Results 10,021-10,040 of 11,754 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Ministerial Correspondence (24 Mar 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme is a universal two-year pre-school programme available to all children within the eligible age range. A child must have reached 2 years and 8 months of age on or prior to 31 August of the relevant programme year to be eligible for the September start date and a child cannot turn 5 years and 6 months of age during the course of the ECCE...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Social Workers Recruitment (24 Mar 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I wish to advise the Deputy that my officials have asked Tusla to respond directly to you on this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Parental Leave (24 Mar 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: Policy on surrogacy rests with the Minister for Health.  The current entitlements enable the spouse, civil partner or cohabiting partner of the parent of a child to avail of Parents' Leave.  These provisions do not exclude situations where a child has been born through surrogacy provided that a male partner is the biological parent of the child.  The second parent can is then...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Maternity Leave (24 Mar 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: Policy on surrogacy rests with the Minister for Health while policy on parentage rests with the Minister for Justice.  Legislation on maternity leave must be developed in the context of the legal situation concerning parentage, including in relation to surrogacy.   Any changes in the legal situation with regard to parentage and surrogacy are matters for the Minister for Justice and...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Years Sector (24 Mar 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: In order to support Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) services during the period of 1 February to 28 March 2021, I introduced revised and enhanced funding arrangements to help ensure that services remain open and available, even at very low levels of occupancy, for children and families who need it at this time. Two streams of funding are available: standard...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Parental Leave (24 Mar 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Family Leave Bill 2021 is being considered by Deputies at a second stage reading in Dáil Éireann today. The bill provides for an additional three weeks of paid Parent's Leave to each parent, for an extension in the period in which the leave can be taken to the first two years after the birth or adoptive placement of a child, and for a number of other important matters. The bill...

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 40 - Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (Revised)
Vote 25 - Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (Revised) (23 Mar 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I welcome the opportunity to discuss the Revised Estimates for my Department for 2021, including that of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission. As the committee will have seen from the briefing material provided to it last week, my Department is projected to spend €1.887 billion on current expenditure and €32 million in capital expenditure during 2021. This...

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 40 - Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (Revised)
Vote 25 - Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (Revised) (23 Mar 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I will take those questions. We secured a very significant increase in DSGBV funding. Additional money went to Tusla and it then allocated significant additional funding. Additional core funding of €2.7 million was provided, bringing the core funding for the DSGBV area up to €28 million. An additional Covid contingency fund of €2 million was also provided for this...

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 40 - Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (Revised)
Vote 25 - Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (Revised) (23 Mar 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Deputy asked about additional funding, which is related to a question the Chairman asked earlier. Tusla got an increase of about €66 million. We have also allocated an additional €4.7 million to services relating to domestic violence, of which €2.7 million is core funding. That gives it €28 million in core funding. We have also provided an additional...

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 40 - Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (Revised)
Vote 25 - Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (Revised) (23 Mar 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: My apologies; I meant to comment on that. The issue of the regulation of trans healthcare falls across the Department of Health and the Department of Social Protection because the Gender Recognition Act falls within the latter Department. Direct service provision falls under the Department of Health. I am aware that the link between several Irish hospitals and UK healthcare providers in...

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 40 - Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (Revised)
Vote 25 - Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (Revised) (23 Mar 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I will try to address Deputy Murnane O'Connor's questions. Affordability is essential and something on which we want to focus. The issue was raised on the doorstep at the last general election. As the Deputy knows, we are concluding a major piece of research on the funding model. Government policy, which will bind future Governments, has committed to a much greater and continued increase...

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 40 - Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (Revised)
Vote 25 - Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (Revised) (23 Mar 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I always want to grow the support we give to the youth sector. I was delighted to give it an additional €5 million this year. I think it had been looking for €4.7 million so we were able to go a bit beyond what the sector wanted. I want to be able to continue to support it on its current spending. We also gave additional capital supports in terms of IT grants and small Covid...

Seanad: Family Leave Bill 2021: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Mar 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank Senator Ruane for her amendment and all the Senators for speaking on it. I understand the spirit in which this amendment is put forward and I am committed to working with Senators, and indeed Deputies, on the issues that are raised here. A legislative requirement to bring forward a review of the nature described by Senator Ruane's amendment is not necessary at this time because the...

Seanad: Family Leave Bill 2021: Second Stage (12 Mar 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I am pleased to address the Seanad on Second Stage of the Family Leave Bill 2021. This Bill will help fulfil a number of commitments in the programme for Government, including extending paid parental leave and providing adoptive leave for male same-sex adoptive couples. The Family Leave Bill 2021 has three elements. The first is to amend the Parent's Leave and Benefit Act 2019 to extend...

Seanad: Family Leave Bill 2021: Second Stage (12 Mar 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Senators for their contributions and for the positive way in which they have responded to this legislation. I agree that it is very positive. It is a clear step forward in a direction towards supporting all families, recognising our understanding of the role, and that the joy rather than the burden of caring for children should be shared between parents where there are parents,...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Maternity Leave (11 Mar 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Maternity Protection Acts 1994-2004 provide for up to 26 weeks paid maternity leave, and a further 16 weeks unpaid leave. Where a child is born prematurely, additional weeks may be available. There is a provision within the Maternity Protection Acts to allow for the termination of additional unpaid maternity leave in the event of sickness of the mother. If a mother becomes ill while on...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (11 Mar 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: On 6 July 2018, the European Communities (Reception Conditions) Regulations 2018 (S.I. 230 of 2018) transposed the recast EU Reception Conditions Directive into domestic law. It laid down standards for the reception of applicants for international protection and has brought us into line with the norms and standards for reception conditions for international protection applicants across the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Parental Leave (11 Mar 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 145 and 146 together. The Parent’s Leave and Benefit Act 2019 introduced two weeks of paid Parents' Leave for each parent to be taken in the first year after the birth or adoptive placement of a child. In December 2020, the Government approved the drafting of a Parents' Leave Bill to provide an additional three weeks of paid Parents' Leave to each...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Years Sector (11 Mar 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department is committed to supporting ELC and SAC services operating through the medium of Irish. The Department’s ELC and SAC funded programmes are available to all services. In this regard, there are currently 267 services identified as naíonraí with Pobal and these services received over €94m in funding since 2014 from my Department in respect of the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Years Sector (11 Mar 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department is committed to supporting ELC and SAC services operating through the medium of Irish. Officials have engaged in numerous strategies whose aim is to encourage the development of the Irish language in the early learning and care (ELC) and school age childcare (SAC) sector. Collaboration between my Department and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sports and...