Results 6,541-6,560 of 11,754 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: UNCRPD and the Optional Protocol (Resumed): Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (19 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Senator for his contribution and for speaking so clearly to the reality for so many parents and children and adults with disabilities. The Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, and I absolutely recognise delays and the failure to provide services in a timely manner are having a massive impact on lives and on the ability of both children and adults to live the full lives they could...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: UNCRPD and the Optional Protocol (Resumed): Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (19 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Yes, absolutely. I thank the Deputy. As she knows, the amendment Act was singed by the President on 17 December. The passing of the Act allows me as Minister to start with the commencement of sections of both it and the original 2015 Act we were amending. We are engaging with the decision support service, DSS, as the body that will actually operate the legislation. There are five pieces...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: UNCRPD and the Optional Protocol (Resumed): Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (19 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: There are regulations around assisted decision-making and around fees, remuneration and expenses. It is the basic-level stuff but it is still really important to having this system-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: UNCRPD and the Optional Protocol (Resumed): Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (19 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: -----operational. What I said to the Chair earlier was we are just finalising a running order and a schedule for getting each of those sets of regulations.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: UNCRPD and the Optional Protocol (Resumed): Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (19 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Early this year we hope to have the DSS up and running.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: UNCRPD and the Optional Protocol (Resumed): Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (19 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: One final element is that, as the Deputy knows, the legislation allowed us get three additional Circuit Court judges, which is important because they will be doing much of the work on the applications. That was approved as well.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: UNCRPD and the Optional Protocol (Resumed): Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (19 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Like any organisation, it will say it would like more funding. That has, however, grown and there was a significant increase in the past two years, recognising that the DSS was about to go live.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: UNCRPD and the Optional Protocol (Resumed): Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (19 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: A significant amount of work on this took place last year, particularly perhaps in banks and financial institutions that will be impacted. As the Deputy is aware, we had hoped to have it operational from June 2022, but we made the decision to take a bit longer with the legislation to improve elements of it. Work has been undertaken, therefore, in terms of training around it. The DSS will...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: UNCRPD and the Optional Protocol (Resumed): Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (19 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I think it will be ongoing.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: UNCRPD and the Optional Protocol (Resumed): Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (19 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Deputy might recall that during the discussions on the matter, Deputy Sherlock raised the issue of allowing journalists enter the court and record proceedings, and also allowing in court reporters. We made a change in the Seanad. We brought forward amendments that would allow a reporting system somewhat like the family law court reporting system that operates now. The reports are...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: UNCRPD and the Optional Protocol (Resumed): Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (19 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I have some views on the issues of retention and recruitment. There are forums for engagement with parents, often just out canvassing and such, meeting parents or indeed therapists who are working in the system, of whom I have met many. I might hold off until the transfer comes before going into that in real detail because I am not the line Minister right now. I caution that there is a big...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: UNCRPD and the Optional Protocol (Resumed): Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (19 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I have secured an additional budget for the DSS each year since becoming Minister, so its funding has grown.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: UNCRPD and the Optional Protocol (Resumed): Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (19 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: As I said, it is a new system and there will be a need to continuously update people in respect of how it operates.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: UNCRPD and the Optional Protocol (Resumed): Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (19 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: UNCRPD and the Optional Protocol (Resumed): Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (19 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Mr. Brunell has been engaging with the DSS and he will give the Deputy more detail.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: UNCRPD and the Optional Protocol (Resumed): Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (19 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: With regard to assisted decision making we are putting in place some of the regulations. I will write to the Chair in the coming weeks to set out a clear timeline. We are almost there. The legislation has passed, we are in a positive space and that is very good.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: UNCRPD and the Optional Protocol (Resumed): Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (19 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I absolutely agree with everything Deputy Murnane O'Connor has said on the issue of employment. Just before Christmas I had the opportunity to visit some young people attending a day service in Mulhuddart who are all in their late teens and early 20s. They gave me a presentation on their key desires and the key issue was employment. A number of them have jobs for one or two days a week and...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (19 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department has engaged over 700 properties to provide accommodation for Ukrainian Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection. In line with my Department’s commitment to substantially clear the backlog at the end of 2022, my Department temporarily re-assigned staff from other parts of the Department to the payments team in December, doubling the size of the payments unit. The enlarged...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (19 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: In regard to your query, a serious isolated incident occurred in Killarney on New Year’s Day, following which a number of arrests were made. A number of people are currently before the courts in relation to the events. IPAS is in close contact with the centre’s management.I have also engaged with the Minister for Justice to ensure that, in conjunction with An Garda...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (19 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: While the Department is considering offers of buildings to be repurposed for accommodation, my officials can confirm that it does not possess a record of this property, that no offer has been made in respect of same and that it is not under consideration for use as international protection accommodation. To provide some context as to the pressure the Department is under to procure...