Results 5,201-5,220 of 11,997 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (28 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I firmly believe that the level of pay for early years educators and school-age childcare practitioners should reflect the value of their work for children, for families, for society and the economy. In general, staffing pressures in the sector are caused not by insufficient supply of qualified personnel, but by high levels of staff turnover, and recruitment and staff retention...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Correspondence (28 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: Since the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine on February 24, my Department continues to work as part of the whole-of-Government response with a focus on meeting the immediate, temporary accommodation needs of those fleeing the conflict. My Department is focused on the immediate, short-term accommodation needs of those who have fled here. To date, more than 35,000 people have arrived in...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (28 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department funds the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) which supports the meaningful participation of children with additional needs in the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme. The key objective of AIM is to support pre-school providers to deliver an inclusive pre-school experience, ensuring that every eligible child can meaningfully participate in the ECCE programme and...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child Safety (28 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I wish to inform the Deputy that this request has been forwarded to Tusla for follow up and direct reply.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Maternity Leave (28 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Maternity Protection Acts 1994-2004 provide a pregnant employee with six months of paid maternity leave and an additional three months of unpaid leave; alongside other entitlements such as breastfeeding breaks which I intend to extend to two years following the birth of the child through a Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill to be brought to Government shortly.  ...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (30 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: In order to ensure that every childcare professional can get a fair wage, we have initiated a joint labour committee, JLC, and an employment regulation order, ERO, process. Two EROs are in negotiation. The first is for an entry rate of €13 per hour, which guarantees the living wage for childcare professionals for the first time in this State. The second is to look at higher levels...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Unaccompanied Minors and Separated Children (29 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: From January 2022 to date, 343 unaccompanied minors were referred to Tusla of whom 163 were from Ukraine. Unaccompanied minors, including children arriving from Ukraine, are supported and accommodated by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, in accordance with the provisions of the Child Care Act 1991. Tusla has a dedicated social work team for Separated Children Seeking International...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (29 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: The key conditions to be associated with Core Funding were outlined in the report of the Expert Group, Partnership for the Public Good: A New Funding Model for Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare. This was published on 7th December 2021 and states that providers who sign up to Core Funding should be required to: - Follow the fee management system - in 2022/23 this will be a...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Residential Institutions (29 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 126 to 128, inclusive, together. 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, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Ukraine War (29 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: Since the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine on February 24, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) continues to work as part of the whole-of-Government response with a focus on meeting the immediate, temporary accommodation needs of those fleeing the conflict. My Department is focused on the immediate, short-term accommodation needs of those...

Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2022: Second Stage (1 Jul 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I am pleased to address the House on Part 2 of the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2022 in this Second Stage debate. The purpose of this Part is to provide for a financial contribution of €400 per property for those providing accommodation to temporary protection beneficiaries from Ukraine. It is available whether the accommodation is pledged or provided by private...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Charitable and Voluntary Organisations (30 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: There are six State Bodies under the aegis of my Department. They are the Adoption Authority of Ireland, Tusla (the Child and Family Agency), Oberstown Children Detention Campus, the National Disability Authority, the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission and the Ombudsman for Children’s Office. The Ombudsman for Children's Office and the Irish Human Rights and...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Children in Care (30 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: At the outset, I would like to acknowledge the fact that foster carers are the backbone of our child care services. Foster care is the preferred option in Ireland for children who cannot live with their parents or guardians, and approximately 90% of our children in care are in foster care.   There are a number of significant issues relating to foster care raised in the correspondence...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (30 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: Given the very considerable investment in services to date, the imminent increase to funding for services and analysis done to support that increase there is no evidence to support an increase to €100 per child per week. In December 2021, Government adopted the 25 recommendations contained in an Expert Group report, Partnership for the Public Good: A New Funding...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (30 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: In December 2021, Government adopted the 25 recommendations contained in an Expert Group report, Partnership for the Public Good: A New Funding Model for Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School-Age Childcare (SAC). The new funding model will support the delivery of ELC and SAC for the public good, for quality and affordability for children, parents and families. To achieve this,...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Public Sector Staff (6 Jul 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: There are currently three former County Managers and CEOs of Local Authorities assisting my Department, on an advisory basis on the Ukraine crisis. The bodies under the aegis of my Department will respond to the Deputy directly.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Children in Care (6 Jul 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: Departmental Strategies (6 Jul 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Government is committed to achieving its vision of a safe, fair and inclusive Ireland where people are supported to flourish and to live inclusive, healthy and fulfilling lives, whatever their sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or sex characteristics. Ireland’s first National LGBTI+ Inclusion Strategy 2019-2022, published in November 2019, is the primary policy...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (6 Jul 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: The National Childcare Scheme (NCS) provides financial support to help parents meet the cost of childcare and to support better outcomes for children. There are two types of subsidies available under the NCS: The Universal Subsidyis currently available to all families with children under 3 years old and will extended to all families with children under 15 in September 2022. This subsidy is...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Schemes (6 Jul 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: Through the National Childcare Scheme and a range of other measures, I am committed to changing Ireland’s childcare system from one of the most expensive in the world to one of the very best. In designing the National Childcare Scheme, extensive research and consultations have been carried out to ensure that this goal is achieved and that the Scheme can help as many families as...