Results 7,061-7,080 of 11,754 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Contracts (28 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department has engaged over 700 properties to provide accommodation for Ukrainian Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection. In line with the Department’s commitment to substantially clear the backlog at the end of 2022, I temporarily re-assigned staff from other parts of the Department in December, doubling the size of the payments unit. The enlarged team approved more than 100...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Policies (28 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Deputy, further to your question relating to engagement with communities in respect of the national response to the arrival of refugees and asylum seekers in Ireland, the Department of An Taoiseach has convened a Senior Officials Group (SOG) which is currently discussing the issue of community engagement and communications on this issue. My Department is supporting the process to determine a...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Contracts (28 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Deputy, The International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) contracts the agreed capacity for an IPAS centre and this is specified in the individual contract. Payments under this agreement, inclusive of VAT, is made every four weeks for the number of beds specified in the contract. This amount is an all-inclusive sum in respect of provision of accommodation and all other services...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (1 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I will be bringing forward a set of amendments today in the Seanad to ensure the views of the domestic, sexual and gender-based violence providers are explicitly taken into account in terms of the determination of the rate of pay. That is the best way we can ensure those people-----

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (1 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: -----who are working on the front line, such as Women's Aid and the groups the Deputy referred to, will be able to influence the decision taken on the rate of pay.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (1 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Those amendments will be made in the Seanad today.

Seanad: Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (1 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank Senators for their contributions. We had significant discussions about this issue on Committee Stage, which was very useful. A number of amendments were put forward by the Opposition and there were a number of contributions from Government colleagues. I reflected on that and, as such, have brought forward two amendments today. It is important to say what is not in the Bill. A...

Seanad: Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (1 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Senator. I can assure him there is no less passion on this side of the House in terms of the delivery of this Bill. I want to make it very clear on my behalf that in the programme for Government there was a commitment to look at the issue of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence leave. We have taken that commitment and advanced it to a stage whereby we are going to...

Seanad: Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (1 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: It does fix the Bill.

Seanad: Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (1 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: It ensures those who have the most understanding about this issue are able to feed directly to the Minister in terms of a decision the Minister makes. I believe that will allow us to ensure that, when this rate is set, it does deliver. The rate that is set will in no way undermine the overall goal of this legislation, which is to deliver for victims of domestic violence. I believe this is...

Seanad: Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (1 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: As I said in the context of the last debate, during Committee Stage we had a very extensive debate about the rate of pay issue and a number of Senators raised issues and expressed concerns about rates being set at a rate lower than 100%, the potential impact that could have on uptake and, most importantly, recognising, as we do now, the specific nature of coercive control and the degree of...

Seanad: Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (1 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Senators for their contributions. What the amendments the Government brings forward today do is ensure that the knowledge and information about the specific impact, in particular in the case of coercive control in terms of control over bank accounts and knowledge of income a victim of DSGBV is receiving, are used to make sure they can be central to a decision taken on the rate....

Seanad: Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (1 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: This amendment seeks to substitute the term "in loco parentis" with the phrase "providing parental care" and support. The term "in loco parentis" is used elsewhere in this legislation. Having taken advice on this, we are satisfied that the current wording will cover foster care arrangements. The current wording is sufficient regarding foster care which was raised on Committee Stage. More...

Seanad: Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (1 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Section 8 inserts a new Part IIA into the Parental Leave Act 1998 to provide a right to request flexible working for parents and carers. The proposed amendments would amend the new section 13B which provides for the range of persons for whom the leave can be taken. Part IIA has been carefully drafted to ensure that the directive is correctly transposed and provides the right to parents and...

Seanad: Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (1 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I understand what the Senators are trying to do here but I genuinely do not believe it is needed because of the other provisions of the Bill. The Senators are trying to amend the age limits for a child with a disability or long-term illness for which a request for a flexible working arrangement can be made. The age limits for relevant parents to request flexible working arrangements for...

Seanad: Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (1 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The entitlement to many forms of family leave requires a minimum period of employment. For parental leave and carers' leave, for example, there is a minimum period of one year, while for statutory sick leave a period of 13 weeks of continuous service is required. Indeed, the work-life balance directive does envisage a notice period for flexible working arrangements. I understand what the...

Seanad: Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (1 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The new section 13C to be inserted into the Parental Leave Act sets out the obligations on an employer to consider a request for flexible working and the process and time limits to be followed. The provision sets out that an employer must consider his or her own needs and the employee's needs. I appreciate that the amendment is seeking to add more detail to this point but there is a risk...

Seanad: Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (1 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: These amendments seek to amend the process around termination due to seasonal variations in the volume of work. We had a good discussion about this with Senator Higgins on Committee Stage. I set out my view as to why these amendments are unnecessary at that point. The provisions of the Bill do not preclude employees from making a request for a follow-on flexible or remote working...

Seanad: Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (1 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: As previously discussed the new subsection (13)(h) inserts a review clause for provisions under the new Part 2A of the Parental Leave Act 1998. We discussed this on Committee Stage. I know Senator Black was not here, but she was ably represented by her colleague on this issue. I have brought amendments which make explicit in the legislation that the review will include a consideration of...

Seanad: Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (1 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I hope the Senator is here too, and not in the other House. I wish her the best on retaining her seat in the Seanad for as long as she would like. That would make me very happy indeed, as she is my beloved constituency colleague. It is important that we mark where we want to go, and that is where I want to go too. The point at which flexible and remote working interlock was agreed between...