Results 4,681-4,700 of 11,744 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Direct Provision System (1 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department, with the support of my colleagues in Government, are moving to create new responsive structures and put in place new funding channels to recognise the impact of new arrivals on communities around the country. Earlier this month my Department launched The Communities Integration Fund (CIF) for 2023 where €500,000 will be made available to local community-based projects...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Mother and Baby Homes (28 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank Senator Boyhan for giving me an opportunity to speak about the Institutional Burials Act and the preparations under way for an intervention under the legislation at the site of the former mother and baby institution in Tuam, County Galway. The Institutional Burials Act 2022, which came into operation on 15 July 2022, provides the underlying legislative basis for an intervention...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Mother and Baby Homes (28 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: It is important to say that we are setting up a separate agency that will undertake the work specifically at Tuam, and important that it is at a clear remove from Government. Obviously, it will be funded through my Vote but the director will take decisions independently. In order to support the director so it does not just become an entirely bureaucratic process, we have this advisory...

Seanad: Remuneration Information and Pay Transparency Bill 2023: Second Stage (Resumed) (28 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank Senators Ardagh and Crowe for bringing forward this Private Members’ Bill, which the Government will not be opposing today, thus allowing it to go on to Committee Stage. We all agree discrimination at any stage in employment is unacceptable, and the proposed amendments brought forward here today both to the Employment Equality Act 1998 and of the Gender Pay Gap Information Act...

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Civil Law Act 2022 (Section 4 (2)) (Scheme Termination Date) Order 2023: Motion (28 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the members of the committee and appreciate them making time to let me move and discuss this motion today. The proposal I am bringing forward for the committee's consideration is an order to extend the termination date of the financial contribution scheme for hosts of beneficiaries of temporary protection, BOTPs, from Ukraine, known as the accommodation recognition payment, ARP. The...

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Civil Law Act 2022 (Section 4 (2)) (Scheme Termination Date) Order 2023: Motion (28 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Deputy is absolutely right about the hosts and the significant personal sacrifices many households are making, particularly where a house is being shared, to ensure Ukrainians are welcome. It is important to say the origins of the 13,000 people who are being accommodated come through a variety of paths. Some come through the Red Cross pledge process and some come through the...

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Civil Law Act 2022 (Section 4 (2)) (Scheme Termination Date) Order 2023: Motion (28 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: My understanding is local authority tenants can avail of this scheme and it will not result in a breach of their tenancy agreements. I think they have perhaps to notify the landlord or local authority that the arrangement is taking place, but once that has been done, they are able to provide the necessary accommodation and avail of the scheme.

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Civil Law Act 2022 (Section 4 (2)) (Scheme Termination Date) Order 2023: Motion (28 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: In the situation of a HAP tenancy, there would be a requirement to engage with the landlord and to notify the local authority as well. We designed the scheme in response to an emergency situation and have asked for flexibility in the approach, especially from local authorities.

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Civil Law Act 2022 (Section 4 (2)) (Scheme Termination Date) Order 2023: Motion (28 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy. The scorecard from the Children's Rights Alliance clearly indicates the real challenges we have faced in this area in the past year. The landscape has entirely changed from what it was in late 2021, for example, when we undertook the serious and still challenging task of ending direct provision by the end of 2024. We were dealing with accommodating and meeting the...

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Civil Law Act 2022 (Section 4 (2)) (Scheme Termination Date) Order 2023: Motion (28 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: A Government decision would be needed on whether the agency is the direction we go. If so, it will take some time. It is not something that can be brought about today or tomorrow, nor should it be. However, I believe that is the direction Government policy should go. It does not necessarily have to be this Government but whatever Government is in place could do it. Policy should be to...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (28 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Deputy, the number of children currently in International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) accommodation currently stands at 4,139 as of 19 February 2023.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child Abuse (28 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I wish to advise the Deputy that neither this Department nor Tusla, the Child and Family agency has had sight of the Independent report by Dr. Shannon. St John Ambulance continues to complete its due diligence process. However, the organisation has stated that it intends notifying the victims/survivors of the report prior to its publication and to meet with the victims/ survivors to outline...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (28 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Decisions on who is eligible to engage with homeless services are matters for the Minister for Housing. As the Deputy will be aware, the response to the ongoing migration crisis has entered an extremely difficult phase; with no apparent accommodation for international protection applicants (IPAs) at scale available into the short term to medium term. The overflow facility at the Citywest...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (28 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: As the Deputy will be aware, my Department is responsible for the provision of accommodation to persons in the International Protection process. All matters and obligations relating to the Labour Permission Access should be directed to Department of Justice.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child Abuse (28 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I wish to advise the Deputy that I wrote to St John Ambulance to seek information about the publication of the report on 12th December 2022. St John Ambulance replied on 23rd December and confirmed that they had received a completed report from Dr Shannon. The Commissioner of St John Ambulance stated that the organisation was committed to publishing the full report immediately after the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Emergency Accommodation (28 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department has engaged over 700 properties to provide accommodation for Ukrainian Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection. In line with the Department’s commitment to substantially clear the backlog at the end of 2022, I temporarily re-assigned staff from other parts of the Department in December, doubling the size of the payments unit. The enlarged team approved more than 100...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Emergency Accommodation (28 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Deputy, the number of people currently accommodated in Citywest convention centre is 730. There are currently no children under the age of eighteen years accommodated in the Citywest convention centre. The total number of children currently in International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) accommodation stands at 4,139 as of 19 February 2023.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Community Development Projects (28 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) is a model of supports designed to ensure that children with disabilities can access the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme. Its goal is to empower Early Learning and Care (ELC) providers to deliver an inclusive preschool experience, ensuring that every eligible child can meaningfully participate in the ECCE programme and reap the benefits...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (28 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Tulsa’s National Area Based Childhood (ABC) Programme is an area-based Prevention and Early Intervention initiative which is delivered in twelve areas of significant socio-economic disadvantage across the country through the Prevention Partnership and Family Support Programme within Tusla. Through prevention and early intervention approaches, the ABC programme works in partnership...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Data (28 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 442 and 443 together. As previously advised, I wrote to St John Ambulance to seek information about the publication of the report on 12th December 2022. St John Ambulance replied on 23rd December and confirmed that they had received a completed report from Dr Shannon. The Commissioner of St John Ambulance stated that the organisation was committed to...