Results 1,981-2,000 of 11,893 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Emergency Accommodation (23 Apr 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The number of Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTP) and that of International Protection Applicants (IPA) by local electoral areas is set out in the table below. The data for BOTPs is not usually collated in this manner and data for 16 April 2024 has been compiled in this format. This data refers to accommodation supported or provided by this Department. There is no obligation on a...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Equality Issues (23 Apr 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The introduction of a new equality ground, based on disadvantaged socio-economic status, is being considered as part of my Department's wider review of the Equal Status Acts 2000 and the Employment Equality Acts 1998 (the Equality Acts). This follows a Programme for Government commitment to examine the introduction of such a ground. It is intended that legislative proposals arising from the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Contracts (23 Apr 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Please note that the Department does not hold contracts with security providers who provide security services at IPAS accommodation centres. Security arrangements at IP centres is the responsibility of the centre manager and it is a commercial decision for the provider as to which security company they choose to contract in meeting this obligation. The International Protection...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (23 Apr 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The ECCE programme is available to all children within the eligible age range. A child must have reached 2 years and 8 months of age on or prior to 31 August of the relevant programme year to be eligible for the 1st September start date. The minimum eligibility age for the ECCE programme was revised in September 2018 when it was reduced from 3 years to 2 years and 8 months. The revised...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (23 Apr 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The availability of high-quality early learning and childcare is a key Government priority. My Department monitors early learning and childcare capacity on an ongoing basis, with a particular focus on responding to the unmet early learning and childcare needs of families. Data from the 2022/23 Annual Early Years Sector Profile estimated that there were 4,293 children enrolled in...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (23 Apr 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 565 to 567, inclusive, together. Better Start was established in 2014 by my Department, in association with the Department of Education, to deliver quality-related supports to early learning and care services and to support a cohesive approach to State-funded supports for quality across the early learning and care sector. Better Start is hosted by Pobal on...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (23 Apr 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Core Funding supports Partner Services with their financial sustainability while enhancing the quality, affordability and accessibility of their services. In accordance with Partnership for the Public Good, (DCEDIY 2021) the Core Funding model commits to drive high quality service provision. To support this, Core Funding requires all early learning and care (ELC), school-age childcare (SAC)...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (23 Apr 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I acknowledge that many early learning and care (ELC) and school-age childcare (SAC) services report staffing challenges in relation to recruitment and retention. In general, staffing pressures in the sector are caused not by insufficient supply of qualified personnel, but by high levels of staff turnover. I am very conscious of the need for improvement in pay and working conditions for early...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (23 Apr 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: International Protection Procurement Services (IPPS) contract for the provision of services to accommodation International Protection (IP) applicants. Part of that service provision includes the requirement for the accommodation to be adequately staffed 24/7 to maintain the privacy and security of residents. This is determined on a case by case basis by the provider. The Department does not...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Emergency Accommodation (23 Apr 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: As part of the State’s humanitarian response to the Ukrainian crisis, the Government has developed a Rapid Build Housing Programme to provide accommodation for families fleeing the war in Ukraine who request it. The programme aims to provide short-term accommodation for up to 2,800 Ukrainians at several sites across Ireland. The Office of Public Works (OPW) is leading the development...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (23 Apr 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: On the 27th March 2024 Government agreed a new Comprehensive Accommodation Strategy (CAS) for International Protection applicants. The strategy seeks to address the current accommodation shortfall, while reforming the system over the longer term to ensure the State will always be able to meet its international commitments. Accommodation in the new strategy will be delivered through the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (23 Apr 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Programme for Government contains a number of commitments for early learning and childcare, including reforming the system to create one that brings together the best of community and private provision and the development of a new funding model for affordable, accessible, sustainable and high quality early learning and childcare. An Expert Group was established in September 2019 to...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (23 Apr 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: All centres are subject to inspection by department officials or contracted representatives of the department. There was a Request for Tender in relation to inspections of centres in late 2023. The successful bidder was EOBA Ltd. The previous contract holder of such inspections was QTS Ltd. There have been no failed inspections in 2023/2024. In 2024 to date, there were two centres...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Expenditure (18 Apr 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: At present nearly 29,000 people are accommodated in the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) system as a whole, of whom nearly 7,000 are children. This compares approximately 8,700 people at the end of February 2022. Together with Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection displaced by the war in Ukraine, this means that Ireland is now accommodating over 100,000 people in...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Contracts (18 Apr 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Since the outset of the war in Ukraine in early 2022, Ireland has provided accommodation to over 112,000 people between those fleeing Ukraine and International Protection applicants. IPAS The International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) is working tirelessly to bring more bed spaces into use, and since January 2023 have brought 125 properties into use to accommodate those who...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (18 Apr 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy for this question. A response will be provided directly to the Deputy in the coming days.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Children in Care (18 Apr 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: As this relates to Tusla operational matters, the question has been forwarded to Tusla for direct reply to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Mother and Baby Homes (17 Apr 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme provides financial payments and health supports to eligible people who spent time in a Mother and Baby or County Home Institution. It is recognised that there are people who suffered stigma, trauma and abuse in other institutions, and outside of institutions also. However, the institutions covered by the Scheme are those identified by the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (17 Apr 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy for this question. A response will be provided directly to the Deputy in the coming days.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Expenditure (17 Apr 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 120 to 122, inclusive, together. Since the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine in February 2022, my Department continues to work as part of the whole-of-Government response with a focus on providing access to emergency temporary accommodation to those fleeing the conflict who request it, in line with Government policy. In the initial stages of the...