Results 9,541-9,560 of 11,817 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Youth Services (28 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department provides funding to the sixteen Education and Training Boards (ETBs) for the provision of local youth services. The two key funding streams under which support may be available for the establishment of a new youth club or youth café, are the UBU scheme, which funds youth worker led targeted youth services, and the Local Youth Club Grant Scheme, which supports volunteer...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Asylum Seekers (28 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 101, 102 and 103 together. The Department does not release data with respect to potential IPAS accommodation offers for security reasons and as a matter of operational policy. The International Protection Procurement Service (IPPS) carefully appraises each property that is offered for use as accommodation for International Protection (IP) applicants before...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Contracts (28 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Bespoke Panel Agreement for the Provision of Accommodation Services and Related Services for Persons Seeking International Protection was published on 4th October 2022. The evaluation established two panels from which contracts are awarded based on: a) singles and couples in settings with communal facilities, and b) self-contained own door units for families. Applicants must...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child and Family Agency (28 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Birth Information and Tracing Act 2022 provides for the release of an individual's birth and early life information where records of it exists. Tusla and the Adoption Authority of Ireland hold the vast majority of records pertaining to the birth and early life of relevant persons under the Act, but more are being identified and transferred into the care of the Authority on an ongoing...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (28 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The National Action Plan for Childminding 2021-2028 commits to opening the National Childcare Scheme to families that use childminders at the earliest possible opportunity, though it will be necessary first to amend the Child Care Act 1991, to develop and introduce childminder-specific regulations, and to give childminders adequate time and support to meet regulatory requirements. The...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Asylum Seekers (28 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department has updated its reunification protocol due to the mounting challenges in procuring additional accommodation places for new arrivals into Ireland. The updated reunification protocol seeks to maximise the availability of beds in the system while also acknowledging the exceptional need of certain individuals. People can request to move into a room of existing contacts if there is a...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child Safety (28 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: A key recommendation of Justice Dr Geoffrey Shannon’s Independent review report on the handling of past complaints of abuse in St John Ambulance, which was published on March 16th 2023, was for the appointment of a National Safeguarding officer to the St. John Ambulance Ireland organisation. This matter continues to be under consideration by my department. The issues identified by...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Contracts (28 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 111 and 112 together. International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) contracts do not contain a "cooling off" period, and therefore, no contract has been cancelled during such a period from 2020 to date. Department officials are working tirelessly to bring more bed spaces into use, and since January 2022 have brought over 200 properties into use to...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (28 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 113 and 114 together. Cork City Childcare Committee, funded by my Department, has been engaging with this service since the service took over this location and will be offering assistance on options for funding and wider supports. With regard to the broader question of early learning and childcare supply in Cork City and elsewhere, a range of steps are...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Youth Services (28 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department provides grant funding youth organisations to support a broad range of youth services which are delivered by both paid youth workers and volunteers. The youth workers and other staff involved in youth services are employed directly by the organisation in receipt of funding. My Department does not have a role in determining salaries, which vary according to the individual...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (29 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Every effort has been made to carefully design Core Funding to achieve high levels of participation by providers. 95% of providers participated in year 1 of the scheme and to date, 94% or over 4,300 providers have signed up for Core Funding Year 2, with applications still open. 98% of all not for profit services and 93% of all for profit services have signed up. There are more...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Youth Work Supports (29 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I was very pleased to secure an additional €1 million in the Budget to support the Targeted Youth Employability Support Initiative, or TYESI, in 2024. The aim of this important scheme is to engage and support harder to reach young people, aged from 15 to 24, who are not in employment, education, or training. The focused interventions are intended to provide community-based...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Asylum Seekers (29 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department is currently accommodating over 100,000 people between those fleeing Ukraine and International Protection (IP) applicants. This includes over 75,000 Ukrainian people who have sought accommodation from the State and over 27,000 IP applicants currently in International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) accommodation. As at 27 February, 1,480 adult males have presented...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Mother and Baby Homes (29 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 92, 110 and 128 together. The Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme will open for applications on 20 March. A dedicated webpage is now live at www.gov.ie/paymentscheme, which contains information on how people will be able to apply to the Payment Scheme, and what information applicants will need. Once the Scheme opens, the Payment Scheme Office will...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Family Resource Centres (29 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: As the Deputy will be aware, the Child and Family Agency, Tusla administers the Family Resource Centre programme, funding 121 Family Resource Centres (FRC). Where possible I make it a point to engage with FRC, they play a pivotal role for so many communities across the country providing a comprehensive range of services tailored to individual community needs. My Department allocates core...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (29 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I am advised that a Department official attempted to make contact by phone with the Deputy unsuccessfully on Monday 19 February. The official followed up via email directly the same day, to which the Deputy responded providing additional information necessary to pursue the inquiry within the Department. Following several email exchanges, I am further advised that a Department official...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (29 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Significant progress has been made in advancing plans for a dedicated state agency for early learning childcare. It is envisaged that this dedicated agency will undertake the functions currently carried out by Pobal Early Years (including Better Start), the 30 City/County Childcare Committees (CCC), as well as operational functions currently undertaken by my Department. My Department...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Youth Services (29 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Budget 2024 allocation for youth services is €77.95 million, an increase of 26% in youth service funding since 20220. This funding includes the following schemes which support the establishment of additional youth services: the Youth Service Grant Scheme (YSGS) provides funding to a range of national and regional universal youth services. The YSGS is being expanded in 2024 to...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child and Family Agency (29 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Section 3 of the Child Care Act 1991 places a statutory responsibility on Tusla to promote the welfare of children who are not receiving adequate care and protection. Tusla carry out assessments on the information received regarding children and young people to determine any risk and assess the child and family’s situation, and provides appropriate social work intervention and family...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Health Strategies (29 Feb 2024)

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