Results 7,561-7,580 of 11,754 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Reports (3 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 360 and 361 together. My Department is currently collating the information requested and a reply will issue directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Policies (3 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Programme for Government contains a commitment to legislate to ban conversion therapy. The National LGBTI Youth Strategy 2018 – 2020 and the National LGBTI+ Inclusion Strategy 2019 – 2021 contain commitments in relation to conversion therapy. The LGBTI+ National Youth Strategy provides for the prohibition of “the promotion or practice of conversion therapy by health...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (3 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department is prioritising maintaining a practice of more timely payments, including providing more resources to address any issues, and outsourcing of elements of the process to speed up processing and respond to supplier calls. Any delays in making payments are deeply regretted and my Department is according this issue very high priority. With regard to the service provider referred...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (3 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department is prioritising maintaining a practice of more timely payments, including providing more resources to address any issues, and outsourcing of elements of the process to speed up processing and to respond to supplier calls. Any delays in making payments are deeply regretted and my Department is according this issue very high priority. With regard to the service provider...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Youth Services (3 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I am in regular contact with the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform with regard to the funding for my Department and its aegis bodies. My Department funds over 600 organisations in the community and voluntary sector. The bulk of that funding is distributed through Tusla. Officials from my Department are in regular contact with officials in the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Youth Services (3 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department is making a significant investment in youth services in 2023, the full package of funding for youth services and programmes in my Department is €75 million. This includes €72.95 million for current funding and €2.7 million in capital funds for minor works, equipment, and contributions towards playgrounds with local authorities. From 2020 to Budget 2023,...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Disability Services (3 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: As this question refers to an operational matter I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (3 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Further to the PQ 15673 response of 3rd April. Remedial works have now been completed in Dolcain House and are awaiting sign off from the relevant authorities in the coming weeks. Once this has been attained, IPAS will once again accommodate International Protection Applicants (IPAs) in the property. There are currently almost 550 IPAs who remain unaccommodated by IPAS and the acute...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Correspondence (3 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The organisation referred to by the Deputy held a briefing event for Oireachtas members on 27 April. I attended this event along with other members of the Oireachtas. Representatives of this organisation, including the Chairperson of the Board and CEO, met with officials in my Department on 27 April, where the issues raised in the Oireachtas briefing were discussed. A reply to the...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Disability Services (10 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank Deputy O'Reilly for raising this important issue. At the outset, I want to state that myself and the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, recognise the very real impact that delays in receiving therapies or assessments have had for children and their families. Deputy O'Reilly has spoken powerfully about its impact on Alison, Mark and most importantly, on Ada. The progressing...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Disability Services (10 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy again for highlighting this issue. She speaks of the parents she has met in her constituency. I am in a neighbouring constituency and have also met parents who are equally frustrated and angry and understandably so. The key way to address this is to get more staff. We need to retain the staff we have and recruit more. That is why we have been working very closely with...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (9 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: There are two types of subsidies available under the National Childcare Scheme:Universal Subsidies are available to all families with children under 15 years old. This subsidy is not means tested and provides €1.40 per hour towards the cost of a registered childcare place for a maximum of 45 hours per week.Income Assessed Subsidies are available to families with children aged between...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (9 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I am very conscious of the need for improvement in pay and working conditions for practitioners in early learning and childcare services. The level of pay they receive does not reflect the value of the work they do for children, for families and for the wider society and economy. As the State does not employ staff in ELC and school-age childcare (SAC) services, I cannot set wage levels or...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Youth Services (9 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Targeted Youth Employability Support Initiative 2021 to 2022 was made available by my Department with the support of the Dormant Accounts Fund. The aim of the Initiative was to provide short-focused interventions to support young people to improve their confidence and encourage them to engage in a wide range of progressive routes to further education, training and employment. The...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Information and Communications Technology (9 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I wish to inform the Deputy that officials from the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) are not authorised to use the application (details supplied) to conduct business; DCEDIY has not had any official meetings to date regarding the use of the application by officials; DCEDIY has not assessed the risk of using the application by Department officials...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Emergency Accommodation (9 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department is prioritising maintaining a practice of more timely payments, including providing more resources to address any issues, and outsourcing of elements of the process to speed up processing and to respond to supplier calls. Any delays in making payments are deeply regretted and my Department is according this issue very high priority. With regard to the service provider...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Emergency Accommodation (9 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department is prioritising maintaining a practice of more timely payments, including providing more resources to address any issues, and outsourcing of elements of the process to speed up processing and to respond to supplier calls. Any delays in making payments are deeply regretted and my Department is according this issue very high priority. With regard to the service provider...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Parental Leave (9 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Parental Leave Act 1998 (as amended) provides parents with an entitlement of 26 weeks unpaid parental leave for each eligible child. The leave is available to a 'relevant parent' of a child, which is defined in the 1998 Act as a parent, an adoptive parent, or a person acting in ‘loco parentis’. There have been significant developments in the entitlements to family leaves...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (9 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 532 and 533 together. The public register of Core Funding Partner Services is available here: first5fundingmodel.gov.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Core-Fu nding-List-verified-18.04.23.pdf. The Deputy might note references to the service she refers to in the Partner Service list. All Core Funding Partner Services must operate their early learning and...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (9 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: As the Deputy is aware, last year, over 15,000 people arrived in Ireland seeking accommodation while their applications for international protection are processed by the International Protection Office (IPO). In the first seventeen weeks of 2023, almost 3,300 people have arrived seeking protection. In addition, the Department has had to re-accommodate over 2,500 people in situations...