Results 5,681-5,700 of 11,754 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Seanad: Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) (Amendment) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (6 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: The language used in amendment No. 76 is very definitive. It requires a "meaningful engagement with all persons with disabilities in the State". That is an incredibly broad and onerous obligation to put on IHREC in legislation. It is not generalised; it refers to all persons with disability in the State. IHREC could do a detailed consultation and miss out on engaging with one person. I...

Seanad: Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) (Amendment) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (6 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: If I may briefly speak to the point, it is important to note that in this Bill we are legislating for IHREC to be the monitoring body of our nation's implementation of the convention. IHREC is central to how this legislation and, indeed, how the CRPD will be implemented in this country, as per section 95. Notwithstanding what has been raised regarding the consultation - and I accept the...

Seanad: Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) (Amendment) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (6 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I will consult my team on the issues raised today. I may be in touch with the Leader's office on the scheduling for next week.

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

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 288, 306 and 307 together. The Government takes its responsibility to investigate and address historic wrongs and allegations of human rights abuses very seriously. Since 1999, Ireland has undertaken investigations into allegations of abuse in several institutional settings. These investigations have sought to establish the facts relating to the operation of...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: I can inform the Deputy that my Department has no contracts in place with the company referred to.

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

Roderic O'Gorman: There are seven 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, the Ombudsman for Children’s Office and Gaisce (The President’s Award). My response to your question pertaining to each...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: DNA Database (6 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Institutional Burials Act 2022, which came into effect on 15 July, provides the underlying legislative basis for an intervention, whereby the remains of those who died in residential institutions in respect of which a public body has or had a relevant role, and who were buried in a manifestly inappropriate manner, may be recovered and re-interred in a respectful and appropriate way. It...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 292, 293, 294, 295 and 297 together. As Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth I value highly the work of the community and voluntary sector across the country that provide services to and on behalf of Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. I am conscious of the extremely positive impact these organisations have on improving outcomes...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: I understand that where the Deputy refers to Section 38 and Section 39, he is referring to the Health Act 2004, which is a matter for the Minister for Health. The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) agreement reached between the Department of Health and HSE and trade unions representing staff in certain section 38 & 39 organisations is a matter for the Minister for Health. The...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: The care of our most vulnerable children and young people is a matter of priority for me and for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, which has statutory responsibility to protect children and promote their welfare under both the Child Care Act, 1991 (3) and the Child and Family Act 2013 (8). There are a wide range of safety and quality assurance controls in place to provide oversight of...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (6 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: As of 4th October, 3,879 services had contracted for the ECCE programme in 2022/2023, of which 1,493 are ECCE-only services. (i.e. the only child registrations for the purpose of funding were through ECCE programme). For the 2022/23 programme year, there all ECCE capitation will be paid at a flat rate of €69 per child per week. This is a departure from the previous approach which paid...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (6 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: The term ‘reasonable profit’ within the Crowe report had a particular meaning within European legislation on State Aid. Consideration of profit rates in the Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) sector requires further detailed analysis. I am pleased that with the enhanced financial transparency and public management underpinning the new funding model, we...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (6 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: Together for Better is the new funding model for Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC). Together for Better brings together the three major funding schemes, the Early Childhood Care and Education programme, including the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM), the National Childcare Scheme and Core Funding. It implements a series of recommendations in the Expert Group report,...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (6 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: Through the three early learning and childcare programmes ECCE, NCS and Core funding my Department aims to ensure stability and sustainability in the sector. I do not want any services to be faced with financial sustainability issues and am fully committed to working with any such service to support them in delivering early learning and childcare for the public good. Core Funding is...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Parental Leave (6 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: There have been significant advances in the provision of family leaves in recent years to support parents to play a greater role in their children's early development. Under the Parent’s Leave and Benefit Act 2019 (as amended), working parents are entitled to seven weeks of paid parent’s leave for each relevant parent, to be taken in the first two years after the birth or...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (6 Oct 2022)

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

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (6 Oct 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...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (11 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I recognise that moving these 112 Ukrainians will have an impact on families and individuals. The reason for the move is the pressure on the State's measures to meet the accommodation needs of Ukrainian displaced persons and international protection applicants. The number of Ukrainians arriving in the country has doubled in the past month as a consequence of renewed attacks on civilian...

Disability Services: Motion [Private Members] (11 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: On behalf of the Minister for Health and the Minister of State with responsibility for disability, I thank all of the Deputies across the House for their contributions to this evening's debate. I also wish to acknowledge the points that have been raised about the significant and daily challenges faced by people with disabilities, their families and disability services. The Minister of...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (12 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: To keep the record clear, I have met with seven religious congregations or lay organisations, and the leaders of the Church of Ireland, in seeking a meaningful and significant response from them on redress. Those negotiations are ongoing at present. There has been no conclusion in terms of those engagements. As the Deputy said, yesterday we brought forward the final redress Bill, which...