Results 3,781-3,800 of 11,744 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Seanad: Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Bill 2022: Report Stage (14 Jun 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: In that circumstance, Senator Seery Kearney's point about the use of the affidavit would be valuable in terms of providing additional information where an applicant felt that the cold records did not provide the full context. There would be the opportunity to provide an affidavit to give that additional context to the chief deciding officer in making a determination of eligibility under the...

Seanad: Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Bill 2022: Report Stage (14 Jun 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Regarding the Senator's initial point about timelines, we know from the history that this institutional relationship was often complex. There will be times when there will have to be some back and forth between an applicant and a chief deciding officer. We have designed the scheme to make it as simple as possible. In the significant majority of cases the scheme will deliver that simplicity...

Seanad: Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Bill 2022: Report Stage (14 Jun 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: We are trying to separate out the women who gave birth in maternity facilities and were there solely for the purpose of the use of those maternity facilities. There were other women who gave birth in maternity facilities who were there because they had been admitted into a county home. We are saying that women in the latter category are entitled to be eligible under the scheme. The scheme...

Seanad: Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Bill 2022: Report Stage (14 Jun 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Senator. I will make one small point. She mentioned a number of times that you cannot talk about X or Y.

Seanad: Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Bill 2022: Report Stage (14 Jun 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Yes. For the record, there is no gagging order attached to this waiver. However, I take the Senator's point. County homes were added to the commission's remit even though the vast majority closed much earlier than mother and baby homes. In many ways they were seen as a successor to county homes. The reason county homes were in the original investigation, and payments sought is because of...

Seanad: Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Bill 2022: Report Stage (14 Jun 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: We could probably go back and forth, so we are probably best off to stop there.

Seanad: Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Bill 2022: Report Stage (14 Jun 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I think Senator Seery Kearney has given a fair estimation of what this scheme does.The Government has never claimed that this scheme provides an answer to every single instance of the mistreatment of pregnant women in our country. It is designed around mother and baby and county home institutions. On Senator Ruane's point, I do not agree that because a county home was on a site, and somebody...

Seanad: Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Bill 2022: Report Stage (14 Jun 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: If a woman went to the Mayo county home, she will be included in this scheme. If a woman gave birth in a hospital located on the same site at any time subsequent to that, and I do not know the geography there, this scheme recognises that in many of these places, a separate maternity service was created, set up, and often availed of by the general public. It is recognising that is not the...

Seanad: Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Bill 2022: Report Stage (14 Jun 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I am not sure if I have anything more constructive to say at this point.

Seanad: Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Bill 2022: Report Stage (14 Jun 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I do not accept that there is a query over the years that are being used in the concluding year. We have undertaken significant work in terms of ascertaining what that is. However, recognising that this is an important question, we have also built into it, as one of the amendments that is part of this suite of amendments, a provision whereby it will be done by secondary legislation....

Seanad: Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Bill 2022: Report Stage (14 Jun 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: It is in terms of its use as a county home.

Seanad: Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Bill 2022: Report Stage (14 Jun 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The amendments in this grouping are all technical amendments to the Bill. Amendment No. 3 provides for a definition of the office of the chief deciding officer in section 2 of the Bill. Amendment No. 9 allows for the Short Title “Office of the Chief Deciding Officer” to be used throughout the Bill rather than the longer title for this office set out in section 7. Amendment...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Schemes (14 Jun 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme is a universal two year preschool programme available to all children within the eligible age range of 2 years and 8 months to 5 years and 6 months. 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. The ECCE age requirements have been set to ensure the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Mother and Baby Homes (14 Jun 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: As noted in my reply of 28 March, the investigation of burial arrangements in Mother and Baby institutions, including Bessborough, was an important part of the work of the independent Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes and certain related matters. The Commission’s Fifth Interim Report noted that, despite extensive inquiries and searches, the Commission was only able...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Data (14 Jun 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: As this relates to Tusla operational matters, the question has been forwarded to Tusla for direct reply to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Policies (14 Jun 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The International Protection Procurement Service (IPPS) is responsible for the procurement of accommodation for use by the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS). Initial offers of accommodation are received by IPPS primarily through its email portal. Once an offer is received, IPPS sends a proposal template to the prospective provider that they are required to...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Referendum Campaigns (14 Jun 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: On 8 March 2023 the Government announced the intention to hold a referendum on gender equality as recommended by the Citizens’ Assembly and the Special Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality. It is envisaged that the referendum will take place in November of this year. My Department has convened an Interdepartmental Committee involving all Government Departments to develop...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Data (14 Jun 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I firmly believe the level of pay for early years educators and school-age childcare practitioners should reflect the value of their work for children, families, society and the economy. The State is not the employer and therefore does not set the pay or conditions for employees in either early learning and care (ELC) or school-age childcare (SAC) services. However, there is now,...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Early Childhood Care and Education (13 Jun 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy. I am acutely aware of the cost-of-living crises that many families face. This is why in last year's budget I was able to get a very significant investment to cut childcare costs for all parents, at an average of 25%. This is why in next year's budget I am looking specifically to extend that out to childminders. The Deputy also raised this issue with regard to the...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Early Childhood Care and Education (13 Jun 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy for the opportunity to answer the question she has raised. A key objective of my Department is to ensure early learning and care provision promotes the participation of all children. To that end, the Department has taken steps to integrate additional supports and services for children and families with additional needs. The access and inclusion model, AIM, which was...