Results 17,941-17,960 of 18,372 for speaker:Brendan Smith

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (14 Nov 2007)

Brendan Smith: As the Deputy will be 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 Office of the Minister for Children (OMC). Under the EOCP, capital grants up to €50,790 were made available to private childcare providers, up to a maximum of 65% of...

Seanad: Community Child Care Subvention Scheme 2008-2010: Statements (Resumed) (14 Nov 2007)

Brendan Smith: The Department's officials at every seminar they attended insisted we wanted all the data possible. In the past, as the scheme grew we had only generalised data available, whereas now we want specific data to ensure we have the profile of the beneficiaries who use the service. I am very glad to report to the Seanad, as I did to Dáil Éireann last night, that we indicated to all groups that...

Seanad: Community Child Care Subvention Scheme 2008-2010: Statements (Resumed) (14 Nov 2007)

Brendan Smith: I obviously did not miss too much earlier, when I was not here if that was the type of contribution. I just want to thank all the people who contributed.

Seanad: Community Child Care Subvention Scheme 2008-2010: Statements (Resumed) (14 Nov 2007)

Brendan Smith: I apologise to Members for not being able to be here for the earlier debate as I had to attend a Cabinet sub-committee meeting. I understood that this debate was to be finalised yesterday. I apologise for my absence. Senator Keaveney made valid points, as she has done since August, in regard to this scheme. As I outlined to the House last week, the scheme was announced in July. It was...

Seanad: Community Child Care Subvention Scheme 2008-2010: Statements (Resumed) (14 Nov 2007)

Brendan Smith: I am well able to listen to people. When I was here last week the only person who I recall mentioning the word "equality" in regard to the provision of child care was Senator Mary White on this side of the House. Other speakers pontificated about what they saw as deficiencies in the scheme, but nobody made the point that as the scheme is being operated in some places, the most needy...

Seanad: Community Child Care Subvention Scheme 2008-2010: Statements (Resumed) (14 Nov 2007)

Brendan Smith: The tiered fee structure was a condition of the grant approval at all times.

Seanad: Community Child Care Subvention Scheme 2008-2010: Statements (Resumed) (14 Nov 2007)

Brendan Smith: I remind Members that there was no child care sector in this country until recent years. We built a child care sector a number of years ago that is providing good child care throughout the country. In the decade up to 2010, €1.1 billion will have been spent by Government, mainly through Exchequer funding and some of it supported through European Union sources. We will have invested...

Seanad: Community Child Care Subvention Scheme 2008-2010: Statements (Resumed) (14 Nov 2007)

Brendan Smith: We will ensure in Government that we protect and build on that investment and we will continue the major programme of investment that was undertaken under the equal opportunities child care programme and that will now be continued with greater momentum under the national child care investment programme.

Seanad: Community Child Care Subvention Scheme 2008-2010: Statements (Resumed) (14 Nov 2007)

Brendan Smith: It is always useful in the House for Members to listen to the facts.

Seanad: Community Child Care Subvention Scheme 2008-2010: Statements (Resumed) (14 Nov 2007)

Brendan Smith: I have been in Leinster House for a number of years and I have listened to Opposition parties and people who belong to other political groups——

Seanad: Community Child Care Subvention Scheme 2008-2010: Statements (Resumed) (14 Nov 2007)

Brendan Smith: ——run down consistently the equal opportunities child care programme. When I moved a Supplementary Estimate for the Department of Health and Children, particularly for the Office of the Minister for Children, in the Dáil two weeks ago, I was delighted that every member of the Fine Gael, Labour and Sinn Féin parties who spoke about that scheme was fulsome in his or her praise of it. I...

Seanad: Community Child Care Subvention Scheme 2008-2010: Statements (Resumed) (14 Nov 2007)

Brendan Smith: In that Dáil debate when I was securing extra money for the Office of the Minister for Children towards the early child care supplement and towards the national children investment programme, the Fine Gael and Labour parties voted against that Supplementary Estimate.

Seanad: Community Child Care Subvention Scheme 2008-2010: Statements (Resumed) (14 Nov 2007)

Brendan Smith: That summed up their commitment to this sector.

Seanad: Community Child Care Subvention Scheme 2008-2010: Statements (Resumed) (14 Nov 2007)

Brendan Smith: I have much I wish to say——

Seanad: Community Child Care Subvention Scheme 2008-2010: Statements (Resumed) (14 Nov 2007)

Brendan Smith: ——but, unfortunately, I am losing out on the time I have available.

Seanad: Community Child Care Subvention Scheme 2008-2010: Statements (Resumed) (14 Nov 2007)

Brendan Smith: I want to comment on a number of points that were well made by Senator Keaveney. She outlined cogently the value and great contribution that the community child care sector has done throughout the country, with which we are all familiar. Senators Keaveney, Wilson and I, who all come from rural communities, appreciate it is not always possible for a facility in a remote rural area to have...

Seanad: Community Child Care Subvention Scheme 2008-2010: Statements (Resumed) (14 Nov 2007)

Brendan Smith: I am glad we have created almost 40,000 new child care places under the EOCP and we have the target of creating a further 50,000 places under the national child care investment programme. We will ensure that we will deliver those figures. I also re-emphasise that from the outset when we announced the scheme in July, we stated that there would be a 12 months' transition period that the new...

Seanad: Community Child Care Subvention Scheme 2008-2010: Statements (Resumed) (14 Nov 2007)

Brendan Smith: That is not wrong. It is absolutely correct. There was a campaign by some people to tell groups throughout the country that the questionnaires and forms should not be returned to the Department.

Leaders' Questions (14 Nov 2007)

Brendan Smith: The Government is to blame for the rain now.

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (13 Nov 2007)

Brendan Smith: As the Deputy will be 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 Office of the Minister for Children. The Group in question applied for interim support funding under the NCIP and were declined in September 2007 as their application had...