Results 7,341-7,360 of 11,754 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Disability Services (30 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: As Deputy McAuliffe knows, CHO9 also covers my area. The children's disability network teams in CHO9 were fully established in late September 2021, with 12 CDNTs in place across the CHO. There are currently 283 posts assigned across the CDNTs in CHO9. This is the whole-time equivalent allocation for the area. Figures up to last month indicate approximately 194 posts were filled across the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Disability Services (30 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank Deputy McAuliffe. He is absolutely right that it is deeply concerning. It is deeply concerning for me as a constituency Deputy to know these figures. On Monday we had a good discussion at the Cabinet committee on health about the issue and longer-term solutions for greater recruitment of staff, particularly opening up more places in third level institutions on courses to do with...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Disability Services (30 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputies. I understand the very real focus this issue has for so many Deputies. The numbers that Deputy Ó Cathasaigh requested for his CHO are deeply concerning. Of 192 positions that are provided 111 are filled at present with 81 unfilled. This is a 42% vacancy rate. It is even higher than what we discussed earlier and it is deeply disturbing. It is having a very real...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Child and Family Agency (30 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, tries to ensure the best outcome for children, families, individuals and communities by listening to feedback and complaints through its Tell Us portal, which is available to all. In 2021, there were 598 complaints, in 2022, there were 749 and in 2023 to date, there have been 201 complaints. To note, in 2021, Tusla received 73,000 referrals and in 2022,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Child and Family Agency (30 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Absolutely. In the first instance, with Tusla appearing before the Joint Committee on Children, Disability, Equality and Integration, of which Deputy Funchion is Chair, soon-----

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Child and Family Agency (30 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: -----there will perhaps be an opportunity to explore this matter directly with its representatives in more detail. I am certainly happy. As the Deputy knows, I have a quarterly meeting with Tusla. Perhaps I could raise that specific issue with HIQA at the next quarterly meeting and continue that discussion. It is positive to see that some of these complaints are being resolved at a...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Child and Family Agency (30 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: It is very important that people feel free to make those complaints. As the Deputy knows, whenever there is an issue in terms of the engagement of Tusla with the relationship between a parent and child, it does create an element of stress. The fact that there are a growing number of complaints means that people feel that even if they have an issue, they need not worry about retaliation or...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Early Childhood Care and Education (30 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: As the Deputy knows, the ECCE programme provides free universal preschool care to children in the eligible age range. The programme is provided for three hours per day, five days per week over 38 weeks each year. The programme year runs from the end of August to the following June in line with the primary school year. Data provided by Pobal, which administrates the ECCE programme on behalf...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Early Childhood Care and Education (30 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I would like to have more time because there is a good bit in there. In last year's budget, we put in place €250 million in core funding. The purpose of this new money is to support services to allow them to pay their staff better and deal with a wider range of financial issues they encounter. All services, including ECCE-only services, receive that money. I know that small...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (30 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: We discussed this issue ourselves yesterday. I recognise that there are delays and that these delays are ongoing. There is a backlog. In order to address that backlog, we have taken a number of steps within the Department to automate the processing of the significant number of invoices on hand. About 800 invoices come in on a weekly basis. Most importantly, additional staff are being put...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Schemes (29 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 137 and 138 together. The National Childcare Scheme income assessment system is a complex and multi-faceted tool to support a fair an progressive approach to calculation subsidies. Models to support calculations arising from parameter changes to the income assessment system are equally complex. Officials in my Department are currently assessing the change in...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Rights of the Child (29 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: This is a matter for my cabinet colleague, the Minister for Justice.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Missing Children (29 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Under EU telecoms rules agreed in 2009, the 116 000 number is reserved in all EU member states for a missing children hotline. In Ireland, the 116 000 Missing Children Hotline (MCH) number is operated by the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC). The MCH is not an emergency number but is available to provide emotional support and advice to young people and adults in...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Mother and Baby Homes (29 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I am very conscious of the hurt that continues to be felt by survivors and family members of the people who died while resident in Mother and Baby institutions. One of the most tragic aspects of what happened in the former institution in Bessborough is the uncertainty regarding the burial place of many children who were resident there. The investigation of burial arrangements in Mother...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (29 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Ireland has responded to the largest displacement of people on the European continent since the Second World War. Since February 2022, my Department has worked to accommodate an unprecedented volume of persons seeking refuge following the invasion of Ukraine with over 78,000 people arriving in Ireland, including 57,000 who have sought accommodation from this Department. Overseeing provision...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Rights of the Child (29 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: On 24 and 25 January 2023, I led a delegation of officials from relevant government departments for the hearing before the Committee on the Rights of the Child in Geneva. I was pleased to discuss in detail Ireland’s progress towards realising the rights of children and young people, and pleased to hear the views articulated by the Committee of independent experts that monitors...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (29 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: There are remedial works are being carried out currently in Dolcain House, Clondalkin, Dublin 22 to enable the property to receive a fire certificate for residential use. An application for a valid fire certificate for residential use has been applied for through the Local Authority. While the owners of the site continue to progress works on site, the timelines for approval on the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Emergency Accommodation (29 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Ireland has responded to the largest displacement of people on the European continent since the Second World War. Since February 2022, my Department has worked to accommodate an unprecedented volume of persons seeking refuge following the invasion of Ukraine with over 78,000 people arriving in Ireland, including 57,000 who have sought accommodation from this Department. Overseeing...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (29 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: It is the Government's intention that the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) will monitor permanent International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) centres against national standards as part of transitional arrangements for moving to the new model. It is important that compliance with the national standards should be measured through on-site assessment. Planning is well...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Tourist Accommodation (30 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) is encountering significant challenges currently in providing accommodation to the elevated arrival numbers of international protection applicants. IPAS is also experiencing an accommodation shortfall for current residents due to the impending loss of contracts with large hotel contractors. IPAS continues to rely on hotels for...