Results 17,801-17,820 of 18,496 for speaker:Brendan Smith

Seanad: Voluntary Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2007 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (9 Apr 2008)

Brendan Smith: I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach and all the Members of the House for facilitating me by deferring the debate by half an hour earlier this afternoon. I thank Senator Fitzgerald for her positive contribution to the debate this afternoon. Senators Fitzgerald and Prendergast contributed to the discussion on the Bill previously in this House. I thank all the Members for their co-operation.

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (8 Apr 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, with €358 million of this in capital grant aid for child-care services. I understand that the Group in question has applied for €1.112 million in capital funding through their local County Child-care Committee. The...

Written Answers — Child Abuse: Child Abuse (8 Apr 2008)

Brendan Smith: I have been in touch with the Health Service Executive. I have asked it to expedite the provision of the information requested by the Deputy. As regards the provision of monthly information, the Deputy will be aware that under section 31 of the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive must prepare and submit to the Minister its National Service Plan (NSP) including amongst other...

Written Answers — Regeneration Programme: Regeneration Programme (8 Apr 2008)

Brendan Smith: My Department currently is examining the education elements of the Vision Statements of the Limerick Southside and Northside Regeneration Agencies, launched in January of this year, with a view to supporting the regeneration strategy set out in the Fitzgerald report to Cabinet. In this regard the Department's Mid-Western Regional Office is working very closely with the Agencies and with the...

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...