Results 501-520 of 11,700 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Child Protection (24 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy. I do not have the details with me, so I will come back to her in writing on that point. It is very fair. It is important that we understand the position. My Department is highly focused on the implementation of key legislation like this. I have seen that where there is a little bit of political will behind something, we can move the ratification of an optional...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Early Childhood Care and Education (24 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The improvements to pay are absolutely crucial and we agree on recruitment and retention. We will not attract the young women and men who graduate from early learning and care degrees around the country, both level seven and eight degrees, into this sector if they do not see a long term future for themselves. That is why when I first introduced core funding, I linked it to rates of pay....

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Early Childhood Care and Education (24 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Significant steps have been taken over the last four years on improving pay but we absolutely need to go further. I would love to see a process initiated where we start to look at how we align the pay of early years professionals with the pay of other educators across our society. That will be expensive and we have to recognise that. It is really good value for the State because I see the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Childcare Services (24 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: When a child cannot be in the care of their own family and when a child has to come into the care of the State, the very next best place for a child is in the care of another family. That is why foster carers are so important and that is why I have worked to stabilise and grow the number of foster carers we have. In 2014, we had 4,210 foster carers and this year, the most recent data shows...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Childcare Services (24 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I have found that for people departing, age is one of the major criteria. People who have fostered all their lives and are now in their mid-70s and simply are not in a position to do it anymore. That is a crucial reason. Our biggest problem is recruitment. A lot of people who come into the foster care system as foster carers are care experienced themselves and know the benefit of what...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Mother and Baby Homes (24 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The mother and baby institutions payment scheme opened for applications in March this year. As of 21 October, almost 5,300 applications have been received. Nearly 3,900 notices of determination have issued to applicants, more than 82% of which contain an offer of benefits under the scheme. Applicants have six months to consider their offer before they need to respond. While my...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Mother and Baby Homes (24 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy very much. The review must be completed by mid-2026. That will give a span of time through which the scheme has been operating. There will also be a stronger sense then of the level of uptake of the scheme. We were expecting a surge of applications at the start, in the way we had seen with the birth information and tracing legislation, but it is now clear that the level...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Mother and Baby Homes (24 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The scheme that was legislated for in this regard provides redress in the form of financial payments and enhanced medical cards for former residents of mother and baby homes and county home institutions. That was the definition and basis upon which eligibility for this scheme was decided. It was a response to the commission of investigation into mother and baby homes and county home...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Early Childhood Care and Education (24 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: We all recognise the hugely important work done by early learning and care staff and school-age childcare staff. We also recognise that the pay they receive does not meet the hugely important work that they undertake. It was my objective as Minister in the past four years to do more so that their pay would meet their requirements and recognise the hugely important role they play in...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (24 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Government's Comprehensive Accommodation Strategy (CAS) for people seeking International Protection (IP) aims to address the current serious shortfall in accommodation for people seeking international protection and to build a more sustainable system for the longer term. This is now being implemented. Accommodation in the new strategy is being delivered through the use of State land for...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (24 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The National Childcare Scheme (NCS) provides financial supports to parents to help reduce the cost of early learning and childcare. The Scheme has undergone a number of enhancements in recent years to further improve affordability for parents. These include the extension of the Universal subsidy to all children under 15 and two increases to the minimum hourly subsidy, which is now worth...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (24 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: In September 2024, my Department commenced the roll-out of Equal Start, a major model of supports to ensure children experiencing disadvantage can access and meaningfully participate in early learning and childcare. Equal Start includes a suite of universal supports, child-targeted supports, and setting-targeted supports to ensure every child and every early learning and childcare setting...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (24 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The proposed development of the site at Lissywollen, Athlone for the accommodation of International Protection Applicants is an urgent and important project, part of an overall Government strategy to provide accommodation for people applying for international protection. We are working to engage with local groups and representatives about this development, with a view to keeping people...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Mother and Baby Homes (24 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 18 and 24 together. As of 21 October, almost 5,300 applications have been received, of which over 4,700 are completed applications which can be processed. In the case of incomplete applications, applicants are being supported by the Payment Scheme Office in order to provide outstanding information so that their application can move forward. This could be, for...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (24 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Improving access to quality and affordable early learning and childcare is a key priority of Government. This year, I established a Supply Management Unit within the Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare Division of my Department. A key part of the Supply Management Unit’s remit is to develop capacity for monitoring, analysing and forecasting of supply and demand in the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (24 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Improving access to quality and affordable early learning and childcare is a key priority of Government. My Department employs a range of approaches to identify and address shortages of early learning and childcare places in certain areas, bearing in mind the wide range of types of early learning and childcare provision offered by services and required by families. This year, I...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Equality Issues (24 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The introduction of a new equality ground, based on disadvantaged socioeconomic status, was considered as part of my Department's wider review of the Equal Status Acts 2000 and the Employment Equality Acts 1998 (the Equality Acts). This followed a Programme for Government commitment to examine the introduction of such a ground. It is intended that legislative proposals arising from the review...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Equality Issues (24 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: In line with the commitments in the National LGBTI+ Inclusion Strategy, my Department continues to support LGBTI+ organisations and initiatives through the annual LGBTI+ Community Services Fund Call. The call provides for initiatives that will promote inclusion, protect rights and improve quality of life and well-being for members of the LGBTI+ community, both local and regional, enabling...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (24 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Core Funding Partner Services’ fees are currently frozen at levels set by individual providers on or before 30 September 2021. While Core Funding represents a significant increase in income for services, and allows for the introduction of the fee management system, there is a notable difference in fees charged across the sector, and I recognise that some services may be operating...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (24 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection In relation to contracts for temporary emergency accommodation for Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs), my Department aims to ensure that our portfolio of accommodation meets the evolving needs of the State’s response to the Ukraine Crisis. In recent months we have seen decreases in arrivals from Ukraine to Ireland, decreases in...