Results 421-440 of 11,700 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Unaccompanied Minors and Separated Children (24 Sep 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Senator for raising this very important matter and for speaking with such passion on it. Before I address her, I want to say that it is an honour to be speaking to this House for the first time. I look forward to working with Members here. I know many Members of this House have a very personal and deep interest in the issues that fall within my Department. We have a lot of...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Unaccompanied Minors and Separated Children (24 Sep 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Senator for her offer of support. If she could send those letters I would appreciate it. I am very happy for the Department to take responsibility but I need additional resources. If they can be achieved it will make a huge difference. I had thought about the point the Senator made about our fostering campaign and we will have a general national fostering campaign. I have...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Childcare Services (24 Sep 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Senator. I am glad to have this opportunity to discuss the future of early learning and care and school-age childcare in the country, particularly the role of the city and county childcare committees. I appreciate the Senator pushing back this Commencement matter by a week to allow me address the matter directly. The 20 city and county childcare committees, CCCs, which operate...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Childcare Services (24 Sep 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: Absolutely nothing has been prejudiced by me. I am listening very carefully. Over the past 12 weeks, since I have taken on this role, I have met a large number of providers in the sector. I am meeting representatives from Childcare Committees Ireland next week and we will discuss its valuable role in this process. In any public engagement I have had, and in every opportunity I have had...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Years Sector (29 Sep 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 594, 596, 597 and 619 together. I acknowledge that low pay and poor working conditions in the sector remain a serious concern and impact on the quality of provision to children through their effect on the recruitment and retention of qualified staff. The lack of consistency of care caused by high staff turnover impacts directly on quality, while low wages...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Refugee Resettlement Programme (29 Sep 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: Thank you for your question on this pressing matter. I am extremely concerned with the plight of the refugees in Moria following the fires there, especially young people who are without parents or family in the camp. Ireland has committed to bringing four children from Moria in the coming weeks. The state’s capacity to bring unaccompanied children to Ireland is determined by the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Work Supports (29 Sep 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: In recent years funding for the provision of youth services has increased on an annual basis. Between 2016 and 2020 the annual current youth funding available to my Department increased from €51.9m to €61.79m. This additional funding is being used for programmes that target disadvantaged young people and to assist national youth organisations in their work to support local...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Services (29 Sep 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The organisation referred to by the Deputy receives annual funding as a national youth organisation under the Youth Service Grant Scheme, and in 2020, it has been allocated some €418,000 under this scheme. In early 2019, the organisation was advised of the capital funding that was available from my Department for youth organisations. Following a successful application,...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency (29 Sep 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Deputy is referring to an operational matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. I have therefore referred the matter to Tusla, and asked that a direct response be provided to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency (29 Sep 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: I wish to advise the Deputy that my officials have asked Tusla to respond directly to you on this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency (29 Sep 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Deputy is referring to an operational matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. I have therefore referred the matter to Tusla, and asked that a direct response be provided to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Detention Centres (29 Sep 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: An external independent review of operations and best practice at the Campus was commissioned by the Board of Management of Oberstown Children Detention Campus in September 2016. The report of the review was submitted to the Board of Management in February 2017 and the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs in March 2017. The Board of Oberstown took independent legal advice on the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency (29 Sep 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Deputy is referring to an operational matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. I have therefore referred the matter to Tusla, and asked that a direct response be provided to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education (29 Sep 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme is a universal two-year pre-school programme available to all children within the eligible age range. To avail of ECCE for their child, parents/guardians must provide the child’s full name as per birth certificate or passport, child’s date of birth and child’s PPSN in order to register their child on the programme....

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Foster Care (29 Sep 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Deputy is referring to an operational matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. I have therefore referred the matter to Tusla, and asked that a direct response be provided to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency (29 Sep 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 607 and 617 together. I have requested Tusla to respond directly to the Deputy regarding the information sought.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Children in Care (29 Sep 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Deputy is referring to an operational matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. I have therefore referred the matter to Tusla, and asked that a direct response be provided to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services (29 Sep 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The National Childcare Scheme was launched in November 2019 on the new Early Years Platform. This platform was designed to meet the current and future needs of all childcare schemes under the remit of the Department. The Service Provider portal, the HIVE, has been in use since the NCS opened for applications and has been designed with future proofing in mind for the users. The ECCE scheme...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services (29 Sep 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: For the 2020-21 programme year eligible applicants to the Community Childcare Subvention Plus (CCSP) programme will continue to have full access provided their child is in attendance in a Tusla registered service and registered on the CCSP Saver Programme before the close of the programme year i.e. up to and including Friday 13 August 2021. As per previous programme years the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services (29 Sep 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: Pobal are the administrators of all childcare funding programmes on behalf of my Department. I am pleased to inform the Deputy that ECCE funding will be applied from the date each child first attends the service rather than from the date the funding agreement was activated. Pobal have responded directly to the service in this regard.