Results 4,381-4,400 of 11,744 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (30 Mar 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 has a range of objectives that includes capacity growth. Though this scheme is only in place since 15 September 2022, initial analysis shows that there...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: The Youth Work Act 2001 defines youth work in terms of it being a planned programme of education designed for the purpose of aiding and enhancing the personal and social development of young persons through their voluntary participation. My Department provides grant funding to support a range of youth services which are delivered by youth organisations and carried out by both paid youth...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 27 and 30 together. 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. Implementation of the White Paper began with the appointment of dedicated staff – a ‘Transition Team’...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: The National Review Panel (NRP) for the investigation of serious incidents including the deaths of children in care and known to the child protection service was set up in 2010 as part of the Implementation Plan associated with the Report of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse (2009) (Ryan Report) to review deaths and serious incidents of children in care. I can confirm that 23 deaths...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Mother and Baby Homes (30 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Consultation with survivors and relative groups was an important part of development of the Institutional Burials Act 2022. After taking Office I visited the site of the former Mother and Baby institution in Tuam, Co. Galway, and met with survivors and relatives of those who died while resident there. I carefully considered the issues raised by them in the development of the Act, which...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: Deputy, I can confirm that there are no delays in payment to International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) providers who provide accommodation to international protection applicants/asylum seekers. My Department has no information to suggest that any provider is removing the provision of their accommodation due to a failure to enure prompt payment. In relation to payments to...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department provides some €73 million in current funding to support a range of youth services and opportunities which are delivered by youth organisations and carried out by both paid youth workers and volunteers. My Department has no role in the setting of pay scales or other matters that belong properly to the individual employer. The youth workers involved are employed directly by...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Birth Certificates (30 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Birth Information and Tracing Act was signed into law on 30 June 2022, all services established under the Act are open to applications since 03 October. As of Monday 27 March a total of 7,526 applications for information have been received by he Child and Family Agency, Tusla and the Adoption Authority of Ireland (AAI), with over half of that total being received within two weeks of...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: The Children First Act 2015, which was fully commenced in December 2017, provides for a number of key child protection measures, including raising awareness of child abuse and neglect, providing for mandated reporting of child protection concerns and improving child protection arrangements in organisations providing services to children. The Act places specific obligations on particular...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department successfully secured €70 million under the revised National Development Plan allocation for the Building Blocks Capital Programme. The Building Blocks Capital Programme includes three Pillars: - An Improvement Grant to improve energy efficiency standards, while also supporting the continuous improvement of the physical environment of services. The closing date for this...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Family Resource Centres (30 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, administers the Family Resource Centre (FRC) Programme which provides funding support to 121 FRCs across the country. My Department allocates core funding for the FRC Programme and, since 2019, an additional €1.5m has been provided in funding, which has meant that yearly funding has amounted to €18m for this programme rising to over...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (30 Mar 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, the new funding model comprised of the Early...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: The National Action Plan for Childminding 2021-2028 commits to develop new, childminder-specific, regulations that are proportionate and appropriate to the home environment and the family setting in which childminders work. This is a necessary step in enabling non-relative childminders to register with Tusla and take part in the National Childcare Scheme, thus allowing parents who use...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: The National Action Plan for Childminding 2021-2028 commits to extending regulation and supports to paid, non-relative childminders who work in their own homes over the coming years. The National Action Plan sets out a phased approach with a preparatory phase followed by an extended transition phase, to allow childminders a lead-in time for any requirements. This supportive, phased transition...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child and Family Agency (30 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Children who are with their families in emergency homeless accommodation are in the care of their parents or guardians, who have the primary responsibility for their protection. Homelessness as part of a family group is not, of itself, a basis for making a report to Tusla. Some children who are homeless as part of a family group may be referred to Tusla due to other child protection or...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Human Trafficking (30 Mar 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 International Protection Office, An Garda Síochána or the Border Management Unit contact Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, when separated children seeking international protection or unaccompanied minors arrive at an Irish port,...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department successfully secured €70 million under the revised National Development Plan (NDP) allocation for the Building Blocks Capital Programme, designed to meet current and long-term Early Learning and Childcare infrastructure needs. The Building Blocks Capital Programme includes three Pillars: - An Improvement Grant to improve energy efficiency standards, while also supporting...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Children in Care (30 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: As of the end of 2022 approximately 89% of children in care were being cared for by foster carers. While this record compares favorably internationally, I am aware that there is an ongoing difficulty in maintaining the number of foster carers in Ireland in line with demand for these placements. I am aware that while the overall number of children in care has decreased by 621, or by 9.7%...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: At the end of February 2023, there were 5,060 people with status (PWS) living in accommodation provided by the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS). International Protection applicants (IPAs) who have been granted an international protection status or a permission to remain have the same access to housing supports and services as Irish and EEA nationals. There are a...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (30 Mar 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,...