stage (26 Oct 2006)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: We will explore that issue further on Committee Stage, but it is five continuous years. Senator Minihan wanted to divine my thinking on the issue. I am trying to outline my thinking and to show how we arrived at the five-year period. I am open to suggestion on it, but do not see a need to increase it to six years. Senator Henry seemed to suggest that some circumstances arise where a small...

Seanad: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2006: Second Stage (26 Oct 2006)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: Senator Browne referred to the disincentive of a lack of inheritances in foster cases, but fostering was never envisaged as a complete transfer of rights. Adoption is the total transfer of rights and is required when a child in a long-term fostering arrangement has bonded with the foster parents and has no real connection with his or her natural parent or parents. We must examine this issue....

Seanad: Regional Aid Maps (26 Oct 2006)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I thank the Senator for raising this matter, to which I am replying on behalf of the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment. In December, 2005 the European Commission adopted new regional aid guidelines for the period 2007-13. The guidelines govern the areas in which member states may grant regional aid, more commonly known as investment aid. Investment aid is intended to promote...

Seanad: Public Transport (26 Oct 2006)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I reply to this matter on behalf of the Minister for Transport. I will certainly bring Senator Morrissey's eloquent plea for Donabate to the Minister's attention, but I must outline his views on the matter. The Senator is well aware that Transport 21 includes the provision of a metro line from the city centre to Swords via Dublin Airport and the timeline for the completion of this metro line...

Seanad: Cancer Screening Programme (26 Oct 2006)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I reply to this matter on behalf of the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney. I welcome the opportunity to set out the position on the issue raised by Senator Cox and also to advise the House on the progress on the roll-out of the national breast screening programme. In June 2003, BreastCheck accepted a donation of €340,000 from the National Breast Cancer Research Institute for...

Seanad: Cancer Screening Programme (26 Oct 2006)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I thank Senator Cox for her comments. BreastCheck is confident that the service will roll out next year, which is a tremendous development. I agree that we must value and develop all our regions equally. In fact, the disproportionate growth in the population of Dublin is not necessarily welcomed by persons who have the honour of representing that part of the country.

Seanad: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2006: Second Stage (26 Oct 2006)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I am pleased to have the opportunity to address the House today on the Second Stage of the Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2006 which provides that a foster parent or a relative who has had a child in his or her care for a continuous period of five years, the child having been placed with him or her by the Health Service Executive, may apply for a court order for increased autonomy in the care of...

Seanad: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2006: Second Stage (26 Oct 2006)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I thank Senators for the generous welcome they have given this legislation. Senator Henry took us to Torremolinos in her contribution which is not a bad point of departure for my reply. When a child is taken into care, social workers are involved on behalf of the Health Service Executive. In that position, that child is in the care of the executive and it acts as the parent. Therefore, it...

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (25 Oct 2006)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: As the Deputy is aware, I have responsibility for the Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme 2000 — 2006 (EOCP) and the National Childcare Investment Programme 2006 — 2010 (NCIP), which are being implemented by the newly established Office of the Minister for Children. I understand that the Group in question has submitted an application for additional capital finding under the EOCP. I...

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (25 Oct 2006)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: The question relates to the management and delivery of health and personal social services, which are the responsibility of the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004. Accordingly the Department has requested the parliamentary affairs division of the executive to arrange to have this matter investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Child Abuse: Child Abuse (25 Oct 2006)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: As the Deputy may be aware in 2002, the then Minister for Education and Science introduced the Residential Institutions Redress Act. This legislation was enacted to provide a mechanism for former residents of industrial schools, reformatories, orphanages, children's homes and in certain situations special schools and hospitals to obtain redress for injuries they suffered while so resident....

Health Services: Motion (Resumed). (25 Oct 2006)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I wish to put the record straight in respect of the co-location initiative. It is legitimate to conclude that Labour is opposed to the co-location of public and private hospitals and that Fine Gael is in favour of private hospitals, provided they are not co-located with their public counterparts. That seems to be the position of the respective parties offering themselves as an alternative...

Health Services: Motion (Resumed). (25 Oct 2006)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: The Deputy will receive that response. Labour will not entertain these hospitals and Fine Gael will keep them out of the way.

Health Services: Motion (Resumed). (25 Oct 2006)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: That is my summary of this debate. In practical terms, this means that both parties are quite happy with a system where 45% of elective operations in the public hospital, Tallaght, in Deputy Rabbitte's constituency are private. The Government wants a better deal for public patients. We will free up new beds for public patients at ten public hospitals and we will purchase services for public...

Health Services: Motion (Resumed). (25 Oct 2006)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: The €1 billion paid out by insurance companies is the total of all their payments in respect of tests, bed charges in private hospitals, fees for consultants and outpatient fees. Bed charges in respect of all 2,500 private beds in public hospitals is only one aspect. If Deputy Twomey had read the documentation produced last year in respect of this initiative, he would have seen that the...