Results 6,281-6,300 of 11,754 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth: Refugee Accommodation Crisis: Engagement with Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (22 Nov 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: The new call that will be undertaken through the local authorities is for vacant private ones. I suppose a holiday home is what always comes to mind with me but it could be a second vacant home that somebody has. I am talking about unoccupied homes that are occupiable in the short term.

Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth: Refugee Accommodation Crisis: Engagement with Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (22 Nov 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: There are two separate teams. Originally, it was one team but because of the scale of the need to achieve accommodation, that has been separated in two. There is parity in the Department's prioritisation of achieving accommodation but it is much harder to get accommodation for international protection applicants when we engage with the private sector. That is a reality we face, but there...

Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth: Refugee Accommodation Crisis: Engagement with Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (22 Nov 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy. I agree with her initial comments on our approach and the misuse of concerns by certain nefarious groups, and we are aware of that. In terms of the assistance from other Departments, and particularly in terms of the move to a longer-term accommodation approach, we are working closely with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. That Department,...

Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth: Refugee Accommodation Crisis: Engagement with Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (22 Nov 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: We estimate that approximately 11,000 Ukrainians are now working in the country. That is a significant addition to the workforce. English language supports are available to them through education and training boards, ETBs. I cannot give more detail on the employment activation provisions, which is more a matter for the Department of Social Protection or the Department of Further and Higher...

Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth: Refugee Accommodation Crisis: Engagement with Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (22 Nov 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Deputy mentioned the figure of 200,000. At the start of the war the media quoted a range of figures for the numbers who might flee Ukraine generally and the numbers who might arrive in Ireland. However, no one ever said we would be having 200,000 here. I certainly have never said we were expecting 200,000. I always said we would see the numbers as they arise. This is a wartime...

Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth: Refugee Accommodation Crisis: Engagement with Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (22 Nov 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I understand that a contract extension has not yet been undertaken for Dolcain House. There is an option and it is likely that it will be taken up, but it has not been yet. I would wait until there is certainty about that before communicating it. The Deputy is right that it should be communicated at the same time to all Members of the Oireachtas. I left the Dáil so I did not hear the...

Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth: Refugee Accommodation Crisis: Engagement with Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (22 Nov 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: First, I have no problem with answering questions, which is why I am here, and I am happy to engage with members and to continue to do so. On the co-location of Ukrainian or other accommodation with educational facilities, that has happened in a number of instances, so we have some experience of it. I think it would be best if the Deputy engaged with us and we can take the matter offline...

Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth: Refugee Accommodation Crisis: Engagement with Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (22 Nov 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: It is higher than mine as well. The units are built off-site, delivered in a truck and established on-site. We expect that early in the new year, the first set of modular accommodation will be delivered. A total of 500 units are to be delivered under the programme as currently agreed, but there is scope to extend that subject to another Government decision. As I have always said, this is...

Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth: Refugee Accommodation Crisis: Engagement with Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (22 Nov 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I take on board the Deputy's point on intercountry adoption. We can ask our adoption unit to consider it and deepen our engagement with Ukraine. The Deputy is correct about the importance of empowering local authorities. Both he and I have spent time on local authorities and will have noted the important and significant things they can do when fully resourced. The points Deputy Murnane...

Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth: Refugee Accommodation Crisis: Engagement with Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (22 Nov 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: My understanding is that it is new. In certain areas, it could have been filled by an existing staff member, in which case that person's old post would have been backfilled, but my understanding is that the role was funded as a new one across all local authorities.

Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth: Refugee Accommodation Crisis: Engagement with Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (22 Nov 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: No. I thank the Chair. I appreciate the members' questions and engagement. I will be happy to continue to engage as we work to meet the needs of international protection applicants and Ukrainians in our country.

Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth: Refugee Accommodation Crisis: Engagement with Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (22 Nov 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Deputy is right to bring it back to the stakes that we face, with the incredibly difficult winter that so many Ukrainians will face. There is not only a war in their country and severe damage to buildings and critical infrastructure, but they are not able to heat themselves in many circumstances. That is a deliberate policy of the Russian military. Any emergency accommodation centres...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (29 Nov 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: As a country, we are providing accommodation to 64,000 people right now, many of whom are from Ukraine. These are men, women and children who are fleeing the war there. However, over 17,000 are men, women and children who are fleeing wars elsewhere. Ukraine is not the only war on our planet right now.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (29 Nov 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: There are wars in Syria, Afghanistan, Ethiopia and Eritrea. Just as much as Ireland offers protection to women and children, we also offer protection to men because men are victims of torture and persecution as well. We will not make a determination on whether we protect someone due to his or her gender. We will make a decision-----

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (29 Nov 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: -----in terms of when people have gone through an international protection application process. A determination will be made at the end of that.

Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022: Motion (29 Nov 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I move: That Dáil Éireann approves the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022 (Section 9(2)) (Amount of Financial Contribution) Order 2022, a copy of which was laid in draft form before Dáil Éireann on 10th November, 2022.

Seanad: Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) (Amendment) Bill 2022: Report Stage (29 Nov 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Senators for their input. I will respond to Senators Flynn and Warfield in respect of the Bill being rushed and things like that. Senator Seery Kearney spoke about that previously. I do not want to start off in defensive mode but it is important to state that we wished to have the Bill passed in June this year. I had set out my intention to move it rapidly through both Houses...

Seanad: Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) (Amendment) Bill 2022: Report Stage (29 Nov 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: This amendment seeks to replace section 3 of the 2015 Act, which sets out the functional capacity model, with a replacement text on legal capacity. I would argue that this amendment mixes two separate provisions. As the House will be aware, the 2015 Act provides for a presumption of capacity in section 8(2), which deals with the guiding principles. Section 8(7) already requires an...

Seanad: Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) (Amendment) Bill 2022: Report Stage (29 Nov 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank Senator Black for her amendment. The Senator expressed many of my views on why this is necessary. She is correct that the amendment we brought forward does not create a new power. There is an inherent jurisdiction of the High Court in making decisions but we, in our engagements with the Department of Health, felt it was necessary to signpost to the High Court in order to protect...

Seanad: Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) (Amendment) Bill 2022: Report Stage (29 Nov 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: The amendment proposes to create a new subsection under section 8 of the 2015 Act. Section 8 provides the guiding principles which underpin the Act, specifically with regard to making an intervention in respect of a relevant person. The amendment seeks to have the guiding principles interpreted in line with the UN convention, in particular, Article 12 and General Comment 1 of the UNCRPD....