Results 11,341-11,360 of 11,997 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child and Family Agency (22 Jan 2025)

Roderic O'Gorman: Thank you Deputy for your question relating to services provided by Tusla at a HSE facility in Garranes, Carrigtwohill, County Cork. I have made contact with Tusla, the Child and Family Agency and Tusla has informed me that they do not provide services from a facility in Garranes. Tusla has made enquiries with the Health Services Executive who have informed them that similarly the HSE...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Family Resource Centres (22 Jan 2025)

Roderic O'Gorman: I can confirm to the Deputy that while Áiseanna na hÓige is not a member of the Family Resource Centre (FRC) Programme to which core funding applies however, I note that Áiseanna na hÓige has received funding from its local Tusla office to support the delivery of its services. Work is ongoing to calculate the precise level of funding provided to Áiseanna na hÓige...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Parental Leave (22 Jan 2025)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1152, 1162 and 1163 together. There have been significant improvements in the duration of family leaves for working families in recent years. The Paternity Leave and Benefit Act 2016 provides the relevant parent (other than the mother of the child) with 2 weeks paid paternity leave. S.6(5) of the Act limits this entitlement in the case of multiple births...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Emergency Accommodation (22 Jan 2025)

Roderic O'Gorman: The accommodation provided to people fleeing the conflict in Ukraine by my Department is temporary in its nature and it is not possible to develop tailored solutions for individuals or families. In seeking to address immediate accommodation needs, safety and security are the paramount considerations. The Ukraine Crisis Temporary Accommodation Team (UCTAT) is not in a position to guarantee...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (22 Jan 2025)

Roderic O'Gorman: Thank you for your question, Deputy. There is significant pressure on the International Protection Accommodation system at present, and on the International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) which manages the intake and movement of people seeking international protection. This has been the case since 2022, when numbers of people applying for International Protection in Ireland...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Gender Equality (22 Jan 2025)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1155, 1159, 1160, 1161 and 1164 together. The Gender Pay Gap Information Act 2021 introduced the legislative basis for gender pay gap reporting in Ireland. The Act requires organisations to report on their hourly gender pay gap across a range of metrics, including mean hourly remuneration, median hourly remuneration, bonuses and benefit in kind, and...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (22 Jan 2025)

Roderic O'Gorman: There are a number of measures in place to support single parents. Queries regarding matters under the remit Departments can be directed to those Departments. Firstly in 2024, I announced that from 1 August, parents will be able to avail of 9 weeks paid Parent’s Leave and Benefit. This measure means that under the Parent’s Leave and Benefit schemes, the number of weeks that...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Gender Equality (22 Jan 2025)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1157 and 1158 together. As the Deputy will appreciate, my time as Minister is at an end, and it will be for the next Government to progress work in this critically important area. My Department leads on cross-government policy to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, and the National Strategy for Women and Girls (NSWG)...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (22 Jan 2025)

Roderic O'Gorman: Enabling access to and availability of affordable high-quality early learning and childcare is a key Government priority. Considerable investment has taken place in recent years to improve the resourcing, quality and availability of early learning and childcare. Data available to my Department demonstrates that the level of capacity in the sector has risen substantially in recent years. ...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Legislative Reviews (22 Jan 2025)

Roderic O'Gorman: Section 42 of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Act 2014 requires that a public body, in the course of it's functions, have regard to the elimination of discrimination and the equal opportunities and human rights of it's staff and service users. This obligation is known as the public sector equality and human rights duty. The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) is the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Human Rights (22 Jan 2025)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission has written to me seeking approval for a draft Code of Practice on the Public Sector Equality and Human Rights Duty which was prepared under s.31 of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act 2014. In line with section 31(3) of the Act, the draft code is currently under review by officials in my Department. My officials will liaise with...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Programmes (22 Jan 2025)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1182, 1183, 1184 and 1185 together. Ireland is becoming ever more diverse and ongoing efforts are required across Government to ensure that Ireland is an equitable and inclusive place for all. Work is underway to develop a new national strategy for migrant integration, which will address ongoing and emerging needs in supporting integration in Ireland. To...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Public Sector Pay (22 Jan 2025)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department was involved in negotiations at the WRC in 2023, in relation to pay for workers of organisations funded by Tusla under Section 56 of the Child and Family Agency Act, 2013 (as amended). In the course of these negotiations, an agreement was reached whereby such funded organisations would receive a funding increase, in three phases. The value of the increase was calculated off...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Public Inquiries (22 Jan 2025)

Roderic O'Gorman: I would like to sympathise with the family of the young girl who lost her life so tragically. The events leading to the tragic death of this young girl have been the subject of court proceedings leading to a settlement by the youth organisation under whose watch they occurred. The organisation in question is a voluntary organisation governed by an independent Board. It receives some of its...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Funding (22 Jan 2025)

Roderic O'Gorman: In 2025, the Capital Grant Scheme for Play and Recreation will make €500,000 available for the development of new play and recreation facilities, the refurbishment of existing facilities and the incorporation of natural play elements. Funding is available to all Local Authorities for a project the Local Authority wishes to develop or refurbish, including projects in large urban...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Data (22 Jan 2025)

Roderic O'Gorman: Core Funding represents a significant increase in investment for the sector, with €259 million of funding paid directly to services in year 1 of the scheme (September 2022-August 2023) rising to €287 million in year 2 (September 2023-August 2024) and €331 million in year 3 (September 2024-August 2025). Data on Core Funding uptake and the Fee Increase Assessment...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Appointments to State Boards (22 Jan 2025)

Roderic O'Gorman: The President appointed Mr. Liam Herrick as Chief Commissioner to the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission on 25 November 2025. No other appointments were made to boards of bodies under the aegis of this Department since 1 November 2024.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Regulations (22 Jan 2025)

Roderic O'Gorman: The return of deposits is usually governed by local agreement which occurred between the parent/guardian and the service in question. In most instances where a parent/guardian provided a deposit to a Core Funding Partner Service after 1 September 2024, the Partner Service must return this to the parent/ guardian once the child’s registration is approved on the Hive or within four...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Projects (22 Jan 2025)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1205 and 1206 together. As the Deputy is aware, on 22 June 2023, the UCD Sexual Exploitation Research Programme (SERP) published a report, “Protecting Against Predators: A Scoping Study on the Sexual Exploitation of Children and Young People in Ireland.’ The report sought to establish the level of awareness of child sexual abuse amongst key...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Projects (22 Jan 2025)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Institutional Burials Act 2022 provides a legislative basis for an intervention whereby the remains of those who died in residential institutions, and who were buried in a manifestly inappropriate manner, may be recovered and re-interred in a respectful and appropriate way. Section 7 of the 2022 Act requires that Government must be satisfied that burials have taken place and must have...