Results 5,041-5,060 of 11,754 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (14 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: As the Deputies will be aware, I published A White Paper to End Direct Provision and to Establish a New International Protection Support Service on the 26th of February 2021. The report of the advisory group published in October 2020 (also known as the Catherine Day report) fed into the creation of the White Paper. In the fourteen months since its publication my department has placed a...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (14 Jun 2022)

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

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Disability Services (14 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: In order for a child to access AIM supports, he or she must be within the eligible age range for the ECCE programme and be registered on the programme in a registered pre-school service. The ECCE programme is provided for 3 hours per day, 5 days per week over a 38 week programme year which runs between September and June. Operational weeks of the ECCE programme year are closely aligned with...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Disability Services (14 Jun 2022)

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

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Interest Rates (14 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I wish to provide the following information to the Deputy regarding the interest charged for savings or other funds on deposit in Irish banks since negative interest rates were introduced. Bank Account 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 Sum of Q1 2022 Total DCYA Current A/c - Bank of Ireland €4,462.93 ...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Interest Rates (14 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I wish to provide the following information to the Deputy regarding the negative interest charged by financial institutions in 2021 and since negative interest rates were introduced. Agency Negative Interest Charged to State Agencies Adoption Authority of Ireland (AAI) Nil Gaisce - The President's Award Will respond...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Ministerial Appointments (14 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: As the Deputy may be aware the Government Decision on the 22nd of December 2020 confirmed the transfer of policy, functions and funding responsibility relating to specialist community-based disability services (SCBDS) from the Department of Health to my Department. This is a very significant transfer of functions, both from the point of view of improving services for persons with a...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Staff (14 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I can confirm that there are no secondments in place for any former Secretary General from my Department.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Special Educational Needs (14 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I can inform the Deputy of the following supports provided my Department, specifically: The ECCE Programme, which was established in 2010 to provide children with their first formal experience of early learning prior to commencing primary school. When first introduced, the ECCE Programme was delivered over 38 weeks in a given ECCE Programme Year and children were required to be between the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (14 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: Statutory and operational responsibility for the delivery of child protection and welfare services is a matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. The Deputy is seeking information in relation to referral numbers which is an operational matter for Tusla. Consequently, I have referred the matter to Tusla, and requested that a direct response be provided to the Deputy

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child and Family Agency (14 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department and the Child and Family Agency, Tusla, systematically review and analyse data that is captured by the National Child Care Information Service (NCCIS) on referrals and published by Tusla in monthly, quarterly and annual performance and activity reports (available at www.tusla.ie/data-figures). The NCCIS has greatly improved the integrity of the data collected. It has facilitated...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (14 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: The availability of high-quality early learning and childcare that is affordable and accessible is a key Government priority. Since 2015, significant increases in State investment in early learning and childcare has given rise to a substantial growth in the numbers of children participating in these services. More than 100,000 children now participate on the universal pre-school programme...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (14 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: In March 2022 I secured Government approval for the draft Heads of Bill for the Mother and Baby Institution Payment Scheme. I sought priority drafting of the Bill to ensure that it can be introduced to the Houses of the Oireachtas as soon as possible. I also referred the draft Heads of Bill to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth for...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (14 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme is a universal fully funded two-year pre-school programme available to all children within the eligible age range i.e. a child must have turned 2 years and 8 months on or before 31stAugust 2022, and not be older than 5 years and 6 months on or before 30thJune 2023, to be eligible for the 2022/23 programme year. ECCE is provided for three...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (14 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: Children are required to be resident in the State and have a PPSN to avail of ECCE. Children who are resident in Northern Ireland can access the Northern Irish Pre-school Education Programme.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Domestic Violence (14 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1183 and 1184 together. As you are aware Cavan/Monaghan has been identified as a priority area in Tusla's Accommodation Review. Recent meetings on this very matter involving local representatives, Tusla, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Housing Authorities and DSGBV voluntary groups have taken place. A second meeting has also been...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Social Welfare Payments (14 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Child Care (Placement of Children in Foster Care) Regulations, 1995 and the Child Care (Placement of Children with Relatives) Regulations, 1995, stipulates that the allowance payable to foster carers and relatives shall not be less than an amount specified by the Minister. The foster care allowance was last increased on January 1st 2009. Foster carers are paid a weekly allowance,...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (14 Jun 2022)

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. A child must have reached 2 years and 8 months of age on or prior to 31 August of the relevant programme year to be eligible for the September start date and a child cannot turn 5 years and 6 months of age during the course of the ECCE...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (14 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: As previously advised in reply to Parliamentary Question No. 1153 of 26 April 2022, there has been no withdrawal of ECCE funding for the child referred to. Pobal will continue to fund this child's ECCE place until the end of the ECCE term in late June. If the child's parents have any on-going concerns about the ECCE programme they and/or the pre-school provider can get support and advice...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Refugee Resettlement Programme (14 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine on 24 February, and the invoking of the temporary protection Directive by the European Union shortly afterwards, my Department has worked intensively as part of the cross-governmental response to the Ukraine crisis. The operational challenges brought about by responding to the conflict are significant. Our country has never experienced an influx of...