Results 861-880 of 11,700 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (26 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Significant progress has been made in advancing plans for a dedicated state agency for early learning childcare and school age childcare. It is envisaged that this agency will undertake the functions carried out by Pobal Early Years (including Better Start), the 30 City/County Childcare Committees, as well as operational functions currently undertaken by DCEDIY. A Programme Oversight...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Children in Care (26 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Foster care is the preferred model of care for children who cannot live with their families of origin. In recognition of the importance of foster care in contributing to improved outcomes for children in care, it was a priority of mine to secure a meaningful increase to the foster care allowance in Budget 2024 in order to support the vital role being carried out by foster carers. As...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Children in Care (26 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Back-to-School Clothing and Footwear Allowance (BSCFA), which is provided for by the Department of Social Protection, is a means-tested once-off payment aimed at helping families with the extra costs of clothing and footwear when children start school. As outlined in Budget 2024, from 1st January 2024 the rates of the foster care allowance increased to €350 per week for...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Children in Care (26 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, is required under the Child and Family Agency Act (2013) to support and promote the welfare and protection of children; to support and encourage the effective functioning of families; and to provide services relating to the psychological welfare of children and their families (excluding the provision of specialist mental health services for children). ...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Family Resource Centres (26 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I wish to inform the Deputy that Tusla, the Child and Family Agency administers the Family Resource Centre (FRC) Programme, which supports 121 FRCs throughout the country. My Department allocates core funding for the FRC Programme through Tusla, which has advised my Department that the current level of funding is to sustain existing services operating in the FRC Programme. The Deputy...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (26 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Improving access to quality and affordable early learning and childcare is a key priority of Government. Data available to my Department demonstrate that, overall, early learning and childcare provision is expanding, specifically: Data from the Early Years Sector Profile Survey shows that, between 2021/22 and 2022/23, the estimated number of enrolments in services rose by 8% from 197,210...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (25 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Deputy made the political point that this has been happening for 27 years. This Government has been here for four years so I do not think he can say it is a legacy of this Government.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (25 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: However, his point is valid in terms of the public health and environmental health impact. It is also no doubt placing a limitation on the ability to undertake new developments in the area because of the lack of wastewater infrastructure. Uisce Éireann has spent €1.5 billion annually on wastewater infrastructure. I do not know why the project the Deputy referred to has not been...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (25 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy for raising this with me. I am not going to give the rote reply on how many ASD classes are in the area. ASD classes are great but we know there are some students who need the extra supports of a special school. I have been involved with the formation of one in my own area, Danu Community Special School, and it is doing absolutely amazing work. What I will say is, I...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (25 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank Deputy Carthy. As someone who worked in adult education at the start of my own career, I understand its value. I do not know the reason why those employees in the Cavan-Monaghan ETB have not been given the full level of hours but I will raise it directly with the relevant line Minister because I know how important those courses are and how much adult education means to so many...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (25 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy. I do not agree with his initial contention. The Government has prioritised the reform of the planning process through the new planning Bill, which I hope will be a planning Act in the coming weeks. It will address many of the overlapping complexities that exist in our planning law. To be very frank with the Deputy, I am not familiar with the specific case he has...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (25 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy for highlighting this important issue and drawing attention to the very real implications of the pressure placed by some of the funds on households, where bills often mount and where there is a genuine sense of struggle. The point the Deputy made on what the funds are and are not licensed to do is important. I am happy to feed that back to the line Minister responsible...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (25 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy. We had a useful discussion on the wider roads budget with Deputy Healy-Rae earlier. My understanding of what Deputy O'Connor is referring to is that it relates to the issue of TII dealing with its own budget. It has been given a budget and that has not been cut. TII has the same budget it had at the start of the year and it has to make decisions on supporting some of...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (25 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: -----some of the money that was unspent has gone back to support the smaller road programmes. Ultimately, TII has a budget that it has to manage, like all the rest of us across government.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (25 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy. I am aware of the changes that have taken place on the northern line and their impacts on commuters. My understanding is that these are on foot of a change that we all want to see as positive, that being to ensure an hourly Enterprise service between Belfast and Dublin. That is something we all agree on, but a measure like that should not be taken at the expense of...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (25 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank Deputy Barry. I am aware of this issue. There is nothing more frustrating than the ghost bus or service that goes past because it is full. In my own area, Dublin Bus took measures in the last two years to increase recruitment, which is a major challenge for public transport operators all over the country. Dublin Bus has been able to increase recruitment by 10%. I strongly support...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (25 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank Deputy Shanahan. I had the opportunity to meet with the chamber of commerce and its new chief executive when I was in Waterford. We discussed a range of issues in respect of the enhanced level of infrastructure in Waterford. We talked about the university. I was glad to see the veterinary school that we discussed has now been awarded. I absolutely understand that clarity on the...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (25 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: As the Deputy is aware, as part of our emergency response to both the needs of Ukrainians and international protection applicants, we have opened accommodation all over the country. Many times this accommodation is welcomed by the local communities. Sometimes, there are questions and tensions. That is why is I set up a community engagement team within my Department. The community...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (25 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: At a broad level, the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, and I, like all Ministers across government, are acutely aware of the need of the State to support people with a disability who wish to engage in employment. 1 o’clock That will be a central pillar of the new national disability strategy. I am aware that the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Humphreys, has carried...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (25 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I absolutely hear the Deputy's valid concerns about the risks here, particularly in respect of those two pipes, the structural integrity of one and the risks there, as identified by the EPA. I am happy to bring those concerns forward. I think the investment Irish Water has undertaken nationally and the investment it will be able to undertake with additional capital funding will allow the...