Results 8,781-8,800 of 11,754 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Early Childhood Care and Education (7 Oct 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The National Action Plan for Childminding 2021-2028 (NAPC) sets out a phased, incremental approach to extending supports and regulation to all non-relative childminders, including enabling childminders to take part in the National Childcare Scheme. The NAPC is a key priority for my Department, and I am keen to move as quickly as possible with implementation. However, the NAPC will...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Direct Provision System (7 Oct 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I am pleased to confirm the Government’s intention that the accommodation centres operated by the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS), which is part of my Department, will be independently monitored by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) for compliance with the National Standards for accommodation offered to people in the protection process. These...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Youth Services (7 Oct 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: Young people have been severely affected by the restrictions to protect public health during this pandemic. This has been borne out by multiple research reports including “How's Your Head?”, a national consultation commissioned by my Department. This research has informed the Government response across the pandemic. In recognition of the vital role played by youth work in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Early Childhood Care and Education (7 Oct 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Programme for Government commits to establishing a dedicated agency, Childcare Ireland, “to assist in expanding high quality early learning and childcare, best practice and innovation, and professional development in community and private settings, along with developing career paths for early learning and childcare staff, and for expansion of the early years curriculum,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Early Childhood Care and Education (7 Oct 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department currently invests €638 million in early learning and childcare, with affordability for parents a key objective of this investment. The major programmes funded by my Department that contribute to affordability include the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme and the National Childcare Scheme (NCS). The ECCE Programme provides free access to early learning...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Childcare Services (7 Oct 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 123 and 159 together. I acknowledge that many early learning and childcare services are reporting staffing and recruitment difficulties, with increased pressures as a result of Covid-19. My Department is actively monitoring the issue and has sought data and evidence-based proposals from sectoral representatives. The primary data source for the sector is the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Funding (7 Oct 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The response to domestic, sexual and gender-based violence (DSGBV) is a cross departmental and multi-agency issue. Policy is coordinated by the Department of Justice. Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, has statutory responsibility under the Child and Family Agency Act 2013for the care and protection of victims of DSGBV. My Department is working with key stakeholders across Government,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (7 Oct 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I maintain a close interest in the Bessborough site, and I will continue to engage with survivors and the local authorities in terms of protecting this site. I know from my engagement with survivors that respectful treatment of burial grounds is an issue of huge sensitivity. The grounds of the former mother and baby institution at Bessborough extended originally to around 200 acres. In...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Medical Cards (7 Oct 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Deputy will be aware that, as part of its response to the Final Report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes (and Certain Related Matters), the Government committed to establishing a Restorative Recognition Scheme for survivors of Mother and Baby and County Home Institutions. The Scheme will include a financial payment and a form of enhanced medical card. An...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Early Childhood Care and Education (7 Oct 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: Capital investment in early learning and childcare will be delivered through the National Development Plan (NDP) during 2021-2030. Investment under the NDP will consist of three pillars : Modernisation, New Capacity and First 5 Initiatives. This will enable significant capital investment in early learning and childcare during the lifetime of the NDP as follows: (1) Modernisation: Much of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Reviews (7 Oct 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 128 and 135 together. I am aware of the Adoptee Voices report published by Aitheantas in July this year, and have given careful consideration to this report, in the context of wider engagement with adoption stakeholders. I have also met with Aitheantas a number of times during 2020 and 2021 as part of my engagement with adoption stakeholders. With regard...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: International Protection (7 Oct 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: Earlier this year, I published A White Paper to End Direct Provision and to Establish a New International Protection Support Service.As outlined in the Programme for Government, the recommendations of the Advisory Group on the Provision of Support including Accommodation to Persons in the International Protection Process, which was chaired by Dr Catherine Day, fed directly into the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (7 Oct 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Deputy will be aware that, as part of its response to the Final Report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes (and Certain Related Matters), the Government committed to establishing a Restorative Recognition Scheme for survivors of Mother and Baby and County Home Institutions. This Scheme will include a financial payment and a form of enhanced medical card. An...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (7 Oct 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: In order to assist the processing of subject access requests from individuals seeking personal information from the archive and to vindicate the rights of data subjects, my Department has put in place a multi-disciplinary team which includes legal and data protection expertise. Officials in my Department who process SARs from individuals completed data protection training delivered by...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Direct Provision System (7 Oct 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: Earlier this year I published A White Paper to End Direct Provision and to Establish a New International Protection Support Service. The new system has a particular focus on the needs of children who come to Ireland with their families or as unaccompanied minors. All staff working with applicants will undertake the ‘Children First’ e-Learning programme. The White Paper commits...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Childcare Services (7 Oct 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The 12 month review of the National Childcare Scheme, as required under Section 26 of the Childcare Support Act 2018, commenced at the end of March 2021. It is an independent assessment of the implementation and impacts of NCS during its first year of operation and will provide key data and information to support the future development of the NCS. The report is in the final stages of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (7 Oct 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Deputy will be aware that, as part of its response to the Final Report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes (and Certain Related Matters), the Government committed to establishing a Restorative Recognition Scheme for survivors of Mother and Baby and County Home Institutions. This Scheme will include a financial payment and a form of enhanced medical card. An...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Policies (7 Oct 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures – The National Policy Framework for Children and Young People, 2014-2020 concluded at the end of 2020. My Department’s Research and Evaluation Unit is preparing a review of the BOBF Indicator Set between 2014 and 2020, the lifespan of the policy framework. A final Annual Report for 2020 is due for publication by the year end. The research and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Special Educational Needs (7 Oct 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: Specialist supports provided by my Department for children with additional needs in early learning and childcare services operate through the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM). AIM is a programme of supports designed to ensure that children with disabilities can access and meaningfully participate in the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) universal pre-school programme. AIM provides...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Childcare Services (7 Oct 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 139 and 148 together. I am conscious of the need for significant improvement in pay and conditions of employment for early learning and childcare professionals. The level of pay they receive does not reflect the value of the work they do for children, families and the wider society and economy. The State, however, is not the employer and therefore cannot...