Results 6,701-6,720 of 11,754 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (31 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The availability of high-quality early learning and childcare is a key Government priority.  The Department monitors early learning and childcare capacity on an ongoing basis, with a particular focus on responding to the unmet early learning and childcare needs of families.    The annual data captured by Pobal on behalf of my Department - through the Early Years...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Official Travel (31 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I can inform the Deputy that my Department reports annually on the Carbon Generation log by authorised Departmental Air Travel. The table below outlines the information requested by the Deputy. Year Total Kilometres Travelled (KM) Total kilograms of Greenhouse Gas Emissions (KG) Price per tonne for Greenhouse Gas emissions (€) Total value of...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (31 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I am very conscious of the need for improvement in pay and working conditions for early years educators and school-age childcare practitioners. As the State does not employ staff in early learning and care (ELC) and school-age childcare (SAC) services, my Department cannot set their wage levels or determine their working conditions, but my Department has provided a range of supports to...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Direct Provision System (31 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: As the Deputy will be aware the Government made a commitment in the Programme for Government to end the current system of accommodation for International Protection applicants and replace it with a new model that is based on a not for profit approach. As part of this process, I published A White Paper to end Direct Provision and to Establish a new International Protection Support...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (31 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Deputy, as requested please see below the number of persons currently being accommodated via IPAS in referred locations; and the status type, the number of persons with leave to remain, with temporary protection and those people applying for international protection by household type namely single; couple; household with children, in each location: Accommodation Singles...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (31 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: My officials had been engaging on the matter with Pobal, the administrators of all childcare funding programmes on behalf my Department.  I understand that Pobal have been in direct contact with the childcare provider and any remaining issues have been resolved. Outstanding payments due to the service will issue shortly.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Refugee Resettlement Programme (31 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Awarding contracts to new and existing suppliers of accommodation are commercial decisions made in the context of projections in terms of likely refugee arrivals and the management of our accommodation needs as a whole. Demand for accommodation for those fleeing the war in Ukraine is strong at present and we are offering new contracts to many existing suppliers. It is not possible however to...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Unaccompanied Minors and Separated Children (31 Jan 2023)

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 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: Anti-Racism Measures (31 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: In 2020, the Government established an independent Anti-Racism Committee to strengthen the Government’s approach to combatting individual and institutional racism and build on the antiracism actions included in the Migrant Integration Strategy (MIS) and the National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy (NTRIS). Following an extensive public consultation, including engagement with...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Transport Policy (31 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department does not directly provide an Early Learning and Care or School Aged Childcare transport service. Services may at their own discretion provide for transport as part of their overall service offer and the substantial subsidies provided by this Department contribute to the cost of this throughout the offset of fees in those services. The Early Years division of my department...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Staff (31 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Due to the emergency nature of the war in Ukraine and the sudden influx into Ireland of people fleeing Ukraine, the Department established a new division. This was initially resourced by the internal re-deployment of staff and staff that were assigned temporarily from other Departments. Given the uncertain nature of the situation initially and the significant amount of movement of staff...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Transport Policy (31 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Deputy, as of 22 January 2023, there are over 19,800 people accommodated in the IPAS accommodation system as a whole. This includes the National Reception Centre and IPAS accommodation centres, City West transit hub and emergency accommodation locations nationwide. At this point in 2022, there were approximately 7,500 persons in IPAS accommodation. In regard to your query, following...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Emergency Accommodation (31 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Government is committed to delivering a humanitarian response to welcome people seeking protection in Ireland as part of the European Union's overall response. The scale of response to this crisis has been unprecedented and Irish people have displayed a commendable level of generosity in their support and pledges of accommodation. To date, in excess of 6,300 Beneficiaries of Temporary...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Emergency Accommodation (31 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: AWAITING REPLY FROM DEPARTMENT

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Refugee Resettlement Programme (31 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department is now accommodating over 74,000 refugees and applicants for International Protection in State-funded accommodation. The information requested in regard to counties and Dublin Local Authority Areas has been extracted from our systems and outlined in tabular form below. Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) Rest of Ireland Dublin ...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Anti-Racism Measures (1 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Senator for raising this really important issue. I did want the opportunity to speak to it myself. In my follow-up at the end, I will come back to some of the recent incidents. In the last 12 months, however, we have seen the largest humanitarian effort made in the history of the State. Since the start of last year, more than 85,000 people have arrived in Ireland fleeing war...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Anti-Racism Measures (1 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: It is important that we call out these recent incidents. People are entitled to protest and to have a different view from the Government's. This is absolutely fair and this happens. It is really important, though, to call out several recent incidents. Senator Ward referred to an attack on migrants in Ashtown, which was fuelled by lies put on social media regarding someone having been the...

Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (1 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I will look through the amendments as they come up.

Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (1 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I will respond to the amendments first and then speak to some of the wider points. The Bill as it currently stands provides for a review of the operation of the scheme under section 42. The intention is that two reviews will be conducted on the scheme. The first is an interim one that will commence two years after the second anniversary of the establishment day, and the other will be...

Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (1 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputies for their contributions. As I said previously, I fully understand there are survivors, including those joining us today, who are not happy with the determinations made regarding the ambit of this scheme. The Government has made the point that during the engagement we had, when we spoke to survivors, which was referenced by Deputies, and when they gave their accounts of...