Results 11,221-11,240 of 11,997 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (24 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Due to the complexity of the above scenario and its divergence from current resource modelling, this will require some time to gather data, construct a model and respond. Officials will revert to the Deputy directly as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: School Staff (24 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I firmly believe the level of pay for early years educators and school-age childcare practitioners should reflect the value of their work for children, families, society and the economy. The State is not the employer and therefore does not set the pay or conditions for employees in either early learning and care (ELC) or school-age childcare (SAC) services. However, there is now, through the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Budgets (24 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 295, 302 and 303 together. As the State does not employ staff in ELC and SAC services, neither I nor the Department can set wage levels or determine working conditions for staff in the sector. However, there is now, through the independent Joint Labour Committee (JLC) process, a formal mechanism established by which employer and employee representatives can...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Budgets (24 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: My officials have prepared an estimated cost of funding for public early childhood education and care services under the following assumptions: Assuming each service will deliver 60 places, 17 services will provide 1,020 places and 108 services will provide 6,480 places. These services will be staffed as per regulatory ratios, with provision for salaries at hourly rates stipulated by the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Budgets (24 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Deputy has requested the full year cost of extending the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme by 30 minutes per day and 1 hour per day. The ECCE Programme is currently provided for 3 hours per day across 38 weeks per year. In calculating the cost of these changes the total budget allocation for the ECCE programme for 2025 (€269.25 million) was used. The...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Budgets (24 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Due to the complexity of the above scenario and its divergence from current resource modelling, this will require some time to gather data, construct a model and respond. Officials will revert to the Deputy directly as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (24 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Deputy has requested the cost of increasing the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) Universal Subsidy so that a family pays no more than €200 per child for the maximum hours which is 45 hours per week. It is assumed that Deputy is referring to a monthly cost of no more than €200 per child. Due to the design of the NCS and its consideration for education stage rather than age,...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (24 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: In 2023, my Department delivered the 'Little Baby Bundle' pilot to 500 expectant families. These bundles provided approximately €500 worth of key items for parents and newborn children, for a per unit cost of only €220. A universal roll-out based on the pilot to every newborn child would have an initial full year running cost of €12.8m, based on 58,000 expectant...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (24 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The State is not the employer and therefore does not have an official register of staff working in the Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare sector. However, Pobal carry out the Annual Early Years Sector Profile Survey on behalf of my Department. This comprehensive survey of all Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School-Age Childcare (SAC) settings in the country is the primary...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (24 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School-Age Childcare (SAC) services differ considerably in terms of size, service offering, age of children cared for, opening hours, and so on. These factors influence the cost of delivery, and mean it is not possible to define an average service. For the purposes of this answer my officials have drawn on data provided by services as part of their...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Priorities (24 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Programme for Government committed to developing a successor to the Migrant Integration Strategy, which concluded in 2021. My Department is currently developing a new national strategy which will build on the momentum of its predecessor and address ongoing and emerging needs in supporting and promoting migrant integration in Ireland. It is intended to publish the new strategy in Q2 2025....

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (24 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Investment in Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Aged Childcare (SAC) is at unprecedented high levels. This investment provides for improved affordability for parents, capacity growth within the sector and provides additional supports for children and families who are experiencing disadvantage. Budget 2025 continues to augment this investment with funding amounting to €1.37...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Priorities (24 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Addressing inequalities affecting children requires a cross government response. That said my Department has taken steps to contribute to the addressing such inequalities. Young Ireland, the National Policy Framework for Children and Young People, which I launched in November last year, envisions an Ireland which fully respects and realises the rights of all children and young people. The...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Priorities (24 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 310, 313 and 314 together. As the Deputy is aware, statutory and operational responsibility for the delivery of child protection and welfare services is a matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. Tusla and An Garda Síochána are the two agencies in the state with statutory responsibility for assessing (Tusla) and investigating (An Garda...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Policies (24 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Children's rights, and their enjoyment of these rights, are of paramount importance to me, and indeed across Government. The importance of child-centred policies and protections represent a core value in society where children can flourish and see a brighter future. Ireland remains firmly committed to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), a major...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child and Family Agency (24 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Tusla has a statutory duty under the Child Care Act 1991 to promote the welfare of children who are not receiving adequate care and protection. In doing so, it relies heavily on individuals reporting concerns about children, in accordance with Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children 2017 and the Children First Act, 2015. Under the Children First Act,...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (6 Nov 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I am advised that my Department has no current offer for accommodation for Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) or International Protection applicants (IPs) at the property to which the Deputy refers. I am further advised that while this property was appraised in the past by the Technical Working group set up for purpose of prioritising buildings to be refurbished for...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (6 Nov 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The National Childcare Scheme (NCS) provides financial support to help reduce the cost of early learning and childcare for parents. A component of the Scheme is a Sponsorship referral which makes special provision for vulnerable children. The NCS Sponsorship arrangement allows designated bodies to refer children to the Scheme where childcare is needed on child welfare, protection, family...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Capital Expenditure Programme (6 Nov 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: This information is not immediately available. My Department is preparing a response and will contact the Deputy as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (6 Nov 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme, funded by my Department, provides universal, free pre-school to children within the eligible age range of 2 years and 8 months to 5 years and 6 months. In a limited number of circumstances, it is possible to apply for an exemption to the upper age limit of 5 years 6 months where a child has special/additional needs. An exemption has...