Results 17,981-18,000 of 18,372 for speaker:Brendan Smith

Written Answers — Departmental Correspondence: Departmental Correspondence (6 Nov 2007)

Brendan Smith: I am making arrangements for a reply to the letter in question to be issued in the near future.

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (1 Nov 2007)

Brendan Smith: The main supports the Government makes available to parents to assist them with their childcare costs are Child Benefit and the Early Childcare Supplement. The latter payment, which is in recognition of the higher childcare costs of pre-school children, is the responsibility of my Office, and it alone amounts to expenditure of over €400m in a full year. These payments are universal and...

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (31 Oct 2007)

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 Office 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 (31 Oct 2007)

Brendan Smith: The National Childcare Census which was carried out in 1999/2000 reported that 2,027 paid staff, of which 732 were full time and 1,295 were part time, were employed by community services at that time. A further 1,235 trainee staff were employed in community services under the Community Employment and Jobs Initiative Schemes. To put these figures in context the Census also reported that...

Estimates for Public Services 2007 (31 Oct 2007)

Brendan Smith: People who can afford to pay for places must pay. We must have a tiered payment system. It is our business to ensure that child care is available throughout rural parishes, towns and villages. The equal opportunities childcare programme has been phenomenally successful. The funding available to the Department next year for the child care subvention scheme, as part of the overall national...

Estimates for Public Services 2007 (31 Oct 2007)

Brendan Smith: I welcome that.

Estimates for Public Services 2007 (31 Oct 2007)

Brendan Smith: I have notes of Deputy Reilly's questions so may I respond to them?

Estimates for Public Services 2007 (31 Oct 2007)

Brendan Smith: I will deal with Deputy Ó Caoláin's last question first. I have indicated in Adjournment debates and in discussions with my Oireachtas colleagues that 2 November is not an absolute deadline, but we do not want this matter going on. We want to have the information in as soon as possible because the Department is anxious to analyse the material from different community groups around the...

Estimates for Public Services 2007 (31 Oct 2007)

Brendan Smith: The Ceann Comhairle must be pleased to see that the equal opportunities childcare programme, which he introduced some years ago as Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, has been acclaimed on all sides of the House. I have been in the House many times when people on the Opposition were less fulsome in their praise of that programme. I am glad that they now realise its value and the...

Estimates for Public Services 2007 (31 Oct 2007)

Brendan Smith: Deputy Penrose rightly pointed out the success of the Ballynacargy one. I was there.

Estimates for Public Services 2007 (31 Oct 2007)

Brendan Smith: Yes, the centre did, but unfortunately that is not uniform practice throughout the country. I want to have the data in the office for analysis. We organised regional seminars to ensure that the officials could outline the proposed scheme, saying that we sought the feedback of the practitioners, whether participants, managers or people in representative bodies. We said we wanted the data...

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (25 Oct 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 Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme 2000-2006 (EOCP), which is co-funded under the EU Social Fund (ESF), targeted support...

Hospital Services. (24 Oct 2007)

Brendan Smith: I thank Deputy Perry for raising this important issue. I am taking this matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Harney, who is unavoidably absent.

Hospital Services. (24 Oct 2007)

Brendan Smith: Ministers have Government commitments. I welcome this opportunity to set out the current position on the restructuring of cancer services with particular reference to Sligo General Hospital. The HSE has appointed Professor Tom Keane as national cancer control director to lead and manage the establishment of the national cancer control programme. The delivery of cancer services on a...

Regional Airports. (24 Oct 2007)

Brendan Smith: I thank Deputy Michael D. Higgins for raising this issue. The Minister for Transport, Deputy Noel Dempsey, is unavoidably absent. The EU regulation to which the Deputy refers is of no relevance to the decision of Aer Lingus to discontinue its Shannon to Heathrow service. The regulation in question is Council Regulation (EEC) No. 95/93, as amended, on common rules for the allocation of...

Regional Airports. (24 Oct 2007)

Brendan Smith: The Minister for Transport, Deputy Dempsey, made it clear to the company that the decision ran counter to public policy in several respects, including the national spatial strategy, regional development and aviation policy——

Regional Airports. (24 Oct 2007)

Brendan Smith: While it was recognised that Aer Lingus was not an instrument of Government policy, there was an expectation that it would take these wider policy issues into account in making commercial decisions. The Minister also made the point that Aer Lingus should have engaged more with its customers and wider stakeholders before announcing its decision. The Aer Lingus Chairman informed the Minister...

Regional Airports. (24 Oct 2007)

Brendan Smith: ——particularly in relation to business travellers to the Middle-East, Asia and Australia. The Minister is very committed to ensuring that the mid-west region will continue to have the widest possible range of connectivity options available for the benefit of business and tourism throughout the region.

School Services. (24 Oct 2007)

Brendan Smith: I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue and will convey the contents of his contribution to the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Hanafin, who is unavoidably absent. I wish to clarify the position regarding the provision to schools of interpreters, or funding, to assist deaf parents in communicating with teachers. Schools' running costs are met by the Department's scheme...

Written Answers — Foreign Adoptions: Foreign Adoptions (24 Oct 2007)

Brendan Smith: The Adoption Board entered into an informal working arrangement with Belarus in 1999, to facilitate the adoption of children from Belarus to Ireland. In 2005, the Belarusian Authorities sought to formalise this arrangement in a draft Protocol. The Adoption Board referred this draft Protocol to the Attorney General's Office, and were advised that it was not compatible with Irish law as it...