Results 1,501-1,520 of 21,128 for speaker:James Reilly

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Children and Family Services (9 Jul 2015)

James Reilly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 165 to 167, inclusive, together. I have asked my Officials to arrange for this information to be collated and provided directly to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (9 Jul 2015)

James Reilly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 168 to 174, inclusive, 176 and 177 together. The Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) was established by Government Order on 17 February 2015 (S.I. No 57 of 2015) pursuant to Sections 3 and 7(2)(a) of the Commissions of Investigations Act 2004. The 2004 Act gives the Commission robust powers to conduct investigations...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (9 Jul 2015)

James Reilly: The Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes and certain related matters was established by Government Order on the 17th February 2015 (S.I. No 57 of 2015) pursuant to Sections 3 and 7(2)(a) of the Commissions of Investigation Act 2004. The Confidential Committee module of the Commission is provided for in Articles 3 and 4 of the Schedule to the Order. The Government Order...

Other Questions: Foreign Adoptions (8 Jul 2015)

James Reilly: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The Adoption Act 2010 provides for intercountry adoptions from countries that have ratified the Hague Convention on adoption and from countries with which Ireland has a bilateral agreement. Currently, adoptions are taking place with countries that have ratified the convention, having agreed to adhere to the standards of the convention. The Russian...

Other Questions: Foreign Adoptions (8 Jul 2015)

James Reilly: I did not hear the radio interview to which the Deputy alludes but it is inaccurate to say I have not met representatives of the Russian Irish Adoption Group. I have done so.

Other Questions: Foreign Adoptions (8 Jul 2015)

James Reilly: We can define "recently". The bottom line, as the Deputy knows, is the issue with Russia has been ongoing since at least 2008 and, subsequent to the Adoption Act 2010, these discussions have been predicated on Ireland's legislative requirement for a bilateral agreement, as I stated earlier, on intercountry adoption with non-Hague Convention countries. However, recent indications are that...

Other Questions: Foreign Adoptions (8 Jul 2015)

James Reilly: I cannot give the Deputy a categorical statement on the likelihood of resolution as this would prejudge what the Russian delegation has to say. It is a negotiation. We have explained our difficulty under the Constitution and they have a certain requirement. The nature of negotiation means that other issues may be identified that could help get around the requirement or some other means...

Other Questions: UN Convention on Children's Rights (8 Jul 2015)

James Reilly: I have met all the individuals the Deputy mentioned on more than one occasion. The Government's homeless policy statement was published on 21 February 2013 and makes explicit the Government's commitment to a housing-led approach to end long-term involuntary homelessness by the end of 2016. Significant measures are being taken, under the Dublin region homeless pilot scheme, including the...

Other Questions: Domestic and Sexual Violence Support Services (8 Jul 2015)

James Reilly: Following a review, Tusla considers that there is scope for a more co-ordinated and equitable provision of sexual and domestic violence services across the country. It seeks to address any identified gaps in services, avoid duplication and support effective delivery. It is in this context that Tusla has decided to cease funding for Rape Crisis Network Ireland, RCNI, and to take direct...

Other Questions: Domestic and Sexual Violence Support Services (8 Jul 2015)

James Reilly: The Deputy is quite right. I am not instructing anybody or interfering in with Rape Crisis Network Ireland regarding how it spends its money or what it does with itself. That is its business. What is the business of a Minister and an agency representing the needs of those who have been victims of sexual or domestic violence is to ensure they have a front-line service. In her question the...

Other Questions: Domestic and Sexual Violence Support Services (8 Jul 2015)

James Reilly: Again, the Deputy fails to acknowledge that no funding to the rape crisis centres has been cut. Their funding has been protected. Front-line services are being protected. The cut in funding relates to data collected by Rape Crisis Network Ireland, which does not provide front-line services.

Other Questions: Domestic and Sexual Violence Support Services (8 Jul 2015)

James Reilly: That data can now be collected by Tusla in a more complete and efficient fashion. I do not agree with the Deputy's contention that people will not contact the rape crisis centre. I believe they will. If they contact anybody they will contact the rape crisis centre.

Other Questions: Domestic and Sexual Violence Support Services (8 Jul 2015)

James Reilly: Excuse me. I did not interrupt the Deputy. These are the people who are the professionals, who are proficient and have given a commitment. They have been there morning, noon and night to help support the survivors of sexual violence and domestic violence. My role is to ensure that those who provide the services are supported and have their funding protected. I have done that.

Other Questions: Early Childhood Care Education (8 Jul 2015)

James Reilly: The Government is very concerned about the child poverty situation in the country. Hitherto we have not had the resources to address this issue in any meaningful way, but the resources are becoming available. I am not saying we can cure this problem overnight. It is very hard to undo a situation that grew up over many years. I will not get into political point scoring about the state of...

Other Questions: UN Convention on Children's Rights (8 Jul 2015)

James Reilly: The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child establishes the Committee on the Rights of the Child, comprising independent experts, as the monitoring body for holding state parties to account regarding compliance with the convention. That process involves states submitting periodic reports to the committee and appearing before it for the purposes of discussing the report...

Other Questions: UN Convention on Children's Rights (8 Jul 2015)

James Reilly: The issue of homelessness has been on the Government agenda for quite some time. I am a member of the Cabinet committee on social policy. As Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, I am very concerned about the impact of homelessness on children. I am very concerned about the provision of accommodation and that emergency accommodation should reflect, in so far as it can, normality for...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Child and Family Agency (8 Jul 2015)

James Reilly: I will finish what I was saying in my opening statement. Officials in my Department are working closely with the board and senior management of the agency to ensure the continued provision, within the significant resource provided, of high quality and responsive services to vulnerable children and families. A key component of this engagement is associated with the 2016 Estimates process and...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Child and Family Agency (8 Jul 2015)

James Reilly: To ensure that people are very clear, notwithstanding statements made here and by the ISPCC, I must state all cases involving immediate risk are dealt with immediately. They would not be left over the weekend. If a child is at serious risk, the matter is dealt with. If a teacher is worried about a child in the morning, a social worker will have arrived by the afternoon. That is not to say...

Other Questions: Early Childhood Care Education (8 Jul 2015)

James Reilly: Funding of more than €0.25 billion is invested annually by my Department in early-years services. This funding, which is in addition to the direct support provided to all parents in the form of child benefit, supports more than 100,000 children each year. This high level of investment has been maintained despite the difficult budgetary circumstances that prevailed in recent years. ...

Other Questions: Early Childhood Care Education (8 Jul 2015)

James Reilly: I take issue with the Deputy's analysis of the Maynooth report. It does not state it is too little too late-----