Results 981-1,000 of 11,700 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Legislative Programme (1 Dec 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: Addressing the factors behind the gender pay gap is a key commitment in the National Strategy for Women and Girls 2017-2020. It is a multi-faceted task involving a number of Government Departments and agencies. Tackling this issue is good for equality and it also makes good business sense, as firms that can report a low or non-existent gender pay gap will have an advantage in recruiting...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency (1 Dec 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The commissioning of family support services is an operational matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. It is the practice of my Department to request that Tusla respond directly to the Deputy on such operational matters. As the details supplied by the Deputy contain the personal data of a third party, this Department is unable to share this information with Tusla without the...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (1 Dec 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank both Senators for giving me the opportunity to provide an update on some of these matters. As they know, I received the report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes on 30 October. As Senator Fitzpatrick mentioned, the report has been years in the making and survivors want to see it published soon. I share that wish. It is important that this report be...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (1 Dec 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: I absolutely agree. I acknowledged during the debates on the database legislation that I had not done enough to engage with survivors. Since then, I have had approximately 40 calls with survivors, individuals and representative groups, which has given me a much greater perspective on the individual harm that was initially done in the mother and baby homes and how the treatment by the State...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services (2 Dec 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The minimum qualification requirement for early learning and care services came into effect on 31 December 2016, as stated in the Child Care Act (Early Years Services) Regulations 2016. These regulations stipulate that all staff working directly with children must hold a minimum of a Level 5 Major Award in Early Childhood Care and Education on the National Framework of Qualifications or a...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: National Traveller-Roma Integration Strategy (2 Dec 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Government's National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy (NTRIS) 2017 – 2021 represents a whole of Government approach to bring about meaningful change and progress for the Traveller and Roma community in Ireland. It brings Government Departments and Agencies together along with representatives of both Traveller and Roma communities to focus in a structured way on issues...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: City and County Child Care Committees (2 Dec 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 95 and 110 together. Officials of my Department are currently reviewing the Workplace Relations Commission's consideration of the pay rates of the managers of the City and County Childcare Committees (CCCs). The CCCs are one of the key support mechanisms of my Department, and I want to acknowledge the important role they play in providing vital...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Direct Provision System (2 Dec 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department has not bought or leased any housing in the area referred to by the Deputy. I can also tell the Deputy that there no plans or discussions to do so. Premises are sourced either through a full tender process which is administered through the Government’s Procurement Portal www.etenders.gov.ie or through responses to calls for expressions of interest, which are...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education (2 Dec 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The number of early learning services contracted to provide the Early Childhood Care and Education Programme (ECCE) programme per year since 2017 is as follows: Programme Year Total Services 2017/20184248 2018/20194269 2019/20204261 For the current programme year, 2020-2021 3,966 services have contracted up to November 30th and this number will likely increase as new services open throughout...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: National Childcare Scheme (2 Dec 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Sponsorship arrangement within the NCS to which the Deputy refers offers additional supports for families with complex needs. The need for a referral is a determination that the Sponsor Body must make based on the particular need of the child in line with the defined criteria of the NCS sponsorship programme. Once a child meets the criteria for sponsorship by a given Sponsor Body, the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education (2 Dec 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) is a programme of supports to enable children with a disability to access and fully participate in the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme. It includes 7 levels of progressive support, moving from the universal to the targeted. The degree of support provided depends on the needs of the child in the context of the pre-school setting they are...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (2 Dec 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 100 and 104 together. I am committed to strong and ongoing engagement with former residents of Mother and Baby Institutions and their advocates. The Collaborative Forum process, established by my predecessor as a representative advisory body on issues of priority for former residents, their families and supporters, was unfortunately interrupted by the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: National Childcare Scheme (2 Dec 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The National Childcare Scheme launched in November 2019. It represents the first statutory entitlement to supports for childcare costs in Ireland. 2,938 childcare providers are contracted to provide the NCS in their service. The introduction of the NCS removed the administrative burden from childcare providers of applying for childcare supports on a parent’s behalf. Parents now...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: National Childcare Scheme (2 Dec 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: There are a number of subsidy rates available under the National Childcare Scheme (NCS). The rate to which the Deputy refers is the maximum subsidy rate available for school age children. Higher subsidies are available for younger children, to reflect the higher cost of providing childcare for them because of the higher adult-child ratios required by Regulations. Subsidies range from...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services (2 Dec 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department has, in the past, provided limited subsidies to cover part of the cost of transport from school to after school childcare. These subsidies were available to qualifying children on the Training and Employment Childcare (TEC) programme. The TEC programme closed to new applicants in February 2020. Children receiving subsidies under the TEC programme may remain on TEC until...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Domestic Violence Services (2 Dec 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The response to Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence (DSGBV) is a cross Departmental and multi-agency issue. Policy is coordinated by the Department of Justice and Equality (DJE). Under the Child and Family Agency Act, 2013, Tusla, the Child and Family Agency has statutory responsibility for the care and protection of victims of DSGBV. I have asked Tusla to respond directly on...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Data Protection (2 Dec 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The recommendations from the Clann project that I received on 23 November 2020 are very extensive. They span several major areas, including detailed proposals on information and tracing legislation, proposals to amend legislation under the remit of other Government Departments, and proposals in relation to the administrative structures of the office of the Data Protection Commissioner. To the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Foster Care (2 Dec 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, supports over 90% of children in state care by placing them with foster carers. Tusla is recruiting foster carers, on an ongoing basis, to meet the need for placements for children who need emergency, respite and long term care in a family setting. In October of this year Tusla completed an annual national campaign aimed at raising awareness and...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (2 Dec 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: As the Deputy will appreciated, I have no direct role in operational matters for Tusla. I have however referred the Deputy's question to Tusla for a direct reply.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Direct Provision System (2 Dec 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Deputy may be aware that I announced last week that a new accommodation centre will open in Letterkenny in January 2021. The accommodation consists of 60 apartments of 2 and 3 bedroom self-contained units, enabling residents moving to them to have own door accommodation. The accommodation centre will initially become home for families who have been identified to move from existing...