Results 11,141-11,160 of 11,816 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Early Years Sector (20 Oct 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 26 and 43 together. I acknowledge the incredibly tough year that has been experienced across the sector by providers, childcare professionals, parents and teachers. The sector showed huge resilience in its initial reopening on 29 June and the subsequent reopening in September. It led the way for schools by showing how the public health guidance could be...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Early Years Sector (20 Oct 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: Yesterday's announcement by the Government about the changes to the EWSS will obviously benefit the childcare sector. That is important to note. Childcare was the only sector of the economy where everyone automatically went on to the scheme. That was an exemption I negotiated as part of the July stimulus package. As per the new EWSS figures, almost 82% of providers' staff costs will be...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Domestic Violence Refuges Provision (20 Oct 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: We want to look at the Covid funding and, in light of the changed circumstances and reintroduction of lockdown, I will engage with Tusla on the Covid element over the next six weeks. It is important that, Covid aside, we have a significant increase in investment in Tusla and, in my engagement with the chair, Pat Rabbitte, and the CEO, Bernard Gloster, I outlined that I wanted to see...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Domestic Violence Refuges Provision (20 Oct 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The majority of the Covid money was for practical things like personal protective equipment, PPE, ICT services, extra computers so people could work at home and to enable them bring somebody in if a staff member was out sick with Covid or something like that. On the new funding for next year, that will be in the Tusla plan and once that is drafted I am sure we will get questions on it. I...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Youth Services (20 Oct 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy. We had a good discussion about this issue in the select committee recently. Young people have been severely affected by the restrictions brought in to protect public health during this pandemic. This has been borne out by a good deal of research, particularly a recent piece of research commissioned by my Department and undertaken by SpunOut called How's Your Head. ...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Youth Services (20 Oct 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: As someone who fitted into the category of not being particularly sporty at that age, I recognise the importance of supporting the interests of young people beyond the area of sport. We in the Department have universal schemes and targeted schemes. The targeted schemes are to help young people, particularly in disadvantaged areas, but there is also the universal element. It is important...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Youth Services (20 Oct 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: There is no doubt that the move to level 5 presents challenges everywhere. The Deputy probably noticed yesterday that we continued to allow training for young teams. That is on the sports side of things but it is important for the issue of mental health, which the Deputy flagged. During the previous lockdown, a lot of youth services moved online very quickly and, as the levels of...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Attendance (20 Oct 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Tusla education support service, TESS, operates under the Education (Welfare) Act 2000 and aims to promote attendance, participation and retention. Under section 22 of the Act, each school is obliged to have a statement of strategies to encourage regular attendance among all students. The school principal must ensure that the strategies outlined are followed, that parents are informed...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Attendance (20 Oct 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: I have experience with children with significant degrees of autism in my constituency having extended absences. One of the key aspects is providing wider levels of support to allow those children, in some cases, to integrate partially in school through an autism spectrum disorder, ASD, unit, more of which have been rolled out. For children who can engage at that level, they are a fantastic...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Attendance (20 Oct 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: My colleague the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, has been working very hard to address that issue of very significant backlogs for children who require these services, for both the initial diagnosis and subsequent access to the services. That is crucial and I welcome the work she has been doing in that area in conjunction with the Minister for Education and Skills. It is important that...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Domestic Violence Refuges Provision (20 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. In 2020, my Department provided funding of €25.3 million for Tusla's core domestic violence services, supporting 60 organisations in various parts of the country. The Department is also providing additional supports to Tusla to allow...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: After-School Support Services (20 Oct 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The national childcare scheme represents a significant step forward in combating the poverty traps that previous targeted childcare schemes created. It removes many of the restrictive eligibility requirements, for example, dependency on social protection payments. I emphasise that those using school-aged childcare services are not ineligible for the national childcare scheme. In fact, 45...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: After-School Support Services (20 Oct 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy. I have engaged quite extensively with her colleague, Deputy Ó Murchú, on this issue. This is a new scheme, it is in its first year and we are in the middle of a pandemic. The manner of informing the sponsor bodies of their obligations and letting parents know about what is available has not worked as it should have and I fully accept this. This is why we have...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: After-School Support Services (20 Oct 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy. I will be able to address some of these issues in later questions from her and other Deputies. I am always open to reviews and examining in particular new structures to ensure they operate as effectively as possible. This is why I have had extensive engagement with Deputy Ó Murchú and other Deputies on this point. A significant part of the issue is the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services (20 Oct 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: Ensuring affordability for parents availing of Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare is a priority for my Department. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, my Department has provided special funding streams to support providers through this difficult time. These funding streams have aimed at minimising the need for providers to raise parental fees in the current circumstances,...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency (20 Oct 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: Tusla uses a commissioning model of funding to ensure that all available resources are used by the frontline services it funds to improve outcomes for children and families, in an efficient, effective, and fair way. As part of this process, Tusla: - analyses the needs of a service area, - consults stakeholders, - considers its available resources and statutory duties, and - assesses what...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency (20 Oct 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The strategic review of emergency accommodation for victims of domestic violence that Tusla is currently undertaking is due to be fully completed by Quarter 2 next year. I had hoped that it would be ready by the end of this year but the impact of Covid resulted in the diversion of all available capacity to managing the issues arising for refuges and service users. Substantial...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services (20 Oct 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 38 and 59 together. I am very conscious of the need for significant improvement in pay and working conditions for practitioners in early learning and care and school-age childcare services. The level of pay they receive does not reflect the value of the work they do for children, for families, and for wider society. In addition, low pay and poor working...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (20 Oct 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes was established in 2015 in order to examine what happened to the women and children who spent time in these institutions. The Commission now is due to submit its final report by 30th October 2020. I know it has been a long and difficult wait for many but we are now rapidly approaching the point where these matters can be examined by...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (20 Oct 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 40 and 52 together. The Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020 was published on 8th October following Government approval. The Bill was considered and passed all stages in the Seanad last week. I will be bringing forward a number of amendments this week, at Dáil Committee...