Results 9,221-9,240 of 11,754 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (6 Jul 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I agree with the Deputy in terms of the bravery of the 500 individuals who appeared before the confidential committee to give their personal accounts of their experiences in these institutions. I have always said that that chapter and the extracts from their stories have had a huge impact on me, but I am aware that they are just extracts. I know from my engagement with survivors that they...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (6 Jul 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I am absolutely committed to providing a comprehensive redress scheme. When the parameters of the interdepartmental group were being established, the Government made clear that we would not be bound solely by the recommendations contained with the commission's report. That is an important step. It allows us-----

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (6 Jul 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: It allows us to go past the commission's report and to publish a scheme of redress that is comprehensive. I have always said it should recognise the time spent within these institutions, across both the mother and baby institutions and the county institutions. That is what the Government has committed to do and that is what we will deliver. I accept that we are a little behind in terms of...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Early Childhood Care and Education (6 Jul 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy. Officials in my Department closely monitor developments in relation to early learning and childcare capacity, including the supply of and demand for places. Before the onset of Covid-19, data gathered through the annual early years sector profile survey revealed that the sector was running at near capacity, with evidence of undersupply for certain cohorts, including...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Guardian Status (6 Jul 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: Some of these matters fall within the remit of the Department of Health. The drafting of a Bill on assisted human reproduction and associated research was based on the published general scheme of the assisted human reproduction Bill, which was published in the previous Dáil. Work on the Bill, including drafting, is ongoing by officials in the Department of Health. There is a...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Guardian Status (6 Jul 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: This issue extends across a number of Departments. The three Ministers are working together and meeting regularly, which is important. We hope to meet again in the near future to continue our discussions. We are getting support from the Attorney General on the issue. I have met some of the groups and there is an alliance formed in this particular area. It is important that provision is...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Schemes (6 Jul 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I have discussed this matter with the Deputy on a number of occasions. As she is probably aware, I recently contracted Frontier Economics to undertake a review of the national childcare scheme in line with section 26 of the Childcare Support Act. In conducting that review, I asked the company to give consideration to a complaint made against the NCS, as we discussed during oral questions...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Schemes (6 Jul 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: Yes. I specifically asked for this issue to be included in the review. Although I am confident the NCS is designed in a way to lessen disadvantage, I am also cognisant, having listened to the Deputy and having met childcare providers, especially from areas of geographic disadvantage, that they have raised concerns, which I want to address. As the Deputy knows, I have done a number of...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Guardian Status (6 Jul 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The issue of guardianship is a matter for the courts in the first instance, under the Guardianship of Infants Act 1964. However, I have a continuing interest in ensuring that the legal and practical arrangements for the welfare of children are well-founded and appropriately applied at all times. As Minister in this Department, I have no formal or defined role in the determination of cases...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Data Protection (6 Jul 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I would like to thank the Deputy for his concerns about the safety and welfare of Tusla's service users, particularly children and young people, following the recent cyber attack on HSE and Tusla systems. The safety and welfare of children and young people has always been Tusla's highest priority. Early in the pandemic, Tusla identified three core services to be prioritised: Child...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (6 Jul 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The grounds of the former mother and baby institution at Bessborough extended originally to around 200 acres. In its Fifth Interim Report, the Commission of Investigation noted that 'About 100 acres were sold in 1973 for the building of the N25 and for social housing. The Commission understands that there are about 60 acres of ground around the building now.' It is my understanding that...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Emergency Accommodation (6 Jul 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue and am aware she has engaged with my office on this issue on many occasions. I know the Deputy is deeply committed to establishing an emergency domestic violence refuge in the Cavan-Monaghan area. Some supports for victims are available through the services of Tearmann including outreach services in Counties Cavan and Monaghan. However, women...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Direct Provision System (6 Jul 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Programme for Government commits to ending the system of Direct Provision. We have pledged to replace it with a new International Protection Support Service (IPSS), which will be centred on a not-for profit approach. As part of this process, I published A White Paper to end Direct Provision and to Establish a new International Protection Support Serviceon 26 February 2021. We have begun...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Schemes (6 Jul 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: Administrative data on schemes is collected by Pobal, on behalf of my Department. Owing to the nature of the system, scheme-level data on school-age childcare is not captured as a discrete category. However, scheme-level data is available by the age of children. The data I am giving today relates to children aged six years and over. However, since children under the age of six may be in...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child and Family Agency (6 Jul 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy for his question as it affords me the opportunity to comment on how Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, has carried out its essential work throughout this unprecedented period in our history. Tusla has continued to provide essential services to children and families throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. Tusla's focus has been on ensuring continuity of critical supports to...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: State Bodies (6 Jul 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 Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Disability Services (6 Jul 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Programme for Government, along with the Mid-Term Review of the NDIS, commits to establishing a UNCRPD Implementation Plan. This Plan will coordinate and monitor progress on implementing the UNCRPD across Government departments. DCEDIY will play a lead role in coordinating the Implementation Plan with individual Departments also having responsibility for drafting their own individual...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Direct Provision System (6 Jul 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 65, 377, 378, 388, 389 and 408 together. I am aware of a report in the Irish Examiner on 29 June 2021 which provides the details of four persons alleged to have been accommodated by the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) of my Department. Firstly, it is important to point out that it is an offence under Section 26 of the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Traveller Community (6 Jul 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department has ongoing engagement with Travellers and their representative organisations. The Traveller and Roma Policy Unit of my Department engage with Traveller and Roma groups on a continuous basis with regard to projects funded and developments under the National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy (NTRIS). The NTRIS Steering Committee which I Chair, meets every quarter and...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Disability Services (6 Jul 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: Preparatory work has commenced for the delivery of Action 3D. My Department is developing an internal equality data group with a view to assessing and improving the data collected across all the current equality strategies. In addition, the National Disability Authority (NDA) has begun a disability data audit. The data audit is intended to cover all available disability data resources...