Results 1,621-1,640 of 11,903 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Mother and Baby Homes (11 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that, following the opening of the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme on 20 March, the first offers of awards under the Scheme were made in April, while the first payments were made and the first medical cards were issued in May.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Mother and Baby Homes (11 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: While I try to be helpful at all times in the parliamentary process, the Deputy will be aware that I cannot be involved in individual cases and cannot comment on same. The legislation underpinning the Payment Scheme - the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Act 2023 - specifically provides for the explicit independence of the Chief Deciding Officer in administering the application...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Mother and Baby Homes (11 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: As the Deputy is aware, under the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme, applicants are entitled to an enhanced medical card where they spent 180 days or more in a scheduled institution. This medical card is not means-tested, and is awarded solely on the basis of eligibility under the Scheme. This being the case, the enhanced medical card is not subject to intermittent review and will...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (11 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Continuous Professional Development (CPD) is the term used to describe any learning activities that an early years educator /school-age childcare practitioner engages in consciously and proactively as a professional to develop and enhance their knowledge and skills. My Department funds 30 City/County Childcare Committees (CCCs) to act as its local agent in the delivery of national early...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (11 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Continuous Professional Development (CPD) is the term used to describe any learning activities that an early years educator /school-age childcare practitioner engages in consciously and proactively as a professional to develop and enhance their knowledge and skills. My Department funds 30 City/County Childcare Committees (CCCs) to act as its local agent in the delivery of national early...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (11 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 625 and 626 together. Continuous Professional Development (CPD) is the term used to describe any learning activities that an early years educator /school-age childcare practitioner engages in consciously and proactively as a professional to develop and enhance their knowledge and skills. Extensive CPD activities – formal, non-formal and informal...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (11 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Better Start was established in 2014 by my Department, in association with the Department of Education, to deliver quality-related supports to early learning and care services and to support a cohesive approach to State-funded supports for quality across the early learning and care sector. Better Start is hosted by Pobal on behalf of my Department. The Quality Development Service (QDS) forms...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (11 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Better Start was established in 2014 by my Department, in association with the Department of Education, to deliver quality-related supports to early learning and care services and to support a cohesive approach to State-funded supports for quality across the early learning and care sector. Better Start is hosted by Pobal on behalf of my Department. The Quality Development Service (QDS) forms...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (11 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The allocation for the Better Start initiative in 2023 amounted to €16,798,000. Better Start entails a quality development service, which involves professional development, mentoring and coaching. Better Start also supports the Access and Inclusion model (AIM), and provides a range of learning and development supports to staff in the sector. The allocation for the City and County...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (11 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Table 1: Tasks performed by Better Start on behalf of Early Learning and Care (ELC) & School-Age Childcare (SAC) Division Service Description Quality Development Service (Better Start) Provides mentoring and coaching to ELC settings, based on the Síolta and Aistear frameworks and Tusla’s Quality and Regulatory Framework (QRF), so that those settings...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (11 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Better Start initiative was allocated €16,798,000 in 2023. Better Start entails a Quality Development Service (QDS), which involves professional development, mentoring and coaching. Better Start also supports providers working with children with special needs under the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM). In addition, Better Start provides a range of learning and development supports...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (11 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The data requested by the Deputy is not collated on the basis of Dáil Constituencies and cannot be provided. My Department releases data by county and local authority area in relation to Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) in DCEDIY provided accommodation regularly since February 2023. This information is available on the Government website...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Ukraine War (11 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department received an offer of accommodation for Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) at the location to which the Deputy refers. Offers of accommodation to BOTPs where properties are in need of significant conversion and refurbishment works are passed on to the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage for assessment under the Emergency Refurbishment (Ukraine)...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Ukraine War (11 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Since the outset of the war in Ukraine in early 2022, Ireland has provided accommodation to over 115,000 people between those fleeing Ukraine and International Protection applicants. This includes approximately 84,500 Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) from Ukraine who required State supported accommodation and over 30,700 International Protection applicants currently in IPAS...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Ukraine War (11 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I wish to confirm to the Deputy that from 14 March 2024 anyone fleeing the war in Ukraine who registers for temporary protection and requests State-provided accommodation in Ireland, is accommodated for a maximum of 90 days in Designated Accommodation Centres (DACs) and provided with food, laundry, other services and integration supports. The focus of supports in DACs are orientation on...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Freedom of Information (11 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Under the FOI Acts, FOI decision makers are required to review FOI requests and independently reach decisions, based on the provisions within the Act, on what records can be released, refused or partially released subject to some redaction. I understand that, in this case, the FOI decision maker sought to refine the scope of the FOI request in line with the provisions of the FOI Act before...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (11 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy for this question. A response will be provided directly to the Deputy in the coming days. The Deputy may wish to be aware that the Community Engagement Team has been established within my Department which stands ready to respond to queries of this nature, and they may be contacted directly at community@equality.gov.ie

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Funding (11 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Foster carers play a vital role in the care of our most vulnerable children. The placement of a child in foster care is the preferred option for children who cannot live with their family of origin. It enables children in State care to live in a safe, secure, and stable home environment. The current rate of foster care allowance is €350 per week for children aged under 12 and...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (11 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) is a programme of supports designed to ensure that children with disabilities can access the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme. Its goal is to empower Early Learning and Care (ELC) providers to deliver an inclusive pre-school experience, ensuring that every eligible child can meaningfully participate in the ECCE Programme and reap the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (11 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) currently operates in tandem with the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme and as such, provision of AIM supports are currently linked with ECCE participation and hours of operation. Up until now, a key support - additional funding to providers to enable a lower adult-child ratio – was allocated for the duration of the ECCE programme...