Results 2,121-2,140 of 11,700 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Child and Family Agency (29 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The care and welfare of children in care is a priority for the Government. I and my Department were very much aware of the issues the Deputy has raised and these continue to be the subject of focused and continuous engagement between my Department and Tusla at every level. As we know, Tusla is facing significant and ongoing challenges in sourcing appropriate placements for children in...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Child and Family Agency (29 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Deputy is absolutely right about the importance of moving away from private sector reliance, which is significant. I made the investment in Tusla this year in order that it can grow its own stock of residential placements. We are also looking at supporting the community and voluntary sector. I met its representatives in January and discussed what the sector can do to provide additional...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Child and Family Agency (29 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Deputy asked quite a few questions. In terms of engagement with the sector, I have met representatives of the Irish Foster Care Association, IFCA, the representative body for foster carers, and also of Movement for Change, which is a new representative body, several times and discussed the increase in funding. I met both of those organisation after the budget as well. In terms of...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (29 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Every effort has been made to carefully design Core Funding to achieve high levels of participation by providers. 95% of providers participated in year 1 of the scheme and to date, 94% or over 4,300 providers have signed up for Core Funding Year 2, with applications still open. 98% of all not for profit services and 93% of all for profit services have signed up. There are more...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Youth Work Supports (29 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I was very pleased to secure an additional €1 million in the Budget to support the Targeted Youth Employability Support Initiative, or TYESI, in 2024. The aim of this important scheme is to engage and support harder to reach young people, aged from 15 to 24, who are not in employment, education, or training. The focused interventions are intended to provide community-based...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Asylum Seekers (29 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department is currently accommodating over 100,000 people between those fleeing Ukraine and International Protection (IP) applicants. This includes over 75,000 Ukrainian people who have sought accommodation from the State and over 27,000 IP applicants currently in International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) accommodation. As at 27 February, 1,480 adult males have presented...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Mother and Baby Homes (29 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 92, 110 and 128 together. The Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme will open for applications on 20 March. A dedicated webpage is now live at www.gov.ie/paymentscheme, which contains information on how people will be able to apply to the Payment Scheme, and what information applicants will need. Once the Scheme opens, the Payment Scheme Office will...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Family Resource Centres (29 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: As the Deputy will be aware, the Child and Family Agency, Tusla administers the Family Resource Centre programme, funding 121 Family Resource Centres (FRC). Where possible I make it a point to engage with FRC, they play a pivotal role for so many communities across the country providing a comprehensive range of services tailored to individual community needs. My Department allocates core...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (29 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I am advised that a Department official attempted to make contact by phone with the Deputy unsuccessfully on Monday 19 February. The official followed up via email directly the same day, to which the Deputy responded providing additional information necessary to pursue the inquiry within the Department. Following several email exchanges, I am further advised that a Department official...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (29 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Significant progress has been made in advancing plans for a dedicated state agency for early learning childcare. It is envisaged that this dedicated agency will undertake the functions currently carried out by Pobal Early Years (including Better Start), the 30 City/County Childcare Committees (CCC), as well as operational functions currently undertaken by my Department. My Department...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Youth Services (29 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Budget 2024 allocation for youth services is €77.95 million, an increase of 26% in youth service funding since 20220. This funding includes the following schemes which support the establishment of additional youth services: the Youth Service Grant Scheme (YSGS) provides funding to a range of national and regional universal youth services. The YSGS is being expanded in 2024 to...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child and Family Agency (29 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Section 3 of the Child Care Act 1991 places a statutory responsibility on Tusla to promote the welfare of children who are not receiving adequate care and protection. Tusla carry out assessments on the information received regarding children and young people to determine any risk and assess the child and family’s situation, and provides appropriate social work intervention and family...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Health Strategies (29 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: This is a matter for my cabinet colleague the Minister for Health.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (29 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Some €69 million has been allocated over the period 2023-2025 to the early learning and childcare sector under the revised National Development Plan (NDP). This will enable significant capital investment across three pillars: Building Blocks - Improvement Grant; Building Blocks - Capacity Grant; and Building Blocks - Innovation Grant €9 million was set aside in 2023 under...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Emergency Accommodation (29 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department is currently accommodating over 100,000 people between those fleeing Ukraine and International Protection (IP) applicants. This includes over 75,000 Ukrainian people who have sought accommodation from the State and 27,000 IP applicants currently in International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) accommodation. IPAS continues to require additional accommodation to meet...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Health Strategies (29 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: This is a matter for my cabinet colleague the Minister for Health.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Flexible Work Practices (29 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023 was enacted on 4 April 2023, and introduces important entitlements for workers, including leave for medical care purposes for parents of children under 12. The Act also includes provisions to transpose Article 9 of the EU Work Life Balance Directive and provide for a right to request flexible working for parents and carers....

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (29 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Public investment in Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare rose from €345 million in 2016, to €1.108 billion in 2024. Investment as a percentage of modified GNI (based on the most recently available modified GNI figures, 2022) increased from 0.20% in 2016 to 0.26% in 2022. For illustrative purposes investment as a percentage of modified GNI (using 2022 figures) is...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (29 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Ensuring high-quality early learning and childcare is affordable and accessible to all children and, in particular, children from vulnerable backgrounds, is a key priority for Government. My Department funds 30 City/County Childcare Committees (CCCs), which provide support and assist families and early learning and childcare providers with early learning, and childcare matters. My...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Youth Services (29 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I recognise the need for improved data in respect of the distribution of youth work services across the State and this is an area of priority for my officials. A mapping process is currently underway which aims to capture all youth services, both youth worker led and volunteer led. The first stage of the mapping project is to map the 260 projects funded through the UBU scheme which...