Results 1,541-1,560 of 11,903 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (25 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: There are currently over 31,000 people accommodated in the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) system as a whole (of whom over 7,833 are children) compared with approximately 8,700 people at the end of February 2022.Please see, in tabular format, the average duration spent in IPAS accommodation by international protection applicants arriving between 2019 and 2024. This data...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (25 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department does not collate information on beneficiaries of temporary protection (BOTPs) that have exited supported accommodation as requested by the Deputy. The overall number of BOTPs reported in accommodation that is supported by my Department has been in decline since November 2023. Estimates indicate that approx. 40 to 50 BOTPs per day have been leaving accommodation supported by my...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (25 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department did not collate the information in the manner requested by the Deputy in relation to a breakdown of the number of persons that vacated State-owned accommodation, commercial accommodation or other accommodation types respectively between end-December 2023 to end-March 2024.

Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2024: Second Stage (Resumed) (20 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputies for their kind remarks to me and their very detailed and considered contributions to this debate today and yesterday. Childminding happens in Blanchardstown and all over Dublin. It is a phenomenon that happens all over the country. Childminders support so many families and children. Deputy Fitzmaurice is right that some of is because of the pressure on services....

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (20 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Ensuring access to quality and affordable early learning and childcare is a key priority of Government. The level of capacity has risen substantially year on year between 2022 and 2023 as evidenced by survey data collected by Pobal, by administrative data from Core Funding and the National Childcare Scheme and registration data collected by Tusla. However, there is also evidence that...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Mother and Baby Homes (20 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme is designed to provide payments and other benefits to people who spent time in one or more of the Mother and Baby or County Home Institutions, that were identified by the Commission of Investigation as having a main function of providing sheltered and supervised ante and post-natal facilities to single mothers and their children. The...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Education and Training Boards (20 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: At the time of the launch of the UBU Your Place Your Space scheme in 2020, allocations made to all Education and Training Boards (ETBs) under this scheme were based on the number of youth services that operated under the predecessor schemes in each ETB functional area. Laois-Offaly ETB's allocation has increased since then on a similar basis to that for other ETBs. When additional funding...

Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2024: Second Stage (19 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I move "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." The purpose of this Bill is to ensure that Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, has the appropriate enforcement powers to address serious non-compliance with regulations for early years services and to ensure that parents have access to information in relation to the quality of those services. The intention is not to increase enforcement...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Ukraine War (19 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Last month, the Government agreed that Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection in state-provided serviced accommodation should receive the same level of payment regardless of when they arrived. The Minister for Social Protection and I, and our officials are liaising on the operational arrangements to give effect to this change, with an estimated 12 week lead-in time to allow details to be...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Traveller Accommodation (19 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 108 and 115 together. Work on developing the successor National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy (NTRIS II) is currently being finalised and my intention is to submit it to Cabinet shortly. The successor Strategy will represent the next step in a whole-of-Government and targeted approach to improving the lives of Travellers and Roma and to ensure...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Ukraine War (19 Jun 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 BOTPs to make longer term independent arrangements if they decide to remain in Ireland. As...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Ukraine War (19 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Last month, the Government agreed that Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection in state-provided serviced accommodation should receive the same level of payment regardless of when they arrived. The Minister for Social Protection and I, and our officials are liaising on the operational arrangements to give effect to this change, with an estimated 12 week lead-in time to allow details to be...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: School Funding (19 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Capital funding has been allocated to the early learning and childcare sector under the revised National Development Plan (NDP). This will enable significant investment in early learning and childcare. In 2024 and 2025, my Department is delivering capital investment through the Building Blocks Capacity Grant. The primary focus of the Building Blocks Capacity Grant Schemes is to increase...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (19 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The ECCE scheme is a universal programme which provides 2 years of free preschool to children in the eligible age range of 2 years and 8 months to 5 years and 6 months. My Department funds private early learning and care service providers to provide the ECCE programme at a standard rate of €69 per week per child attending the ECCE programme. I would note that further funding is...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Children in Care (19 Jun 2024)

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

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Childcare Services (18 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. From his engagement and that of other Deputies from Cork I am well aware of the issues facing Northside Community Enterprise and of the funding that is required to support the reopening of the Before 5 Family Centre in Churchfield. The centre is in an area of undersupply and of high need for childcare places. The ambition of Northside Community...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Childcare Services (18 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I do not accept the Deputy's assertion that it is moving at a snail's pace. We are looking to create a new funding stream that will deal with situations like this where there is an existing service that is using a building that is no longer fit for purpose and requires significant capital support. That requires my Department to engage with the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Childcare Services (18 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: When I was in Cork I sought the meeting with Northside Community Enterprise in order to be able to discuss the need for particular support to get this service reopened. I was able to see the amazing work it has done in other services and understand the particular ethos behind the organisation as a community organisation. This is something we in the Department want to support. I outlined...

International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Motion (18 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Acting Chair. I welcome the proposal by the Minister for Justice, and I and my Department look forward to working with her and across Government on its implementation. Ireland, like many other European countries, is experiencing a significant increase in the number of people seeking international protection. The arrival numbers remain significantly elevated. Up to mid-June...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services (18 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Right now, where a service is not involved in the core funding model my Department does not have a mechanism to influence how much it charges. If the service is in the NCS the Department provides a significant subsidy to parents, which is growing this year - and very significantly in September - and which will lessen the costs. However, right now the Department does not have a mechanism if...