Results 17,681-17,700 of 18,372 for speaker:Brendan Smith

Written Answers — Foreign Adoptions: Foreign Adoptions (2 Apr 2008)

Brendan Smith: Adoption is a service for children who are in need of a permanent home. My Department and I are of the view that intercountry adoption should be child centred, that is, in all stages of the process the child's interests must be paramount. As such, there are a number of statutory procedures regulating intercountry adoption. All prospective adoptive parents must be assessed initially by the HSE...

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (2 Apr 2008)

Brendan Smith: As the Deputy will be aware, I have responsibility for the National Childcare Investment Programme 2006 — 2010 (NCIP), which will invest €575 million over 5 years, with €358 million of this in capital grant aid for childcare services. The NCIP came into effect in January 2006, and aims to provide a proactive response to the development of quality childcare supports and services, which...

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (2 Apr 2008)

Brendan Smith: As the Deputy will be aware, I have responsibility for the National Childcare Investment Programme 2006 — 2010 (NCIP) which will invest €575 million over 5 years. I understand from enquiries I have made that the service in question applied for interim NCIP staffing funding of €4,800 which was declined last September as their application had not demonstrated sufficient ability to...

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (2 Apr 2008)

Brendan Smith: I propose to take Questions Nos. 318 to 320, inclusive, together. As the Deputy will be aware, I have responsibility for the National Childcare Investment Programme 2006-2010 (NCIP) under which the Community Childcare Subvention Scheme (CCSS) was introduced in January of this year. The CCSS replaced the previous staffing support grant scheme which was implemented under the EU co-funded Equal...

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (2 Apr 2008)

Brendan Smith: As the Deputy will be aware, I have responsibility for the National Childcare Investment Programme 2006-2010 (NCIP) which will invest €575 million over 5 years in developing child care services. The NCIP came into effect in January 2006 and aims to provide a proactive response to the development of quality child care supports and services, which are grounded in an understanding of local...

Written Answers — Inter-Country Adoptions: Inter-Country Adoptions (2 Apr 2008)

Brendan Smith: I propose to take Questions Nos. 383 and 384 together. The Deputy refers to the proposed legislation to ratify the Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption. The Convention and the legislation to ratify it is not aimed at preventing intercountry adoptions between countries. The purpose of legislating and ratifying the Hague Convention...

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (2 Apr 2008)

Brendan Smith: As the Deputy will be aware, I have responsibility for the National Childcare Investment Programme 2006-2010 (NCIP), which will invest €575 million over 5 years, with €358 million of this in capital grant aid for child care services. The NCIP came into effect from in January 2006, and aims to provide a proactive response to the development of quality child care supports and services,...

Written Answers — Children in Care: Children in Care (2 Apr 2008)

Brendan Smith: The Deputy's question relates to the management and delivery of health and 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 the matter investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.

Hospital Services. (12 Mar 2008)

Brendan Smith: I thank Deputy Lynch for raising this important issue. I am replying to this matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Mary Harney. The National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dún Laoghaire is a 120-bed hospital which provides treatment and rehabilitation for patients with spinal cord injuries, head injuries, amputation, traumatic and non-traumatic brain...

Hospital Services. (12 Mar 2008)

Brendan Smith: I thank Deputies Hayes and McGrath for raising this issue. I am taking this adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney. The provision of services at South Tipperary General Hospital and across the south-east region in general is the responsibility of the Health Service Executive. The Government is committed to providing a high quality...

Sports Capital Programme. (12 Mar 2008)

Brendan Smith: I thank Deputy Enright for raising this important issue. I am taking this adjournment debate on behalf of the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, Deputy Brennan, who is unavoidably absent. The social and economic benefits of sport are acknowledged by this Government and are reflected in the unprecedented level of Government funding for sport. The level of funding available for spending on...

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (12 Mar 2008)

Brendan Smith: The Deputy's question relates to the management and delivery of health and 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 the matter investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (12 Mar 2008)

Brendan Smith: As the Deputy will be aware, I have responsibility for the National Child care Investment Programme 2006 — 2010 (NCIP) which will invest €575 million over 5 years in developing child care services. I understand that the application in question for capital grant funding under the NCIP was not successful as it did not meet the value for money benchmark set under the NCIP. A request for a...

Seanad: Schools Building Projects (11 Mar 2008)

Brendan Smith: I thank the Senator for raising this matter. I am replying on behalf of the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Hanafin, who is unable to be here. I assure the Senator that I will bring the contents of his contribution to the attention of the Minister tomorrow. As the Senator is aware, all applications for capital funding are assessed in the modernisation and policy unit of the...

Seanad: Schools Building Projects (11 Mar 2008)

Brendan Smith: In regard to Senator O'Toole's comment, it is not the duty, nor should it be the practice, of any public servant to proffer advice to a Member of the Oireachtas as to how he or she should proceed with his or her queries.

Seanad: Services for People with Disabilities (11 Mar 2008)

Brendan Smith: I thank Senator Corrigan for raising this issue. I am responding in the unavoidable absence of my colleague, the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney. At the outset, I emphasise the Government's commitment to providing a high quality service to all people with a disability. This commitment is illustrated by the substantial investment we have made in disability services in recent...

Seanad: Hospital Services (11 Mar 2008)

Brendan Smith: I thank Senator MacSharry for raising this important issue. This is not the first time I have heard him outline in great detail the need to provide and retain services in the north west. I will reply to the Senator on this issue on behalf of the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney, who is unavoidably absent. I welcome this opportunity to set out the current position in respect...

Seanad: Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Bill 2007: Report and Final Stages (11 Mar 2008)

Brendan Smith: I thank all the Senators who have contributed on amendments Nos. 8 and 14. The purpose of amendment No. 8 is to criminalise soliciting or importuning any person in any place for the purpose of prostitution. In other words, it extends the present soliciting laws to include soliciting in private. I assume it is intended to repeal section 7 of the 1993 Act as it would overlap with this...

Seanad: Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Bill 2007: Report and Final Stages (11 Mar 2008)

Brendan Smith: The problem is a social one and not associated with criminal law. This Bill is not the appropriate one in which the implement the changes to our laws on prostitution. The amendment in question has not been thought through in terms of its effects and implications. I have given examples during the preceding Stages that show that this type of proposal could work to the disadvantage of the...

Seanad: Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Bill 2007: Report and Final Stages (11 Mar 2008)

Brendan Smith: I did no such thing. The Senator should not try to misrepresent me or the Government. I am here as the Government representative and am not speaking in a personal capacity at any time. I speak on behalf of the Government. Less representation would be helpful.