Results 3,921-3,940 of 11,744 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Unaccompanied Minors and Separated Children (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Statutory and operational responsibility for the delivery of child protection and welfare services is a matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. The Deputy is seeking information in relation to an operational matter for Tusla. Consequently, I have referred the matter to Tusla, and requested that a direct response be provided to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: As at 24 May the Department has been unable to offer accommodation to 217international protection applicants (IPAs). Since 24 January, a total of 1063people who were previously unaccommodated have subsequently been offered accommodation All IPAs who cannot be accommodated by the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) are registered at the International Protection Office (IPO),...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Homeless Persons Supports (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The primary responsibility for housing and managing homelessness lies with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the local authorities. This area of work requires a whole-of-Government approach, with a multitude of key stakeholders playing a vital role in addressing the fundamental issues arising in addressing homelessness. Tusla provides family support and...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Schemes (30 May 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 mums from the Rotunda hospital and 148 mums from Waterford applied to participate. Included in this number is 8 sets of twins who will each receive a bundle....

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I am aware of the challenges a service can face when there is an unexpectant lose of premises. While decisions about the day-to-day running of services, including the choice of location, contracts, leases for premises and any decision to close, ultimately lie with the provider, my Department can provide support through the City and County Childcare Committees (CCC) in such a scenario. In...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I acknowledge that many early learning and care (ELC) and school-age childcare (SAC) services report staffing difficulties in relation to recruitment and retention. In general, staffing pressures in the sector are caused not by insufficient supply of qualified personnel, but by high levels of staff turnover. However, providers of ELC and SAC are private businesses. As the State does not...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Human Trafficking (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: As the Deputy is aware, statutory and operational responsibility for the delivery of child protection and welfare services is a matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. A 'separated child' is someone under 18 years of age who is outside their country of origin and separated from both parents or their previous legal / customary primary caregiver, but may arrive with other relatives or...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Direct Provision System (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Since publishing A White Paper to End Direct Provision and to establish a New International Protection Support Service, my Department has placed a significant focus and drive on delivering these reforms. As will be appreciated the war in Ukraine has had an unavoidable impact on the timelines and deliverables for the White Paper. Alongside this, there has been a substantial increase in the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Department has received a number of offers of ‘floating accommodation’ in recent times. The consideration of such proposals comes in the wake of an unprecedented accommodation crisis. Following detailed investigation and analysis of its use, and in consultation with various stakeholders including the Maritime Unit in the Department of Transport and various Port...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Capital Expenditure Programme (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Some €69 million was allocated to the Early Learning and Childcare sector in the revised National Development Plan (NDP) allocation. 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. The €9 million...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department is now accommodating approximately 84,000 persons between those fleeing the war in Ukraine (BOTPs) and those seeking international protection (IPAs). While efforts are made to notify public representatives and State agencies in advance of utilising a building for accommodation of IPAs, the emergency nature of the response required means that advance communications are not...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The availability of high-quality early learning and childcare is a key Government priority. The Department monitors early learning and childcare capacity on an ongoing basis, with a particular focus on responding to the unmet early learning and childcare needs of families. The annual data captured by Pobal on behalf of my Department - through the Early Years Sector Profile Survey - is one...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: On 29th March 2022, Government accepted the findings of the independent Review of the Early Learning and Childcare Operating Model in Ireland that a dedicated state agency is the optimal operating model for the early learning and childcare sector for the years ahead. It is envisaged that this dedicated national agency will undertake the functions currently carried out by Pobal Early...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Payment details for IPAS accommodation centres are deemed confidential and commercially sensitive. It would not serve the public interest to divulge payment rates to contractors for services as it could prejudice the Department's negotiating position to deliver value for money for the taxpayer with respect to other accommodation providers and locations.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Since the beginning of 2022, Ireland and many other European countries are experiencing a significant increase of new arrivals seeking international protection (IP). As at 21 May The State is accommodating 20,645 international protection applicants (IPAs), compared with 5,928 IPA's accommodated in 2018. In the first twenty weeks of 2023, there has been 3,638 arrivals seeking accommodation...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child Detention Centres (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Under the Children Act 2001, and in line with Ireland's obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the detention of children should be regarded as a last resort. In recent years, developments in youth justice, including considerable investment in alternatives to detention as well as diversion programmes, have seen the numbers of children detained significantly reduce from...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Youth Services (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: While the social and economic challenges facing young people today require cross Government responses and cannot be addressed by one Department alone, an important development will be the publication of the next national policy framework for children and young people, which is expected to be published in the coming months. This new framework will cover the period 2023-2028. Last year, the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Affordable, accessible, high-quality and sustainable early learning and childcare is a key priority for Government. In September 2022, I launched Together for Better, the new funding model for early learning and childcare. This new funding model will support delivery of ELC and SAC for the public good, for quality and affordability for children, parents and families. Together for Better...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: In September 2022, I launched Together for Better, the new funding model for early learning and childcare. This new funding model supports the delivery of early learning and childcare for the public good, for quality and affordability for children, parents and families as well as stability and sustainability for providers. Together for Better brings together three major programmes, the Early...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) are currently utilising six locations in the County Clare region. They are: Clare Lodge Hostel in Ennis, King Thomond Hotel Lisdoonvarna, Knockalisheen accommodation centre, Unit 1 Quin Road Business Park Ennis, Kiltanon Court in Tulla and Magowna House in Inch. There are a total of 614 international protection applicants (IPAs)...