Results 7,361-7,380 of 11,754 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

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

Roderic O'Gorman: Significant advances have been made in recent years to address inequality in Irish society, with the Government’s commitment to fostering a diverse, inclusive and equal society re-affirmed through the Programme for Government commitments to achieve social solidarity, equality of opportunity and economic equity for all. My Department leads on cross-government policy to promote...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 13 and 20 together. The Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022 includes provisions which will introduce 5 days paid domestic violence leave in a 12 month period. The Bill has passed all stages in Dáil Éireann and in the Seanad and will be signed into law by the President. Once enacted, Ireland will become one of the first...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Family Resource Centres (30 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Thank you Deputy for your question, this is an area of interest for me, I know you have raised this directly with me on a number of occasions. The work that Family Resource Centres do is vital to so many families, vulnerable people and in many instances recent arrivals to our country. The Government greatly appreciates the work of Family Resource Centres funded by Tusla, the Child and Family...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: The situation in Citywest remains under constant review. The number of international protection applicants seeking accommodation from the State remains at elevated levels. As of 26 March, 2,475 persons requested International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) accommodation so far in 2023. As at 26 March, there are over 20,200 people accommodated by IPAS compared to 10,000 at this...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: Wardship is a disempowering system that places a third party’s assessment of a person’s “best interests” above that person’s own will and preference. The Government is committed to the abolition of wardship and to replacing it with a more person-centred and rights-based model. The Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015 changes the existing law on...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Rights of People with Disabilities (30 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Ireland ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) on 20 March 2018 and our implementation of the Convention is monitored by the UN Committee through the review of periodic state reports. Ireland submitted our first implementation report to the UN Committee in 2021. The UNCRPD Optional Protocol creates important additional mechanisms through...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: The Minister of State, Anne Rabbitte T.D., and the Health Service Executive, recognise that respite services provide valuable supports to families across the country. With regard to CHO 4 in particular, I am advised that there are regional children’s and adults respite fora in place. A Regional Children’s Respite Forum was established in 2022. The Forum Committee manages...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (30 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The availability of high-quality early learning and childcare that is affordable and accessible is a key Government priority and my Department relies on a number of data sources to monitor supply and demand. The annual data captured by Pobal on behalf of my Department - through the Early Years Sector Profile Survey - is one important data source that allows us to monitor supply and...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: Firstly, it is important to note that children do not require an Assessment of Need (AON) to access health services and parents may refer their child directly to their local Children’s Disability Network Team (CDNT). AONs carried out under the Disability Act 2005 are multidisciplinary assessments, rather than an assessment under one discipline. There are 4,613 applications for an...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (30 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Ensuring high quality early learning and childcare is accessible and affordable is a key priority for me and there are a number of funding programmes available through my Department that seek to improve capacity. The new Core Funding scheme has a range of objectives that includes capacity growth. Though this scheme is only in place since 15 September 2022, initial analysis shows that there...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: The Youth Work Act 2001 defines youth work in terms of it being a planned programme of education designed for the purpose of aiding and enhancing the personal and social development of young persons through their voluntary participation. My Department provides grant funding to support a range of youth services which are delivered by youth organisations and carried out by both paid youth...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Direct Provision System (30 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 27 and 30 together. Since publishing A White Paper to End Direct Provision and to establish a New International Protection Support Service, my Department has placed a significant focus and drive on delivering these reforms. Implementation of the White Paper began with the appointment of dedicated staff – a ‘Transition Team’...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: The National Review Panel (NRP) for the investigation of serious incidents including the deaths of children in care and known to the child protection service was set up in 2010 as part of the Implementation Plan associated with the Report of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse (2009) (Ryan Report) to review deaths and serious incidents of children in care. I can confirm that 23 deaths...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Mother and Baby Homes (30 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Consultation with survivors and relative groups was an important part of development of the Institutional Burials Act 2022. After taking Office I visited the site of the former Mother and Baby institution in Tuam, Co. Galway, and met with survivors and relatives of those who died while resident there. I carefully considered the issues raised by them in the development of the Act, which...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: Deputy, I can confirm that there are no delays in payment to International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) providers who provide accommodation to international protection applicants/asylum seekers. My Department has no information to suggest that any provider is removing the provision of their accommodation due to a failure to enure prompt payment. In relation to payments to...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department provides some €73 million in current funding to support a range of youth services and opportunities which are delivered by youth organisations and carried out by both paid youth workers and volunteers. My Department has no role in the setting of pay scales or other matters that belong properly to the individual employer. The youth workers involved are employed directly by...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: The Birth Information and Tracing Act was signed into law on 30 June 2022, all services established under the Act are open to applications since 03 October. As of Monday 27 March a total of 7,526 applications for information have been received by he Child and Family Agency, Tusla and the Adoption Authority of Ireland (AAI), with over half of that total being received within two weeks of...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: The Children First Act 2015, which was fully commenced in December 2017, provides for a number of key child protection measures, including raising awareness of child abuse and neglect, providing for mandated reporting of child protection concerns and improving child protection arrangements in organisations providing services to children. The Act places specific obligations on particular...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (30 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department successfully secured €70 million under the revised National Development Plan allocation for the Building Blocks Capital Programme. The Building Blocks Capital Programme includes three Pillars: - An Improvement Grant to improve energy efficiency standards, while also supporting the continuous improvement of the physical environment of services. The closing date for this...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Family Resource Centres (30 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, administers the Family Resource Centre (FRC) Programme which provides funding support to 121 FRCs across the country. My Department allocates core funding for the FRC Programme and, since 2019, an additional €1.5m has been provided in funding, which has meant that yearly funding has amounted to €18m for this programme rising to over...