Results 1,481-1,500 of 11,729 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (11 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I am very aware that many early learning and care (ELC) and school-age childcare (SAC) services continue to report difficulties in recruiting and retaining qualified staff. The most recent published data indicates that the staff turnover rate in the sector stood at 23% in 2019. This, though it was an improvement on the previous year, is too high, especially given the importance of consistency...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (11 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: Supply of, and demand for, early learning and care and school-age childcare places is currently monitored annually through the Early Years Sector Profile report. This survey is conducted by Pobal on behalf of the Department. Data from the 2018/2019 programme year, indicates that existing childcare provision, in general, meets current needs nationwide in terms of capacity whilst...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Children First Guidelines (11 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Children First Act 2015, which was fully commenced in December 2017, provides for a number of key child protection measures, including raising awareness of child abuse and neglect, providing for reporting and management of child protection concerns and improving child protection arrangements in organisations providing services to children. The Act operates side-by-side with the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (11 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: An independent evaluation of the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) commenced in December 2020 and will be undertaken during 2021. The evaluation is being carried out by a consortium led by the University of Derby. The Evaluation will involve a range of methods to gather data. As part of the Evaluation, surveys of both parents and service providers will be undertaken. In addition, both...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (11 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: In line with emerging best practice to support the integration and independence of children with a disability, the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) does not fund Special Needs Assistants (SNAs). Rather, Level 7 of AIM provides financial support to the pre-school provider, which is used either to reduce the adult-to-child ratio in the pre-school room or to buy in additional assistance to the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (11 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) was launched in 2016 to enable the inclusion and meaningful participation of children with disabilities in the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme. An evaluation of AIM began in December 2020. The evaluation is expected to: - Provide a detailed understanding of AIM, having regard to the vision, current approach, governance, coverage and...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (11 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: A number of significant projects are currently being undertaken in my Department with the aim of improving pay and conditions for staff in the early learning and care sector and to improve affordability of childcare for parents. With regard to the issue of pay and conditions for the workforce, my Department is currently working with SIPTU and IBEC to consider proposals for the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (11 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: A range of State supports are available to early learning and care (ELC) and school-age childcare (SAC) services during the period 1 February to 5 March, including the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS), continuation of DCEDIY funding schemes (ECCE, AIM, NCS, and legacy schemes), and a Sustainability Fund. Services may also charge fees to parents whose children are attending, which at this...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child and Family Agency (11 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Tusla ABC Programme within Prevention Partnership and Family Support, is an area based Prevention and Early Intervention initiative which is delivered in 12 areas of significant socio-economic disadvantage across the country. Strategic discussions continue to take place across the Tusla ABC programme with key stakeholders to explore what potential aspects of the ABC model could be...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Direct Provision System (11 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Programme for Government contains a commitment to ending the Direct Provision system and replacing it with a new International Protection accommodation policy, centred on a not-for-profit approach. The Government has also committed to the development of a White Paper which will set out how this new system will be structured and the steps to achieving it. As part of the consultation...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (11 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The issues raised in the attached correspondence are being given consideration by my Department. I am already on the record of this House in responding to many of the matters raised in the context of the Government response to the Final Report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes. With regard to the specific concerns relating to the records of the independent...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes: Engagement with the Minister for Children, Disability, Equality, Integration and Youth (16 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the committee for the invitation to attend today’s meeting to discuss the report of the commission of investigation into mother and baby homes and certain related matters. The committee provided a comprehensive list of topics for discussion during today’s engagement. I will endeavour to address some of these matters in my opening statement, but we have a lengthy...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes: Engagement with the Minister for Children, Disability, Equality, Integration and Youth (16 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy for his comments. I recognised during the discussion on the database legislation that I had not reached out enough to survivor groups prior to that. Following the passage of the legislation I met approximately 50 survivors via phone calls, which is a substantial number, during November and December and I continue to meet them. In the context of the publication of the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes: Engagement with the Minister for Children, Disability, Equality, Integration and Youth (16 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I have attended two meetings with the collaborative forum. The minutes of the two meetings will be recorded and will be provided.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes: Engagement with the Minister for Children, Disability, Equality, Integration and Youth (16 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I will do my best to provide as clear an answer as possible. On a point of clarity, the interdepartmental group, IDG, is not related to the right to rectification. That is dealing with restorative recognition, the financial payments. As regards the immediate avenues for the individual who contacted the Deputy, the commission's archive will move over to my Department fully by 28 February,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes: Engagement with the Minister for Children, Disability, Equality, Integration and Youth (16 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: Yes. Do I have time to answer now?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes: Engagement with the Minister for Children, Disability, Equality, Integration and Youth (16 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: On the first point, my understanding is that the treatment of sworn evidential testimony is different from the treatment of the personal accounts given before the confidential committee and, I think, Deputy Sherlock said that the lady he was speaking to was in the former category. As regards the second question, which is a vital but much bigger question as regards the cost of the overall...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes: Engagement with the Minister for Children, Disability, Equality, Integration and Youth (16 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: In terms of answering for the commission, the Deputy has recognised that I am not the commission, which is an independent body. If the Deputy does not mind, the use of the word "evidence" in terms of the personal accounts-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes: Engagement with the Minister for Children, Disability, Equality, Integration and Youth (16 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: In my mind, I separate evidence in terms of the sworn testimony given before the commission with the confidential accounts given before the confidential committee.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes: Engagement with the Minister for Children, Disability, Equality, Integration and Youth (16 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: In terms of my engagement with the commission on this point, because I think that might be useful, when the commission stated, when the issue of the-----