Results 10,921-10,940 of 11,997 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: International Protection (2 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: To respond to Deputy Connolly, the process is to provide a core of 13,000 State-owned beds between now and the end of 2028. That is what is set out in the comprehensive accommodation policy and that will be done through building on State land and purchasing sites. That will bring us to that capacity. I have set out the work we are doing on State land. Part of that State land is the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services (2 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The introduction of core funding in 2022 brought a significant increase in investment for the sector. A sum of €259 million in funding was paid directly into services in year one of the scheme, of which €210.8 million was entirely new funding. This funding, which increased by 11% to €287 million in year two, increased again by 15% in year three to €331 million. ...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services (2 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The core funding model has been tweaked quite significantly between years one and three. In year one, funding was allocated according to the number of hours and the number of children that a service had but we recognised after year one that smaller services were disadvantaged by that. In year two, we brought in two changes. We brought in a minimum floor of core funding below which no...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services (2 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I really enjoyed my trip to the Waterford Childcare Centre and the beautiful poster I received from the children and staff there with the handprints on it has pride of place in my office. We will have the opportunity in the general election to really tease out issue of the degree of State involvement in the provision of childcare because I recognise parental choice is really important...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Parental Leave (2 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy. There have been significant developments in the entitlements to family leaves and working family payments in recent years. The Government committed in the programme for Government to supporting parents, including by extending paid leave for parents to allow them to spend more time with their baby during the first year. Under the Parent’s Leave and Benefit Act...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Parental Leave (2 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: This type of leave has always been seen as leave pertaining to the parent rather than to the child, as the Deputy described it. That is not to say additional types of leave could not be introduced looking specifically at the needs of one-parent families. This leave is designed to recognise a situation where there is a one-parent family as the result of maybe a relationship breakdown, and it...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Parental Leave (2 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: It would probably be addressed through something bespoke for that group of parents rather than through a change to parent's leave. The process for parent's leave is a good one and works well. I would like to see it grow. As we know, the rate of parent's leave has grown by €15. I hope to see the take-up increase in the years to come. I believe that one of the reasons take-up is...

Financial Resolutions 2024 - Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed) (2 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I begin by recognising the huge work done by the Ministers, Deputies Donohoe and Chambers, and their teams over the last months in delivering budget 2025, the fifth and final budget of this Government. The delivery of this final budget gives us a moment to reflect. When the Green Party contested the election in 2020, we did so proposing a manifesto entitled Towards 2030: A decade of change....

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Special Educational Needs (2 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The issues raised by the Deputy do not fall under the remit of my Department or the HSE provided service under its remit, which is the Children’s Disability Network Teams (CDNTs). The question pertains to a range of services beyond HSE provisioned therapy services. These include including music, literacy and numeracy, and counselling supports. The question also relates to support...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (2 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: State investment in early learning and childcare has increased by 72% since the Programme for Government was published. The First 5 investment target set in 2018 was achieved in 2023 - five years early. In 2025, State investment will be €1.37 billion. The State is not the employer and therefore does not set the pay or conditions for employees in the sector However, there is ,...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (2 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department has not undertaken a detailed analysis of the proposal outlined. However, I can provide some information on relevant issues for consideration. My Department estimates that the annual wage bill for the sector is €1.041 billion. This includes employers' costs - such as PRSI & holiday pay - and wages for ancillary staff. The Independent Review of Costs...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Disability Services (2 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The government are aware of the difficulties faced by the families of children with complex needs and is continuing to implement positive changes to help children access therapy and services. Children’s disability services are provided based on the presenting needs of the child rather than by their diagnosis. These services are provided by 93 Children’s Disability Network...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (2 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Core Funding scheme administrator collects data in regions, which are connected to local City or County Childcare Committees. The two regions in Cork used are Cork City and Cork County. For the current programme year, no services in either Cork City or Cork County have withdrawn from Core Funding and, as of 30 September, 95% of services in Cork City and 92% of services in Cork County...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Disability Services (2 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I wish to thank the Deputy for raising this matter. Budgetary Measures: The HSE advises that Community Healthcare Organisation, CHO4, Cork Kerry Disability Services, received an increase of €61 million to the budget in the period 2020 to May 2024. This figure was allocated to both adult and children services. Cork Kerry Disability Services provide services for over 13,000 people...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Disabilities Assessments (2 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Both the Government and the HSE remain committed to the delivery of appropriate services for children with disabilities and will work with families and staff to develop services that meet their needs. I acknowledge the delays in accessing Assessments of Need (AONs) and therapy interventions, directly related to vacancies across the Children’s Disability Network Teams (CDNTs). Work...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (2 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: All Early Years services are required by law to register with Tusla. Registered providers are required to notify Tusla in writing of the closure of a service not later than 28 days after the closure. The register is updated monthly, in arrears, by Tusla. In total, at the end of August 2024 there was a combined number of 5,043 preschool and stand-alone school-age childcare (SAC) services...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Projects (2 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: In March 2022 Government approved high level proposals for the National Centre for Research and Remembrance, to be located on the site of the former Magdalen Laundry in Sean McDermott Street, Dublin 1. The National Centre will comprise: a museum and exhibition space, to be led by the National Museum of Ireland; a research centre and repository of records related to institutional trauma in...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (2 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Ireland has a legal obligation to meet the temporary accommodation needs of people newly arrived in Ireland seeking international protection and International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) centres are established for this specific purpose. I support and I will always defend that process because it is important that people who are fleeing war and conflict have the ability to find...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (2 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Some €89 million has been allocated to the sector over the period 2023-2026 under the revised National Development Plan. This will enable significant capital investment in early learning and childcare. My Department’s Building Blocks Capacity Grant scheme, which is operating over 2024 and 2025, will support services to increase capacity through two strands, the Expansion Scheme,...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (2 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department has not conducted a socioeconomic impact assessment in relation to the Accommodation Recognition Payment (ARP) scheme. However, before considering extending the scheme, which ends in March 2025, my Department consulted its key pledge stakeholders; the Irish Red Cross, the International Organisation for Migration and the Local Government Management Agency, via survey and...