Results 18,041-18,060 of 18,372 for speaker:Brendan Smith

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (9 Oct 2007)

Brendan Smith: I propose to take Questions Nos. 226 and 227 together. Under the Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme 2000-2006 (EOCP), which is co-funded under the EU Social Fund (ESF), targeted support was provided through the staffing support grant scheme whereby community based not-for-profit childcare providers with a strong focus on disadvantage were awarded grant aid towards their staffing costs to...

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (9 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. In relation to the Group in question, an interim staffing grant application under the NCIP was recently declined by the Secretary General as...

Written Answers — Child Care Service: Child Care Service (9 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 2006-10 (NCIP), which are being implemented by the Office of the Minister for Children. The EOCP has both an equal opportunities and a social inclusion focus and aimed to increase the supply of centre based childcare places by 55...

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (9 Oct 2007)

Brendan Smith: My Office have sought an urgent report in relation to this matter from the Health Service Executive (HSE). In addition, the Deputy's question has been forwarded to the HSE and I have requested that the HSE reply to the Deputy directly.

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (9 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. With regard to the application for capital grant assistance under the National Childcare Investment Programme 2006-2010 referred to in the...

Seanad: Rail Network (4 Oct 2007)

Brendan Smith: I will respond on behalf of the Minister for Transport and the Marine, Deputy Dempsey, who is unavoidably absent. Metro north is a core part of the investment strategy set out in Transport 21 to provide a modern, high quality and high capacity public transport system to address the transport needs of the greater Dublin area. It is a critical project not only in meeting existing transport...

Seanad: Cancer Screening Programme (4 Oct 2007)

Brendan Smith: I thank Senator Fitzgerald for raising this important issue. I will reply on behalf of the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney, who is unavoidably absent. To address unacceptable delays in processing smear tests, from January this year, the Health Service Executive outsourced the processing of more than 35,000 smear tests to a fully accredited United States laboratory. Quest...

Seanad: Parking Regulations (4 Oct 2007)

Brendan Smith: I thank Senator Hannigan for raising this issue. I am replying on behalf of the Minister for Transport, Deputy Noel Dempsey, who is unavoidably absent. The provision and management of car parks is a day-to-day operational matter for Iarnród Éireann. I can see no value in introducing a new layer of regulation providing for ministerial control in this area. New facilities are being provided...

Seanad: Parking Regulations (4 Oct 2007)

Brendan Smith: From reading the script, I understand that the provision and management of car parks is a day-to-day operational matter for Iarnród Éireann. Surely Iarnród Éireann, which has the remit of maximising the usage of public transport, should not put a deterrent in the way of customers coming to access its service.

Seanad: Parking Regulations (4 Oct 2007)

Brendan Smith: I hope the business concepts will gel and meet together and that maximum use will be made of the public transport facility which has been provided at great cost by taxpayers. There has been a major upgrade of the rail system in recent years. I understand it is a day-to-day matter for Iarnród Éireann. We all want to reduce the layers of bureaucracy and administration rather than adding to...

Tackling Crime: Statements (Resumed) (3 Oct 2007)

Brendan Smith: He is a valuable Member of this House.

Written Answers — Foreign Adoptions: Foreign Adoptions (2 Oct 2007)

Brendan Smith: Intercountry adoption is regulated by the Adoption Acts 1952 — 1998. The Acts which are most relevant to intercountry adoption are the Adoption Act 1991 and the Adoption Act, 1998. There are a number of statutory procedures regulating intercountry adoption. For example, for an adoption to be recognised in Ireland, all prospective adoptive parents habitually resident in Ireland must be...

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (2 Oct 2007)

Brendan Smith: Under the Health Act 2004, the provision of health and personal social services is the responsibility the Health Service Executive. Therefore, the Deputy's question has been forwarded to the HSE and I have requested that they reply to the Deputy directly.

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (2 Oct 2007)

Brendan Smith: Pre-school services are subject to statutory regulation and inspection in accordance with Part VII of the Child Care Act 1991. The Child Care (Pre-School Services) Regulations 1996 and (Amendment) Regulations 1997, which were introduced to give effect to this provision, were replaced with effect from 3 September 2007 by the revised and improved Child Care (Pre-School Services) (No. 2)...

Child Care Services. (2 Oct 2007)

Brendan Smith: I thank the Deputies for raising this important matter. The main supports the Government makes available to parents to assist them with their child care costs are child benefit and the early child care supplement. The latter payment recognises the higher child care costs of pre-school children, is the responsibility of my office and alone amounts to expenditure of over €400 million in a...

Rural Transport Services. (2 Oct 2007)

Brendan Smith: I thank Deputy Ó Caoláin for raising this important issue, to which I will respond on behalf of the Minister for Transport and the Marine, Deputy Dempsey, due to his unavoidable absence. The programme for Government restates the commitment to rural transport that underpins the Department of Transport and the Marine's rural transport programme, RTP, which was launched last February. The...

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (27 Sep 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 — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (26 Sep 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 has been approved a total of €391,367 in staffing grant assistance under the EOCP, including €174,500 for the...

Written Answers — Asylum Support Services: Asylum Support Services (26 Sep 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 — Asylum Support Services: Asylum Support Services (26 Sep 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.