Results 2,701-2,720 of 11,744 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Health Promotion (9 Sep 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Department of Health is in the process of finalising a new set of Nutrition Standards for Early Learning and Care settings in consultation with my Department. These Standards are due for publication in early October. In advance of publication, the issue of consumption of unhealthy foods referenced during certain celebrations are addressed within the Standards. The following is an extract...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (9 Sep 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The National Childcare Scheme offers a statutory entitlement to financial support for childcare. The Scheme established an equitable and progressive system of universal and income-related subsidies. Subsidy rates are tailored based on individual circumstances, such as reckonable family income, child’s age and their educational stage. The current income thresholds under the NCS, are a...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (9 Sep 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The National Childcare Scheme established the removal of many of the restrictive eligibility requirements associated with legacy schemes, for example dependency on Social Protection payments. This represents a significant step forward in combatting poverty traps for families in Ireland. The universal subsidy is available to all families with children aged between 24 weeks and 36 months (or...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (9 Sep 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: AIM is a programme of supports to enable children with a disability to access and meaningfully participate in the ECCE programme. It includes 7 levels of progressive support, moving from the universal to the targeted. AIM supports are available through mainstream pre-school settings that are funded through the ECCE Programme. AIM has seven levels of progressive support, moving from...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (9 Sep 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The introduction of the National Childcare Scheme was a landmark moment for making high quality childcare more affordable and accessible to families in Ireland. There are two subsidies available under the NCS. The universal subsidy is available to all families with children aged between 24 weeks and 36 months (or until the child qualifies for the Early Childhood Care and Education programme...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (9 Sep 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The National Childcare Scheme offers a statutory entitlement to financial support for childcare. The NCS established an equitable and progressive system of universal and income-related subsidies for children up to the age of 15. An income assessed subsidyis payable for children from 24 weeks to 15 years of age who are availing of childcare services from an approved childcare service provider....

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (9 Sep 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The introduction of the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) was a landmark moment for making high quality childcare more affordable and accessible to families in Ireland. It entails a fundamental shift away from subsidies grounded in social protection entitlements, and towards a comprehensive and progressive system of universal and income-based subsidies.  The universal subsidy is...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child and Family Agency (9 Sep 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: Tusla will support young adult's in education until 21 years of age or 23 if continuing in education.  In terms of aftercare allowance being extended until young adult's reach 26 years of age this would result in payment of additional three years of an allowance for each client or €46,800 for each aftercare client. At the end of quarter 4 2020 there was 1,697 young adults aged...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (9 Sep 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 766 and 770 together. Expert guidance on the safe operation of Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) services during the COVID-19 pandemic was published by the HSE's Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) in May 2020 and has been updated on a number of occasions since then, most recently on 30 August 2021. The guidance is...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Direct Provision System (9 Sep 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 767 and 773 together. As of 07 September 2021, a total of 6,478 people are recorded by my Department as being resident in accommodation provided by the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS), of whom 1,692 are children. This includes people who are resident in Direct Provision centres and in temporary accommodation in hotels and guesthouses. The...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Direct Provision System (9 Sep 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 768 and 769 together. International Protection applicants who have been granted an International Protection status (refugee status or subsidiary protection status) or granted a permission to remain, have the same access to housing supports and services as Irish and EEA nationals. As of the end of August 2021, there were 1,185 persons who have been granted...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Direct Provision System (9 Sep 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The White Paper to End Direct Provision and to Establish a New International Protection Support Service (published in February 2021) provides preliminary estimates of per annum current expenditure required for the implementation of the new model of accommodation and supports for international protection applicants. Current expenditure requirements will continue to be developed as part of the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (9 Sep 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: As the Deputy's question relates to an operational matter for Tusla, I have referred the matter to Tusla for a direct reply.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Rights of the Child (9 Sep 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I would like to reiterate my ongoing commitment to the ratification of the Optional Protocol. My Department made a comprehensive submission to the Attorney General’s Office in 2019 seeking confirmation as to whether Ireland was in a position to ratify the Second Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The advice received from the AGO stated that while...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child Abuse (9 Sep 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency's, primary concern is the immediate protection of children. Their work in relation to retrospective cases, reported to them, offers support to survivors and ensures there is no current risk to other children. The cases of abuse, in Belvedere College in the 1970's, have been brought to my attention. Tusla confirm that no referrals were made at any time...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Flexible Work Practices (9 Sep 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department is currently working in line with Government COVID-19 guidance, which provides for home working to continue where possible. A central policy framework for Blended Working in the Civil Service will be finalised in conjunction with employee representatives over the coming months. This framework will inform the development of organisation level blended working policies...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (9 Sep 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: On 28 February last, with the dissolution of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation, my Department became the data controller for all the personal data contained in the records and databases that transferred from the Commission. Former residents of Mother and Baby Homes including the former residents of Bessborrough can make a Subject Access Request (SAR) to my Department...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Flexible Work Practices (9 Sep 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department is currently working in line with Government COVID-19 guidance, which provides for home working to continue where possible. A central policy framework for Blended Working in the Civil Service will be finalised in conjunction with employee representatives over the coming months. This framework will inform the development of organisation level blended working policies tailored to...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Budgets (9 Sep 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: Every year since 2013, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (previously Department of Children and Youth) has provided Local Authorities with the opportunity to apply for funding for the refurbishment or development of new and existing play facilities for children and young people through DCEDIY Play and Recreation Capital Grant Scheme. Under...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child and Family Agency (9 Sep 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: Inspections, both by HIQA and Tusla’s Practice Assurance and Service Improvement team, identify effective service delivery, areas where improvement is required and emerging risks within services. The recently published HIQA inspection report of Tusla Child Protection and Welfare Services in Corkincluded findings that: - The service was not compliant with any of the standards inspected...