Results 3,561-3,580 of 11,908 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (26 Sep 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: If any family is experiencing challenges in accessing a place or supports for their child in an early learning and care service, the family's best route is to contact their local city or county childcare committee (CCC) funded by my Department. CCCs are available to support parents and children at a local level. Contact information for the relevant CCC is available atwww.myccc.ie. Pobal on...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Mother and Baby Homes (26 Sep 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: It is not possible to to provide an update in respect of a person's potential eligibility for the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme in advance of the Scheme being open for applications. Opening the Scheme as soon as possible is a priority for me and my Department. I would encourage any person who thinks they may be eligible for the Scheme to make an application when the Scheme is...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Expenditure (26 Sep 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: As the Deputy will appreciate, my Department has faced significant challenges in 2023 particularly in the areas of international protection and the humanitarian response to the Ukraine crisis. My officials have been working closely with the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform and reporting to Government throughout the year in relation to the monitoring of...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child Protection (26 Sep 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: In March 2022, I published the report of Professor Conor O’Mahony, the Special Rapporteur on Child Protection on Proposals for a State Response to Illegal Birth Registration in Ireland. The report's recommendations included a recommendation (recommendation 16) regarding a payment towards legal costs associated with, for example, a declaration of parentage. Following receipt of...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (26 Sep 2023)

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 in early learning and childcare across three pillars: 1. Building Blocks - Improvement Grant; 2. Building Blocks - Capacity Grant; and 3. Building Blocks - Innovation Grant. ...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Data (26 Sep 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy for his question. Please see below table detailing a break-down of the family units seeking international protection, by local authority area and by household size, excluding those with leave to remain. I trust this information clarifies the matter. Local Authority Sum of Units of 1 Parent 1 child Sum of Units of 1 Parent 2 children Sum...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (26 Sep 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Funding provided by my Department for early learning and care (ELC) and school-age childcare (SAC) services is the same for both Irish-medium and English-medium services. My colleague the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media provides additional supports for naíonraí in the Gaeltacht through her Department and its agencies. With regards to funding the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Regulatory and Poverty Impact Assessments (26 Sep 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department is currently collating the information requested and a reply will issue directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (26 Sep 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Thank you Deputy for your correspondence regarding the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme. The ECCE programme is available to all children within the eligible age range. A child must have reached 2 years and 8 months of age on or prior to 31 August of the relevant programme year to be eligible for the 1st September start date. There is no underage exception for ECCE...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (26 Sep 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Core Funding is a payment to Partner Services designed to support quality, sustainability, and enhanced public management, with associated conditions in relation to fee control and cost transparency, incorporating funding for administration and to support improved pay and working conditions of staff and to support the employment of graduate staff. The State is not the employer within the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (26 Sep 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Together for Better, the new funding model, is about getting the most out of the three Early Learning and Childcare programmes, ECCE including AIM, NCS and Core Funding, working together and ensuring stability and sustainability in the sector. Together for Better is already delivering substantial benefits for children, parents, staff and providers and I am very proud of the significant...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Reports (26 Sep 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I recognise the enormous impact that pregnancy loss has on expectant parents, and I wish to extend my sympathies to all parents who have suffered such a loss. Work to examine the needs of bereaved working parents coping with pregnancy loss is being advanced at present. My Department has commissioned a qualitative research study to examine the workplace experiences of parents coping with...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Family Resource Centres (26 Sep 2023)

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 (FRCs). Where possible I make it a point to engage with Family Resource Centres, they play a pivotal role for so many communities across the country providing a comprehensive range of services tailored to individual community needs. Their...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Bodies (21 Sep 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department engaged with each of the public bodies under its aegis and I can confirm a nil return in respect of the National Disability Authority, the Adoption Authority of Ireland, Oberstown Children Detention Campus and the recently established Office of the Director of Authorised Intervention, Tuam. I can advise that the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) and the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Schemes (21 Sep 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: From February 2023, 350 expectant parents from the Rotunda Hospital Dublin and 150 parents from Waterford University Hospital were offered an opportunity to participate in the First 5 Little Baby Bundle pilot project. 329 expectant parents from the Rotunda hospital and 149 parents from Waterford applied to participate. Included in this number is 8 sets of twins who have each received a...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Constitutional Amendments (21 Sep 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: On 8 March 2023, the Taoiseach and I announced that a referendum will be held to amend the Constitution as recommended by the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality and the Special Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality. An Inter-Departmental Group (IDG), involving all Government Departments and chaired by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth,...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (21 Sep 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The number of international protection applicants (IPAs) and Ukrainian Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) arriving in Ireland is expected to remain at elevated levels for the foreseeable future. Access to suitable accommodation is severely constrained. The Department is continuing to avail of offers of accommodation made to it, that meet the standards in our offer proposal...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (20 Sep 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy. I welcome the fact that this service will reopen under new management. It was concerning news for parents when the initial closure was announced, so it is really positive to see it will reopen. The fact we are able to have services reopen and indeed the fact service closures are so low at the moment is due to the additional State funding we have introduced through core...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (20 Sep 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy. We held the early years forum yesterday where we had people from groups representing childcare providers, childcare professionals and many others working in the sector. It was a really positive meeting. We discussed core funding, the scale of the investment the Government has added and the changes we made in year 2. The Deputy is right that one size does not fit all....