Results 8,361-8,380 of 11,816 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Youth Services (28 Sep 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department is providing current funding of some €72.948 million in 2023 to support the delivery of youth services and projects. The Local Youth Club Grant Scheme, supports youth work activities at a local level by providing small grants to youth clubs and groups. €2.5 million has been made available for the Local Youth Club Grant Scheme this year. These grants are made...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (28 Sep 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I am advised by my officials that there are contractual arrangements inplace for 14 locations in County Kilkenny which accommodate Ukrainian Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection. Of these, five are provided on a self-catering basis and nine on a full-board basis. I am further advised that there are two locations in Co Kilkenny in use for the accommodation of international protection...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (28 Sep 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Some €69 million has been allocated over the period 2023-2025 to the early learning and childcare sector under the revised National Development Plan (NDP). This will enable significant capital investment in early learning and childcare across three pillars:Building Blocks - Improvement Grant;Building Blocks - Capacity Grant; andBuilding Blocks - Innovation Grant.Under the Building...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (28 Sep 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The availability of high-quality early learning and childcare that is affordable and accessible is a key Government priority. A key objective of First 5, the Whole-of-Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families is to 'maintain and extend the supply of high-quality publicly subsidised early learning and childcare to best serve the developmental needs of babies and...

Childcare Fees: Motion [Private Members] (3 Oct 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I move amendment No. 2: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "welcomes: — the extensive commitments by the Government to address long standing challenges in the early learning and childcare sector; — the increase to over €1 billion per annum in State funding for the sector this year, reaching the investment target set in...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: I have received the Pre-Budget Submission for Budget 2024 from the NYCI and its contents have been noted. Budget 2024 is currently being considered by Government in the context of the annual estimates process. As this is ongoing, the Deputy will appreciate that it would not be appropriate for me to comment further at this stage. As Minister, I have always championed for increases in youth...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: I wish to acknowledge the Deputy's question and to also acknowledge the recent correspondence addressed to me as Minister in relation to the individual concerned. Officials in my Department have had ongoing contact and meetings with Tusla on this case matter since last year. A response to the recent correspondence is being currently prioritised within my Department and will issue to the...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: I acknowledge that many early learning and care (ELC) and school-age childcare (SAC) services report staffing difficulties in relation to recruitment and retention. In general, staffing pressures in the sector are caused not by insufficient supply of qualified personnel, but by high levels of staff turnover. Providers of ELC and SAC are private businesses. As the State does not employ staff...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: Childminders must be registered with Tusla in order to offer the universal ECCE programme to children. Currently a large proportion of childminders are legally excluded from registration with Tusla, as a result of legal exemptions in the Child Care Act 1991, and therefore cannot offer the ECCE programme. The ECCE programme is restricted to children between the ages of 2 years 8 months at the...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: I expressed my disappointment that the FECP chose to pursue the action of requesting early learning and childcare providers to close from 26-28 September. I understand the FECP was the onlyrepresentative organisation supporting this action. The three day closure of services was unwarranted at a time when investment by the State in early learning and childcare is at an all-time high, having...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: In January 2021 Pobal, on behalf of my Department, invited Early Learning and Care and School Aged Childcare services to submit applications for fire safety capital funding of between €1,000 and €10,000 to cover remedial works required to receive a Fire Safety Certificate. As part of the application process, it was a requirement that all eligible expenditure would occur between...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 523 and 524 together. I am advised by my officials that the BOTP to which the Deputy refers was allocated accommodation with her mother in Waterford on arrival into Ireland. She chose to leave that accommodation and moved to accommodation in another part of the country for employment reasons. When that fell through, my officials allocated another accommodation...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: Each accommodation provider who has a contract with my Department to provide accommodation for Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) is required to notify my officials of any vacancies at the accommodation on a weekly basis. There is only one way to make such a notification and that is by sending a weekly register via email to a designated mailbox. Maximising the use of...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: As the subject matter of the Deputy's question relates to an operational matter for Tusla, I have referred the matter to them for a direct reply.

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

Roderic O'Gorman: This Government, for the first time, allocated more than €1 billion to early learning and childcare in 2023 – a clear demonstration from Government of the value of the sector. Over the past eight budgets, investment in early learning and childcare has risen from €260 million in 2015 to €1.025 billion in 2023, reaching the First 5 investment target 5 years ahead of...

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

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

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

Roderic O'Gorman: I can inform the Deputy that in the years 2017 to 2023 (to date), a total of 115 breaches were recorded by my Department, broken down as follows: 2017 –2 breaches. 2018 – 14 breaches. 2019 – 10 breaches. 2020 – 17 breaches. 2021 – 25 breaches. 2022 – 25 breaches. 2023 – 22 breaches to date. In relation to the information for the period 2013...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Ukraine War (3 Oct 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 534 and 535 together. I can confirm to the Deputy that currently there are 8,148 hosts in receipt of the Accommodation Recognition Payment in respect of 16,754 beneficiaries of temporary protection from Ukraine. However, this may not be the definitive number of beneficiaries from Ukraine who are currently residing with host families as some hosts may have...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (3 Oct 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Childminding Development Grants have been available to childminders since 2004 to help childminders enhance quality and safety in their service through the purchase of toys, childcare equipment, safety equipment, and equipment to support inclusion and learning. The National Action Plan for Childminding 2021 – 2028 committed to review and reform of the Grant. Following this...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (3 Oct 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The National Action Plan for Childminding 2021-2028 commits to extending regulation and supports to paid, non-relative childminders who work in their own homes over the coming years. The National Action Plan sets out a phased approach with a preparatory phase followed by an extended transition phase, to allow childminders a lead-in time for any requirements. This supportive, phased transition...