Results 9,701-9,720 of 11,819 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (20 Mar 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department and all Government will continue to engage with the Deputy and the other Drogheda TDs about supporting the immediate needs within Drogheda of the business community and looking to support the move of other hotels back into the tourism sector. The Deputy is absolutely right about the difficulties the current approach necessitates whether it is the use of hotel accommodation or...

Accommodation for International Protection Applicants: Motion [Private Members] (21 Mar 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Ireland has long stood by the principle in international and European law that those who need to seek refuge must be afforded the right to do so humanely, fairly and according to the rules of the international system that we strive to uphold. Recent years have seen an unprecedented combination of contributory factors — some one-off, others due to fundamental shifts in migration...

Accommodation for International Protection Applicants: Motion [Private Members] (21 Mar 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: We plan ahead to ensure-----

Accommodation for International Protection Applicants: Motion [Private Members] (21 Mar 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: We plan ahead so we can ensure there will be beds available for families with children in the coming weeks and it would be grossly irresponsible for us not to do so. Deputy Cairns spoke about beds in the Ukrainian system, as if it is interchangeable with the international protection system. After 24 months, it is deeply frustrating for me to hear Deputies saying that the two systems are...

Accommodation for International Protection Applicants: Motion [Private Members] (21 Mar 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Deputies know well that it is not possible to demand that somebody who has a Ukrainian accommodation contract takes international protection applicants.

Accommodation for International Protection Applicants: Motion [Private Members] (21 Mar 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: It is not possible. We are actively engaging-----

Accommodation for International Protection Applicants: Motion [Private Members] (21 Mar 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Social Democrats have 40 minutes; I have ten. I ask the Deputy to let me finish my point. We have been actively engaging with providers on the Ukrainian side seeking that they transfer to the international protection side. We have had some successes in that and will continue to do that but this notion that there are 3,000 easy beds there that we can remove-----

Accommodation for International Protection Applicants: Motion [Private Members] (21 Mar 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Deputy implied that this was something that was easily done.

Accommodation for International Protection Applicants: Motion [Private Members] (21 Mar 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: We have major challenges on the accommodation front and it is not helpful when people pretend there are easy solutions to address this. There are no easy solutions; if there were, there would not be people left unaccommodated right now. I want to thank, as I always do when we discuss migration, the many Deputies in government and opposition, both party members and Independents, who work...

Accommodation for International Protection Applicants: Motion [Private Members] (21 Mar 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: There is asbestos.

Accommodation for International Protection Applicants: Motion [Private Members] (21 Mar 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: There was. It was all there.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (20 Mar 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department cannot comment on individual properties or contractual arrangements due to the commercially sensitive nature of such details. Ukraine Division is open to renewing all contracts currently in place, subject to all contractual requirements and procurement criteria being met. These contracts are being renewed on an ongoing basis and officials in the Contracts Team in my Department...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Direct Provision System (20 Mar 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1079 and 1080 together. There are nearly 28,000 people accommodated in the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) system as a whole (of whom over 6,000 are children) compared with nearly 20,000 people at this time last year. Together with Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection displaced by the war in Ukraine, this means that Ireland is now...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (20 Mar 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: As the Deputy may be aware, there are currently two dedicated Reception and Orientation Centres (ROCs), used for accommodating beneficiaries of the Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP). These centres are located at Clonea Strand, Dungarvan, Co. Waterford and Ballaghaderreen, Co. Roscommon. Further reception spaces are allocated to IRPP beneficiaries in Mosney Village, Co. Meath. ...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: An Garda Síochána (20 Mar 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Department of Children; Equality; Disability; Integration and Youth's Facilities Management Unit contacted An Garda Síochána on 19th January 2023 following a verbal threat via the telephone made to Departmental staff in the Minister's Office. The threat was to cause damage to Miesian Plaza. On two separate occasions, the assistance of An Garda Síochána has been...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (20 Mar 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy for this question. A response will be provided directly to the Deputy in the coming days. The Deputy may wish to be aware that the Community Engagement Team has been established within my Department which stands ready to respond to queries of this nature, and they may be contacted directly at community@equality.gov.ie

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (20 Mar 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I understand that the Local Authority is examining possible ways to bring a premises back into use in the area, including for use as a community hotel. The Deputy will be advised of progress as it is made. As previously stated, a whole of government humanitarian response to the war in Ukraine and the increase in those seeking International Protection is ongoing, and a range of measures...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (20 Mar 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1088, 1137 and 1171 together. The Department of Integration does not collate current vacant beds by county due to the variable nature of the data which changes on an hourly basis. I can update the Deputy that the usable capacity available in the system over the last number of weeks has ranged between approximately 200 and 500 beds across 280 centers. This...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (20 Mar 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: In response to the recent extreme weather, the Department of Integration provided temporary shelter for International Protection (IP) applicants who had been rough sleeping. This was done at a number of locations, some of which were night-time only. The arrangements were emergency in nature and ended after the 3rd March 2024. It is important to note that recent commentary related to...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Parliamentary Questions (20 Mar 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I can confirm that across my entire Department the number of parliamentary questions forwarded by my officials to Tusla that are awaiting response, currently stands at 17, of these 8 are from Deputy Tóibín.