Results 1,081-1,100 of 11,700 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (9 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme is available to all children within the eligible age range of 2 years and 8 months to 5 years and 6 months. 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. The minimum eligibility age of 2 years and 8 months was chosen based on national experience and a review...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (9 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The goal of the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) is to empower pre-school providers to deliver an inclusive pre-school experience, ensuring that every eligible child can meaningfully participate in early learning and childcare. AIM encompasses a range of both universal and targeted supports for early learning and care settings. Universal supports are designed to create a more inclusive...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (9 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: On 19 September 2023, plans to develop an Action Plan for Administrative and Regulatory Simplification for the Early Learning and Childcare Sector were announced, supported by a Working Group comprising representatives from the Department, Pobal and the City / County Childcare Committees. This initiative is being informed by an Advisory Group comprising providers, educator/practitioner and...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (9 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The National Action Plan for Childminding 2021-2028 commits to extending regulation and supports to all paid, non-relative childminders who work in their own homes. The National Action Plan sets out a phased approach to regulation with a preparatory phase followed by an extended transition period, to allow childminders lead-in time for any requirements. This supportive, phased process aims to...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (9 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Fees list for the 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 programme years are available to view by parents on the NCS website under the Childcare Search function (www.ncs.gov.ie/en/childcare-search/). Historical fees lists for each service will be added to this website in the coming weeks to give parents the ability to check previous years fees where there is a concern. In the meantime, parents can contact...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (9 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Magic Roundabout, registered as Beautiful Minds Crèche & Montessori Ltd. received €177,579.70 in year 1 of Core Funding and, as of June 2024, the service had a contract value of €188,820.82 for year 2 of the scheme. Services coming into contract for year 3 of the scheme will benefit from further increases in Core Funding owing to the 15% increase in the total...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Schemes (9 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I wish to remind the Deputy that there is no need to obtain legal support or advice to submit an application to the Payment Scheme. The application process is designed to be very straightforward and there is no requirement on the applicant to provide proof of harm or institutional records. The Payment Scheme Office will undertake records searches based on the information provided on the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Family Resource Centres (9 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1558 and 1559 together. I wish to inform the Deputy that Tusla, the Child and Family Agency administers the 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...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (9 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1560 to 1562, inclusive, together. Improving access to quality and affordable early learning and childcare is a key priority of Government. My Department has in place a range of supports and funding schemes to support the delivery of early learning and childcare places but services are independently owned and operated, either by community not-for-profit or by...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (9 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: My department provides support for the development of new play and recreation facilities for children and young people through the annual Capital Grant Scheme for Play and Recreation. Established in 2013, this grant scheme operates through and with Local Authorities. The scheme also funds the refurbishment of existing play and recreation facilities and the incorporation of natural play...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Youth Services (9 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Budget 2025 is currently being considered by Government in the context of the annual estimates process. Therefore, the Deputy will appreciate that it would not be appropriate for me to comment further at this stage. I am aware, of course, of the pre-budget submission in question and the request for additional funding for the youth sector. However, from 2020 to Budget 2024, current Exchequer...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Ombudsman for Children (23 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Implementation Plan for the Domestic Sexual and Gender Based Violent Strategy originally made provision for an oversight role for the Ombudsman for Children. However, the Ombudsman for Children asked for the removal of this action from the Plan as his Office did not achieve dedicated funding it sought to carry out this role.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Parental Leave (23 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Under the Parental Leave (Amendment) Act 2019, an employee who is a relevant parent in respect of a child under the age 12 is entitled to 26 weeks’ unpaid parental leave for each child. Where a child has a disability or long-term illness, the entitlement can continue until the child is 16. A relevant parent is a parent, an adoptive parent, or a person acting in ‘loco...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Direct Provision System (23 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Department is currently providing accommodation to over 31,000 people, of whom 5,323 had been granted permission to remain in Ireland as of the end of 10 July 2024 and, as such, are no longer in the International Protection process. At the same time, there is currently an ongoing shortfall of accommodation for newly arrived people applying for international protection. Where a person...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (23 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I am advised that, at this time, my Department is not considering the property to which the Deputy refers for use as accommodation for International Protection applicants or Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection fleeing the war in Ukraine. An offer was received earlier this year for the use of this location for accommodating Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection from Ukraine earlier this...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Ukraine War (23 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Since the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine in February 2022, my Department continues to work as part of the whole-of-Government response with a focus on providing access to emergency temporary accommodation to those fleeing the conflict who request it, in line with Government policy. This supports them to make longer term independent arrangements if they decide to remain in Ireland. My...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (23 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Department is currently providing accommodation to over 31,000 people, of whom 5,323 had been granted permission to remain in Ireland as of the end of 10 July 2024 and, as such, were no longer in the International Protection process. At the same time, there is currently an ongoing shortfall of accommodation for newly arrived people applying for international protection. This shortfall is...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Domestic Violence (23 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: As this relates to Tusla operational matters, the question has been forwarded to Tusla for direct reply to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (23 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1739 and 1740 together. Contractual arrangements between the Department and external providers are considered commercially sensitive. In order to preserve the the Department's negotiating position, the costs paid to providers are not published, as making this data available to other accommodation providers would not serve the public interest. The Public Sector...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (23 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: A Comprehensive Accommodation Strategy for International Protection applicants was approved by Government on 27 March 2024. The strategy seeks to address the current accommodation shortfall, while reforming the system over the longer term to ensure the State can meet its international commitments. Accommodation in the new strategy is being delivered through the following multi-strand...