Results 3,881-3,900 of 11,744 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: International Protection (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I believe that the point about Baggot Street hospital has been addressed on many occasions. Baggot Street Hospital is not fit for human habitation right now. A very major and a very long-term piece of work has to be done in order to make it fit for habitation. That may well happen - I would love to see it happen - but it will not deliver accommodation in the short term. My focus has had...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Youth Services (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: With respect, the budget has not stayed stagnant for many years. When I started it was €61 million and I have raised it to €73 million, which is an 18% increase across that period. That said, we always want to do more and the youth sector is so important in terms of what it provides in the form of both targeted and universal services. As we know, the community and voluntary...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Youth Services (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I met members of the group in question with Deputy Murnane O'Connor and they gave an extremely impressive presentation. As the Deputy knows, I provide €128,000 to the group in terms of current spending through Tusla. We will continue to engage with that particular organisation. In response to Deputy Brady, I absolutely agree that we need to continue to grow the youth budget...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Cost of Living Issues (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 42 and 47 together. I have seen the report referred to by Deputy Smith which highlights the difficulties currently being faced by children and families. There must be a cross-government response to this. My Department has recognised child poverty as a significant issue to be given a focus in the next national policy framework for children and young...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: International Protection (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: When we are accommodating 84,000 people, I do not believe that is an indication of failure. It is an indication of a Government and country stepping up to meet the needs of an exceptional humanitarian crisis. Modular accommodation is a brand-new form of housing. We did not have it before that announcement. No one had ever seen such a unit and none had even been built. We designed it...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Youth Services (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: In respect of grants to youth services, I am not aware of any delays in funding managed by my Department. These grants are distributed in advance to funding intermediaries, in particular the education and training boards and Pobal. I understand that payments are currently on target for the year to date. If the Deputy has specific instances where that is not the case, I would appreciate it...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: International Protection (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank Deputy Brady. Since the beginning of January 2022, more than 145 emergency accommodation locations have been brought into use throughout the country. All offers of accommodation have been considered. The Department is availing of hotels, guesthouses, repurposed office buildings, decommissioned Defence Force barracks and tents to try to address the shortfall it currently faces where...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: International Protection (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: It is important that we do not mix up accommodation for Ukrainians with accommodation for international protection applicants in the context of our understanding of the crisis. We are able to provide accommodation for beneficiaries of the temporary protection directive. We are accommodating more than 64,000 beneficiaries of temporary protection. We accommodating a further 21,000...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Asylum Seekers (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: In the first instance, I condemn any actions designed to intimidate vulnerable international protection applicants, including children, who have fled war and persecution. These actions cause fear and distress for the applicants, but as some of these protests take place outside centres, they result in the intimidation of staff as well. I also condemn the attempts to stigmatise and demonise...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Asylum Seekers (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: In recent weeks and indeed recent days, we have opened a number of new international protection locations across the country, some of which were opened during protests. I recognise the support. We work on the advice of An Garda Síochána. The safety of international protection applicants we are moving to a new site is our priority, and we will take the operational advice of An...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Asylum Seekers (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I disagree with the Deputy slightly. I recognise that, regarding the hundreds of locations for accommodation opened in the country in the past 13 months, there have been instances where my Department and Government could have done better in terms of communication. However, the Deputy must also recognise that a huge amount of work has been done. My Department has provided notification...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Early Childhood Care and Education (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Ensuring high-quality early learning and childcare is accessible and affordable is a key priority for me and there are a number of funding programmes available through my Department that seek to improve capacity. The new core funding scheme, which we were just discussing, has a range of objectives, including capacity growth. Although this scheme has only been in place since last September,...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Early Childhood Care and Education (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: There is a very strong uptake of core funding in counties Cavan and Monaghan. It is 98% in services in Monaghan and 97% in Cavan, which are among the best rates in the country. There are definitely capacity constraints in both of those counties but we do have vacancies in both. I think it is about an 8% vacancy rate in Monaghan and a 12% vacancy rate in Cavan. However, in particular areas...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Early Childhood Care and Education (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Deputy is right in saying we need increased capacity. The building blocks grant will be very important. In July we hope to put out a call for applications for services to be able to apply for extensions or financial support to build new services with a view that that would be called down in 2024. There is real pressure on staff within the childcare system at the moment. One of the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Childcare Services (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: More than 4,200 partner services currently participate in core funding, which represents 95% of all services in the State. These services must operate in line with the core funding partner service funding agreement. With regard to fees, partner services must uphold their contractual obligations with regard to fee management, as laid out in this agreement. In the first year - we are still...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Childcare Services (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: If the Deputy does not mind, I will not get too involved in the specific instance she has raised, because I do not know if it is in a fee-review process through Pobal. It may well be and may be one of the cases. I do not know. However, there are processes whereby parents can flag issues and there are significant consequences for the service, such as the withdrawal of the funding agreement,...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Childcare Services (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Deputy is absolutely right to praise childcare professionals. I was delighted to secure, for the first time, a pay agreement for them in September 2022 where 73% of childcare professionals saw a salary increase. The issue here is that our State has historically not invested in this sector. When I entered office, investment in childcare was €638 million per year. This year, it...

Seanad: Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Chair. I wish Senators a good afternoon. I thank Senator Black for her amendments. As a starting point, I absolutely agree on the urgency, and the urgency for many of the survivors and former residents. Without labouring the point, we also have an urgency to pass this legislation. If we do not get it passed by the end of this term, and if we do not get it completed in this...

Seanad: Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I signal to the Seanad that I may bring forward amendments to this section on Report Stage to ensure that where it would assist the administration of the scheme, the chief deciding officer will have a lawful basis to enter into data-sharing arrangements with information sources. My officials are examining all the data protection provisions in the Bill in the context of ongoing work in...

Seanad: Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I appreciate the Senator's clarification regarding who makes the call on whether amendments are in or out of order. As the amendments in this grouping have been ruled out of order, I do not want to get into a debate on their provisions, but I draw the Senator's attention to the existing definition under section 2(2), which provides that a person who "was born in, or admitted as a resident...