Results 11,101-11,120 of 11,816 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Child Abuse (22 Oct 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: I spent some time speaking about what Tusla is doing to mitigate current risk because that is Tusla's primary role. I am not taking away from anything the Senator said but that is the job of Tusla, namely, to deal with current risk.The role of dealing with historic abuse - "past abuse" is probably a better term in many ways - lies with An Garda Síochána through prosecution. We are...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education (22 Oct 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Deputy will be aware  that while the NCS is an initiative of the DCEDIY, a Scheme Administrator has been engaged to manage the operation of the Scheme on the Department’s behalf. Pobal acts in this capacity as Scheme Administrator, and it is their role to follow up on individual cases. The Department has referred this query to Pobal, who will contact the person (Details...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Parent's Benefit (22 Oct 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Parent’s Leave and Benefit Bill 2019 provides for two weeks of parent’s leave and benefit for all new parents in employment or self-employment in respect of children born or placed for adoption on or after 1 November 2019. This is to facilitate parents to spend more time with their children in their critical first year of life. The Minister for Public Expenditure and...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency (22 Oct 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: In the recent budget, I was pleased to be able to secure an increase of €61m for Tusla, bringing the Agency’s total budget allocation for 2021 to €878m.  The Programme for Government commitment to which the Deputy refers is based on a flexible and integrated model of care which aims to support children, young people, families and carers in contact with the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: National Childcare Scheme (22 Oct 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The National Childcare Scheme, which was introduced in 2019, provides supports for school aged childcare.Under the extended NCS hours introduced in September of this year, parents may avail of 45 subsidised childcare hours  when the parents are engaged in work, training or study, and  they may avail of 20 subsidised hours if they are not engaged in work, training or...

Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020 [Seanad]: Second Stage (Resumed) (21 Oct 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank all the Deputies for their incredibly heartfelt contributions to this debate. The debate starkly demonstrates the sensitivities and complexities around this particular issue. All Deputies have tried to convey the sense they have received from the emails, calls and texts and from the people they know personally. There is a real anxiety around access to information for those who were...

Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020 [Seanad]: Second Stage (21 Oct 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: Ireland's recent history is sadly littered with a legacy of failings related to the care of our citizens in institutional settings. This is no less true for the mother and baby homes and county homes that operated in this country throughout much of the previous century. Our most fundamental duty today is to acknowledge the profound failures and mistreatment of Irish women and their...

Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020 [Seanad]: Second Stage (21 Oct 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time."

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Parental Leave (21 Oct 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 166, 168 and 195 together. The Parent’s Leave and Benefit Bill 2019 provides for two weeks of parent’s leave and benefit for all new parents in employment or self-employment in respect of children born or placed for adoption on or after 1 November 2019. This is to facilitate parents to spend more time with their children in their critical first...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Covid-19 Pandemic (21 Oct 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: Children that are home-schooled, and their parents or guardians, must comply with all of the public health advice and guidance produced by the Government in order to protect their health and well-being and that of other citizens during this pandemic.  There are currently no plans to provide separate or bespoke guidance for this cohort of the population.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Domestic Violence Services (21 Oct 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, has statutory responsibility for the care and protection of victims of Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence. Tusla provides funding and coordination supports to some 60 organisations that deliver a range of services for victims of domestic, sexual and gender based violence, throughout the country. The table provided below, outlines the overall funding...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (21 Oct 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: In 2015, when the Government decided to establish an inquiry into mother and baby homes, the model of investigation that it chose was a commission of investigation under the Commissions of Investigation Act 2004. That decision, which was endorsed by the Oireachtas, had indelible consequences for the format of the investigation that was to be conducted, for the mode of engagement with the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Direct Provision System (21 Oct 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: As of the end of September 2020, there were 709 adults and 311 children who have been grated status, residing in accommodation centres provided by my Department. My Department has a specific team in place who work in collaboration with DePaul Ireland, the Jesuit Refugee Service, the Peter McVerry Trust, officials in the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, and...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Domestic Violence Services (21 Oct 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, provides funding and coordination supports to some 60 organisations that deliver a range of services for victims of domestic, sexual and gender based violence throughout the country. In 2020, the Department of Children and Youth Affairs is providing Tusla with core funding of €25.3m for almost 60 organisations that deliver services for...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (21 Oct 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 173 to 193, inclusive, together. The Deputy has sought responses to a series of questions on the methodology and approach of the Commission of investigation into Mother and Baby Homes and certain related matters in conducting its investigations. As the Deputy will be aware, the Commission is independent of Government in the conduct of it investigation....

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Detention Centres (21 Oct 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: I have been advised by Oberstown Children Detention Campus of the measures that have been put in place to actively manage the potential threat of COVID-19 on campus. These measures have two key aims: (i) to reduce the risk to staff and young people of contracting COVID-19 by taking proactive steps to keep Oberstown free from COVID-19 and (ii) to put plans and procedures in...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services (21 Oct 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department operates a number of Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC)schemes to assist all parents, including frontline workers, with childcare needs.  The main supports are set out below. The National Childcare Scheme (NCS) The NCS was introduced in November 2019. It offers a statutory entitlement to financial support for childcare. It establishes an...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: National Childcare Scheme (20 Oct 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Deputy is the third to raise issues with the hive system today. Again, I acknowledge there have been problems. I believe some of these problems are specific to the Covid-19 context we are in, but I also acknowledge that the response could have been better. We have to learn from that for the registration scheme next year. The information technology system used to administer...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: City and County Child Care Committees (20 Oct 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: As regards the specific situation of the managers, there is a process in train and I am happy to update the Deputy on that and to engage with that process. On the wider issue of pay across the sector, we discussed this issue extensively during questions raised earlier by a number of Deputies. The funding model work is examining how we can target funding towards goals such as reducing...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services (20 Oct 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: I will focus on elements that Tusla has undertaken as the child and family agency and set out the work it has done. During the first four weeks following the restrictions, there was a significant reduction of 36% in the number of referrals to Tusla. At that point, Tusla rolled out a significant information campaign across social media and traditional media as well, reminding the public that...