Results 8,981-9,000 of 11,817 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Mother and Baby Homes (14 Dec 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: In terms of our response to everybody who spent time, even one day, within a mother and baby home or county home institution, we have set out the action plan with a range of actions. The initial action was the State apology by An Taoiseach delivered in early 2021 to all people who spent any time in these institutions. In terms of other elements, however, as I said, the information and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Mother and Baby Homes (14 Dec 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The action plan the Government brought forward in response to the commission's report is directed at all survivors, irrespective of the time they spent in an institution. There are various elements to that action plan. The institutional payment scheme is one important element, but it is not the sole element in terms of the Government's response. I outlined in my earlier response to Deputy...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Direct Provision System (14 Dec 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: As of 5 December, just over 100,000 Ukrainian nationals have been granted temporary protection in Ireland. As the Deputy knows, we are accommodating approximately 75,000 of those in State-provided accommodation. We are also accommodating just over 26,000 people in the international protection system. In that context, the underlying assumptions upon which the initial White Paper was...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Direct Provision System (14 Dec 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: In the same way that a school must have a designated liaison person in terms of its implementation of Children First, so must IPAS centres which have children there. I am aware that not all of them have children there, but those that do have to require that. We have an officer in our Department making sure there is compliance with that because that is absolutely essential. I acknowledge...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Direct Provision System (14 Dec 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: In terms of the future obligation on the State to accommodate an increased number of protection applicants from what we were dealing with over the past ten years, I have been clear that I believe we need to have a much higher percentage of those applicants accommodated in State-owned accommodation. Where we have State-owned accommodation, we have better control over the conditions. We have...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Early Childhood Care and Education (14 Dec 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The award-winning access and inclusion model, AIM, has supported more than 27,000 children with a disability to access and meaningfully participate in the ECCE programme since it was first introduced in September 2016. A commitment to expand AIM beyond the ECCE programme was first made in the First 5 strategy. The fulfilment of this commitment is informed by an independent evaluation of...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Early Childhood Care and Education (14 Dec 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: What we are achieving with AIM is obviously very much focused on early years and allowing the greatest degree of integration possible in order that children are able to participate within the mainstream ECCE programme, initially just for three hours per day, five days a week, but subsequently increasing that according to the additional funding. Children with a physical, intellectual or...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Early Childhood Care and Education (14 Dec 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Deputy has raised this with me consistently over the past year. I am delighted to be able to say that earlier this week I announced pillar 2 of Building Blocks - the capacity grants. These are capital grants available to childcare providers, as the Deputy says, in the community and private sectors, to increase their capacity and grow the number of children they can provide services to....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Early Childhood Care and Education (14 Dec 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy very much. The capital grants are a key part of our ability to expand capacity. It is important to note that the core funding we have introduced is also being used to expand capacity. We have added money in each of the two years since it was initially introduced to allow for a growth in capacity. Many services are actually expanding capacity as a result of the extra...

An Bille um an Naoú Leasú is Tríocha ar an mBunreacht (An Teaghlach), 2023: An Dara Céim - Thirty-ninth Amendment of the Constitution (The Family) Bill 2023: Second Stage (14 Dec 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Tairgim: "Go léifear an Bille an Dara hUair anois." I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." Today, I am bringing before the House two Bills the aim of which is to update our Constitution to reflect the values of a modern, inclusive Ireland. Words are important. As the fundamental law of Ireland, the words in our Constitution are particularly important. They have...

An Bille um an Naoú Leasú is Tríocha ar an mBunreacht (An Teaghlach), 2023: An Dara Céim - Thirty-ninth Amendment of the Constitution (The Family) Bill 2023: Second Stage (14 Dec 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: It is a different context.

An Bille um an Naoú Leasú is Tríocha ar an mBunreacht (An Teaghlach), 2023: An Dara Céim - Thirty-ninth Amendment of the Constitution (The Family) Bill 2023: Second Stage (14 Dec 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: That is different legislation.

An Bille um an Naoú Leasú is Tríocha ar an mBunreacht (An Teaghlach), 2023: An Dara Céim - Thirty-ninth Amendment of the Constitution (The Family) Bill 2023: Second Stage (14 Dec 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank all the Deputies for their very valuable contributions to our discussion this afternoon. An amendment to the Constitution is not something to be taken lightly and any amendment can and will have an impact. The amendment proposed here will have the effect of granting the protections currently available to marital families to a wider cohort of family arrangements such as single...

An Bille um an Naoú Leasú is Tríocha ar an mBunreacht (An Teaghlach), 2023: An Dara Céim - Thirty-ninth Amendment of the Constitution (The Family) Bill 2023: Second Stage (14 Dec 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: There is that term "durable" in European law but Irish constitutional law can have a different meaning. Most importantly, the wording in the citizenship directive only refers to cohabitee relationships. We are very clear, when we are amending our Constitution to include durable relationships, that we are talking about cohabitee relationships and one-parent family relationships as well. We...

An Bille um an Naoú Leasú is Tríocha ar an mBunreacht (An Teaghlach), 2023: An Dara Céim - Thirty-ninth Amendment of the Constitution (The Family) Bill 2023: Second Stage (14 Dec 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Ceann Comhairle and would appreciate his latitude so that I can end on one point. A number of speakers spoke about the issue of stakeholders and that there is a wide range of interest in this. After I spoke with Deputies in terms of the Government announcement I engaged with stakeholders and let them know of the proposals being made. I committed very openly to further...

An Bille up an Daicheadú Leasú ar an mBunreacht (Cúram), 2023: An Dara Céim - Fortieth Amendment of the Constitution (Care) Bill 2023: Second Stage (14 Dec 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Tairgim: "Go léifear an Bille an Dara hUair anois." I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I am delighted to be able to introduce the second element of the Government’s proposal for these referendums - the Fortieth Amendment of the Constitution (Care) Bill 2023. In the years following independence in Ireland, women steadily found their right to equal citizenship and...

An Bille up an Daicheadú Leasú ar an mBunreacht (Cúram), 2023: An Dara Céim - Fortieth Amendment of the Constitution (Care) Bill 2023: Second Stage (14 Dec 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Chair and all the Deputies for the detailed consideration they have given to the two amendments before us. It is important at the start to restate the overarching aim of the proposed constitutional amendment, which is to update the Constitution so that it reflects our values as regards equality and the recognition of the valuable role both women and men play in all spheres of...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Housing Schemes (13 Dec 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I take it that the assistance scheme to which the Deputy refers is the Accommodation Recognition Payment scheme that was established in 2022 under Part 2 of the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022. It initially provided for a monthly recognition payment of €400 for hosting a Ukrainian beneficiary of temporary protection (BOTP). The rate was increased to €800 per month...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Policies (13 Dec 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department is involved in negotiations with a range of accommodation providers across Ireland, and has received an offer of accommodation from the provider to which the Deputy refers. This offer is being evaluated to determine if it meets my Department's requirements to support beneficiaries of temporary protection from Ukraine. Due to the commercial sensitivities involved, it is not...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Parental Leave (13 Dec 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Minister for Health leads on the Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Bill 2022 which includes provisions in relation to surrogacy and policy on parentage is a matter for the Minister for Justice. Entitlements to family leaves will be considered in the context of legislative proposals in the Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Bill 2022. I would like to bring to the attention of the...