Results 7,021-7,040 of 11,754 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2022: Committee and Remaining Stages (25 May 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I accept that all amendments have been tabled with good intent and I am responding to them as such. I was not in the previous Dáil. My understanding was there was no reference to party-type rights in the original draft. The Deputy tabled an amendment similar to what she is proposing here. What we have done now is proactively recognise that the issue of party-type rights had been left...

Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2022: Committee and Remaining Stages (25 May 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank Deputy Funchion for these two amendments. I will speak to both amendments because they are linked. I thank Deputy Sherlock for his contribution. I am not in a position to support these two amendments. I hope I can clarify why that is. In terms of the amendment No. 1, my concern is that the use of the word "represent" could be interpreted as active representation. This would...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Residential Institutions (25 May 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I am committed to advancing the legislation that is required to facilitate an intervention at site of the former Mother Baby institution in Tuam, Co. Galway, and am conscious of the need to start excavations there at the earliest opportunity. The Institutional Burials Bill, which was published in February 2022, seeks to ensure that the remains of those who died in residential...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Schemes (25 May 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 138 and 147 together. The amount allocated in 2020, 2021 and 2022 on the targeted youth funding scheme; and the amount of this allocation that was drawn down for 2020 and 2021 is provided in the table below. Targeted Youth Funding Scheme 2020 2021 2022 Allocation €17,898,844 ...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Schemes (25 May 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 139 and 144 together. Pobal administers funding on behalf of my Department to 30 national youth organisations for a number of funded youth schemes. The funding drawn down reflects the funding provided to Pobal for the administration of these schemes. I have provided the amount allocated in 2020, 2021 and 2022 to national youth organisations; the organisations...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Schemes (25 May 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: The amount allocated in 2020, 2021 and 2022 on the local youth club grant scheme; and the amount of this allocation that was drawn down for 2020 and 2021 is provided in the table below. Local Youth Club Grant Scheme 2020 2021 2022 Allocation €2,107,754 €2,254,664 €2,500,000 Draw down ...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Funding (25 May 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: The amount allocated in 2020, 2021 and 2022 to youth information centres; and the amount of this allocation that was drawn down for 2020 and 2021 is provided in the table below. Youth Information Centres 2020 2021 2022 Allocation €1,347,492 €1,354,047 €1,391,399 Draw down ...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Funding (25 May 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department does not allocate a budget amount to Tusla in respect of youth counselling specifically. As the matter raised by the Deputy is an operational matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, I have referred the question to Tusla for direct response to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Funding (25 May 2022)

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 for the years 2020, 2021 and 2022, this has amounted to approximately €18m annually. As budgeting and drawdown of funding for the FRC Programme is an operational...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Funding (25 May 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: The amount allocated in 2020 and 2021 to youth capital projects; and the amount of the allocation that was drawn down for 2020 and 2021 is provided in the table below. Allocations have not yet been made under the Youth Capital scheme in 2022. An application process is currently underway.  Youth Capital 2020 2021 2022 Allocation ...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Funding (25 May 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: During the period of Covid-19 restrictions, the youth funding provided by my Department to youth work organisations was maintained fully. An additional €5 million was allocated in Budget 2021 and Budget 2022 to bring the annual youth funding, including capital allocations, to €73 million. Specific Covid-19 related funding was also made available. A...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Parental Leave (25 May 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: As you are aware, provision has been made in Budget 2022 to increase the number of weeks of Parent’s Leave and Benefit available to eligible parents from five weeks to seven weeks from July 2022. This will be introduced by way of Regulation as provided for under the Parent's Leave and Benefit Act 2019 (as amended). It has been decided that the additional two weeks' leave and...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (25 May 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: During 2021, my Department successfully secured €70m in the revised National Development Plan (NDP) allocation. This will enable significant capital investment in early learning and childcare during 2023-2025. Investment under the NDP will consist of three pillars:  (1) Modernisation, (2) New Capacity and (2) First 5 Initiatives. It is proposed that the €70m...

Seanad: Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (24 May 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: We had a lengthy debate on this matter the last day. I spoke in detail about my concerns regarding amendments Nos. 23 and 24 and the rigidity they would build into the legislation by creating a definition of personal data rather than using one that develops according to the European Convention on Human Rights, ECHR. I also made known my concerns about amendments Nos. 103, 124 and 125. I do...

Seanad: Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (24 May 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I am. We have been very clear about the GDPR rights that are restricted. They are set out clearly within the legislation, with the minimal possible restriction that is allowed, and Article 15 is not listed among them so I am confident that the SARs can continue to operate without impingement.

Seanad: Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (24 May 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: As the Senator knows, under article 15 the data controller makes an individualised decision. I cannot speak to individualised decisions but I can speak to the fact that there is no provision within this legislation to place limitation on article 15. Article 15 is not one of the GDPR articles that is listed as being limited by this Bill. My understanding is, and it is the intent of the...

Seanad: Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (24 May 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I cannot accept these amendments, which seek to add to the list of secondary information sources provided for in the legislation, primarily because they do not define what they are intended to cover with the clarity and specificity required in the legislation. I will draw attention to the secondary information sources currently included in the Bill, which are: the Minister for Children,...

Seanad: Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (24 May 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: The impression could be given here that religious orders involved in the provision of adoption are not somehow covered. It is important to be absolutely clear here. A registered adoption society and an accredited body are both covered, so any religious institution or organisation that is either an accredited body or a registered adoption society is fully covered by this legislation. I...

Seanad: Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (24 May 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: During the discussions on this, including some of the informal consultations my officials and I did, this issue was raised. At the time, we in the Department said we were confident that all institutions that we know to have been involved in adoptions, touching on the issue of illegal birth registrations, were subject to regulation or inspection by a public body and, as such, would be covered...

Seanad: Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (24 May 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank Senators for their contributions. What we are discussing here gets fundamentally to the centre of what this legislation is trying to achieve, which is that for the very first time in Irish history, adopted people, people who were boarded out and people who were subject to an illegal birth registration would have an automatic right to their full birth, early life care, medical...