Results 601-620 of 11,700 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Children in Care (22 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: As Minister a priority of mine has been to improve foster care services and improve and expand the suite of supports available to foster carers. In 2022, Tusla published the Strategic Plan for Foster Care Services for Children and Young People 2022 – 2025. My Department engaged with Tusla regarding this plan which forms part of Tusla’s overall Alternative Care Strategy...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Ukraine War (22 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Since the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine in February 2022, my Department continues to work as part of the whole-of-Government response with a focus on providing access to emergency temporary accommodation to those fleeing the conflict who request it, in line with Government policy. This supports Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) to make longer term independent arrangements if...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (22 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 639 and 640 together. A Local Authority Integration Team (LAIT) has now been established in each Local Authority. The teams work directly with International Protection Applicants, Those with Status, Programme Refugees and Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection with the overarching aim to empower individuals to ultimately live independently in the community....

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (22 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: As the State does not employ staff in ELC and SAC services, neither I nor the Department can set wage levels or determine working conditions for staff in the sector. However, there is now, through the independent Joint Labour Committee (JLC) process, a formal mechanism established by which employer and employee representatives can negotiate terms and conditions of employment including minimum...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (22 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy for this question. A response will be provided directly to the Deputy in the coming days.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Correspondence (22 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: As this relates to information held by Tusla, the question has been forwarded to Tusla for the attention of the relevant area, and for direct reply to the Deputy. The consent of the official in the Department of Social Protection to engage direct with Tusla on this matter has also been noted, and the official's contact details have been shared accordingly with Tusla. The issue raised...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Properties (22 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: In March 2024 Government approved a new Comprehensive Accommodation Strategy (CAS) for International Protection applicants. The strategy seeks to address the current accommodation shortfall, while reforming the system over the longer term to ensure the State will always be able to meet its international commitments. Accommodation in the new strategy will be delivered through the following...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Capital Expenditure Programme (22 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I am responding in the context of the Family Resource Centre Programme, whose core funding falls under the remit of my Department and is administered by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. In relation to capital funding, I wish to inform the Deputy that neither my Department nor Tusla have capital funding to develop the capital infrastructure of Family Resource Centres, including delivering...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (22 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Work is currently underway to develop a successor to the Migrant Integration Strategy, which concluded in 2021. This new national strategy will build on the momentum of its predecessor and address ongoing and emerging needs in supporting and promoting migrant integration in Ireland. The strategy will serve as the Government’s primary policy framework for supporting the integration of...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (22 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Reform of the early learning and childcare sector has been a major focus of this Government. The Programme for Government committed to reforming the system to create one that brings together the best of community and private provision and the development of a new funding model for affordable, accessible, sustainable and high quality early learning and childcare. The framework for...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Reviews (22 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: First 5 - A Whole-of-Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families 2019-2028 commits to "undertaking a review of the ECCE programme and, subject to findings, consider the need to make changes. Over the lifetime of the strategy, introduce a universal legal entitlement to preschool." The Review of the ECCE Programme has been finalised and I am pleased to note that the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (22 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Government is committed to supporting all those seeking international protection in Ireland, and to continuing to provide shelter and support to people fleeing the war in Ukraine. Ireland currently provides accommodation to 32,600 people applying for international protection and has welcomed over 109,000 people from Ukraine since 2022. International protection There are over 32,600...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (22 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: 415 beds will be provided for people seeking refuge in Ireland who are international protection applicants in Benbulben Court in Sligo. The contract with this centre has been signed for a period of two years. The accommodation will be for families of international protection applicants. Emergency centres providing international protection accommodation have been opened in all parts of...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (22 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 659 to 662, inclusive, together. The Deputy has separately requested a breakdown of the full-year cost of increasing the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) subsidy to €2.50/hour, €3.00/hour, €3.20/hour and €3.50/hour. Due to the similarity of these PQs it is proposed that they be taken together. There are two types of subsidies...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (22 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 663 to 666, inclusive, together. The Deputy has separately requested a breakdown the full-year cost of increasing ECCE capitation by 10%, 15%, 20% and 25%. Due to the similarity of these PQs it is proposed that they should be taken together. My Department funds private ELC service providers to provide the ECCE programme at a standard rate of €69...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (22 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The introduction of Core Funding in September 2022 brought a significant increase in investment for the sector. In 2022 Core Funding had an outturn of €80.4 million. Core Funding was introduced in September 2022. This includes the two weeks of Interim Funding which was paid to the sector. This Interim funding was introduced to support providers to transition from the EWSS to the new...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (22 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Reform of the early learning and childcare sector has been a major focus of this Government. The Programme for Government committed to reforming the system to create one that brings together the best of community and private provision and the development of a new funding model for affordable, accessible, sustainable and high quality early learning and childcare. The framework for reform...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (22 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The main route through which parents are subsidised for their early learning and childcare costs is the National Childcare Scheme. The Childcare Support Act 2018, which provides a statutory basis for the National Childcare Scheme, specifies that only Tusla-registered providers are eligible to participate in the Scheme. The limitation of public funding schemes to Tusla-registered childcare...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (22 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 670 and 671 together. The Access and Inclusion model is designed to support children in ECCE. From September 2024 it has also been expanded to support ECCE aged children in early learning and childcare outside of AIM. The goal of the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) is to empower Early Learning and Care (ELC) providers to deliver an inclusive preschool...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (22 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: First 5 - A Whole-of-Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families 2019-2028 commits to "undertaking a review of the ECCE programme and, subject to findings, consider the need to make changes. Over the lifetime of the strategy, introduce a universal legal entitlement to preschool." The first state of this commitment has been met. An independent review of the ECCE...