Results 10,801-10,820 of 11,816 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Children in Care (3 Dec 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Deputy is referring to an operational matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. I have therefore referred the matter to Tusla, and asked that a direct response be provided to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Education Welfare Service (3 Dec 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Tusla Education Support Service (TESS) has statutory responsibility under the Education (Welfare) Act 2000 for ensuring all children attend school regularly. Educational Welfare Officers (EWO's) work with families and children to overcome barriers to their school attendance, participation and retention. My Department works with the TESS to ensure that necessary resources are available...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Covid-19 Pandemic (3 Dec 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Tusla Education Support Service (TESS) operates under the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000 which emphasises the promotion of school attendance, participation and retention. TESS has been working in collaboration with my Department and the Department of Education (DoE) to support the return to school since September. As part of this process, TESS has gathered information in relation...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Education Welfare Service (3 Dec 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Tusla Education Support Service (TESS) has statutory responsibility under the Education (Welfare) Act 2000 for ensuring all children attend school regularly. Educational Welfare Officers (EWO's) work with families and children to overcome barriers to their school attendance, participation and retention. TESS has been working in collaboration with my Department and the Department of...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Proposed Legislation (3 Dec 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2019 is an important piece of legislation which seeks to provide for much-needed reform of guardian ad litem (GAL) arrangements. Its objective is to regulate the existing system of GAL appointments and to extend the system so that GALs can be made available to a larger number of children on a more equitable basis. It provides a statutory basis for a nationally...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: National Childcare Scheme (3 Dec 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The basis for the design of the National Childcare Scheme is provided in the 2016 Policy Paper on the Development of a new Single Affordable Childcare Scheme, previously published and made available to the Deputy. This informed the Childcare Support Act which was debated and progressed through both Houses of the Oireachtas in 2018. The Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs also...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services (3 Dec 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: For this question, ‘school aged children’ has been defined as any child aged 4 years or more on 1stSeptember 2020. It should be noted a a proportion of these may opt to continue in ECCE for a second year or move junior infants. Since 1stSeptember 2020, 1,913 school aged children have received a standard hours award under the NCS. Standard hours subsidies are awarded where one of...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: National Childcare Scheme (3 Dec 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The National Childcare Scheme commenced in November 2019. There is no comparable data as yet for the NCS to September 2019, and as such it is not possible yet to compare the NCS year on year. It should also be noted that the NCS was suspended from April to June while the Department established emergency schemes to support and sustain the Early Learning Care and School Aged Childcare sector in...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Community Childcare Subvention Programme (3 Dec 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The number of children registered on the Community Childcare Subvention Plus (CCSP) programme for the 2020-21 programme year up to 02 December 2020 is 15,248. This compares to 38,558 for the same period last year and represents a reduction of 60%. A reduction in the numbers availing of CCSP was expected following the closure of the programme to new entrants on 15 November 2019, on the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education (3 Dec 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Early Childhood Care and Education Programme (ECCE) programme is a universal free two-year pre-school programme available to all children within the eligible age range of 2 years 8 months to 5 years 6 months. The number of children registered on ECCE as of 2 December 2020 was 100, 800. This is a 2% reduction on the same period in 2019. This reduction in demand for ECCE places was...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services (3 Dec 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: As the subject matter of the Deputy's question relates to an operational matter for Tusla, I have referred the matter to them for a direct reply.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services (3 Dec 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department does not record data on the number of childcare services that have ceased offering school age childcare places. Providers of early learning and care and school aged childcare series are not required to inform my Department of the number of children in their services, with the exception of those children who receive subsidies under the various funding programmes operated by my...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services (3 Dec 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department does not have information on the number of children attending school aged childcare as childcare providers are not required to provide data on the number of children who attend early learning and care or school aged childcare on a private fee paying basis. My Department does have data on the number of school aged children attending after school services who are receiving...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Domestic Violence Refuges Provision (3 Dec 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: Under the Child and Family Agency Act, 2013, Tusla, the Child and Family Agency has statutory responsibility for the care and protection of victims of DSGBV. In 2020, I provided €25.3m to Tusla in core funding for DSGBV services. This supports some 60 organisations around the country. I am also providing additional resources to Tusla to support these services to cope with the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Domestic Violence Services (3 Dec 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The specific pay and conditions of staff in domestic violence and abuse services has not been raised with me. Tusla supports some 60 domestic, sexual and gender-based violence (DSGBV) organisations in the provision of front line services throughout the country. Funded service providers operate independently of Tusla and are responsible for the recruitment of employees and the terms and...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services (2 Dec 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The minimum qualification requirement for early learning and care services came into effect on 31 December 2016, as stated in the Child Care Act (Early Years Services) Regulations 2016. These regulations stipulate that all staff working directly with children must hold a minimum of a Level 5 Major Award in Early Childhood Care and Education on the National Framework of Qualifications or a...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: National Traveller-Roma Integration Strategy (2 Dec 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Government's National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy (NTRIS) 2017 – 2021 represents a whole of Government approach to bring about meaningful change and progress for the Traveller and Roma community in Ireland. It brings Government Departments and Agencies together along with representatives of both Traveller and Roma communities to focus in a structured way on issues...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: City and County Child Care Committees (2 Dec 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 95 and 110 together. Officials of my Department are currently reviewing the Workplace Relations Commission's consideration of the pay rates of the managers of the City and County Childcare Committees (CCCs). The CCCs are one of the key support mechanisms of my Department, and I want to acknowledge the important role they play in providing vital...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Direct Provision System (2 Dec 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department has not bought or leased any housing in the area referred to by the Deputy. I can also tell the Deputy that there no plans or discussions to do so. Premises are sourced either through a full tender process which is administered through the Government’s Procurement Portal www.etenders.gov.ie or through responses to calls for expressions of interest, which are...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education (2 Dec 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The number of early learning services contracted to provide the Early Childhood Care and Education Programme (ECCE) programme per year since 2017 is as follows: Programme Year Total Services 2017/20184248 2018/20194269 2019/20204261 For the current programme year, 2020-2021 3,966 services have contracted up to November 30th and this number will likely increase as new services open throughout...