Results 2,301-2,320 of 11,893 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Direct Provision System (29 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: They include granting of driving licences to international protection applicants and allowing them to open bank accounts. They are very simple things but they are also very important. Obviously, reducing the period within which someone can apply for work to six months is a very important step. In terms of supports, we have done a significant amount of work with the counselling in...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services (29 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Last week, I was pleased to announce an €18 million capital grant scheme for the early learning and childcare sector. The building blocks capacity expansion grant scheme is part of the wider building blocks capital programme for this sector under the national development plan. The scheme will provide capital grants for early learning and childcare services to expand their existing...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services (29 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: It is slightly separate to core funding. When you apply you have to state if your weekly fee for full time or part time are above the figures I cited. If they are, you are ineligible to apply. We estimate that approximately 3% of services have weekly fees above those numbers. It is a small number. It is a balance. We want to increase capacity. However, if we are increasing capacity in...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services (29 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The building blocks programme was in three parts. Last year, in the first part, the grants available were for those upgrades. We had €9 million available for those upgrades. This year, our focus is on the expansion of existing services, so the grants available this year are to expand existing services. We have €18 million for that. In 2025, the grants available will be for...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Children in Care (29 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I met the community and voluntary providers of residential care in January and discussed these issues in detail with them in terms of funding. I have set out in detail the additional funding I have been providing to Tusla in order that it can enact its residential care strategy and can put additional beds into the Tusla sector so we can reduce our reliance on special emergency arrangements....

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Children in Care (29 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: It is a political charge and the Deputy is very good at that. He is very good at the Facebook moment. No doubt, the video has been clipped already. But ultimately I can set out in real detail the engagements I have had with the Ombudsman for Children, An Garda Síochána and Tusla to ensure the safety of children in care.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Emergency Accommodation (29 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: When new accommodation is opened for Ukrainians or international protection applicants, the community engagement team, through my Department, engages with local representatives and statutory services. The Deputy mentioned education. When the war in Ukraine broke out, the Department of Education created regional education and language teams, REALT, throughout all of the education and...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Emergency Accommodation (29 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: My colleagues across the Government and I are acutely conscious of the pressures caused by our response to the war, but I would put it to the Deputy that it is at times of war, conflict and other pressures that countries have to dig deep. Irish people across our society have done that.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Emergency Accommodation (29 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Communities have rallied to support Ukrainians and international protection applicants. Having met Ukrainians, international protection applicants and the communities that support them, I am conscious of how aware those communities are of the importance of their role and of how unique the challenge we are facing is. It is the largest movement of people across the European Continent since...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Children in Care (29 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Deputy is seeking information about companies that have been contracted by Tusla to provide emergency accommodation to children in care in each of the past ten years and to date in 2024. I understand that the information up to the first half of 2023 was released to the Deputy in response to Question No. 1362 of 11 September. The Deputy will be aware from that response that a total of 27...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Children in Care (29 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I do not believe I have, but I can clarify that point for the Deputy and revert to him. The Deputy stated that I did not listen or engage. When he raised a question about this matter during my previous oral questions, I was prepared for it because of its importance, but the Deputy was not present. It is important that I put that point on the record. As to what we are doing about...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Rights of People with Disabilities (29 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Minister of State has allowed me to come in on this. I reiterate our desire to get the optional protocol signed before the end of the Government's term. We recognise there are challenges. There is existing domestic legislation that is incompatible with the protocol and must be changed, just as we got the legislation on assisted decision-making changed. We have scoped out the matter...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Emergency Accommodation (29 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Between those fleeing Ukraine and international protection applicants, my Department is now providing accommodation for more than 100,000 people. As I have said before, this is the largest humanitarian response the State has ever undertaken. My Department is utilising a wide range of accommodation options to provide shelter for a record number of international protection applicants. More...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Child and Family Agency (29 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The care and welfare of children in care is a priority for the Government. I and my Department were very much aware of the issues the Deputy has raised and these continue to be the subject of focused and continuous engagement between my Department and Tusla at every level. As we know, Tusla is facing significant and ongoing challenges in sourcing appropriate placements for children in...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Child and Family Agency (29 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Deputy is absolutely right about the importance of moving away from private sector reliance, which is significant. I made the investment in Tusla this year in order that it can grow its own stock of residential placements. We are also looking at supporting the community and voluntary sector. I met its representatives in January and discussed what the sector can do to provide additional...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Child and Family Agency (29 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Deputy asked quite a few questions. In terms of engagement with the sector, I have met representatives of the Irish Foster Care Association, IFCA, the representative body for foster carers, and also of Movement for Change, which is a new representative body, several times and discussed the increase in funding. I met both of those organisation after the budget as well. In terms of...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (29 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Every effort has been made to carefully design Core Funding to achieve high levels of participation by providers. 95% of providers participated in year 1 of the scheme and to date, 94% or over 4,300 providers have signed up for Core Funding Year 2, with applications still open. 98% of all not for profit services and 93% of all for profit services have signed up. There are more...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Youth Work Supports (29 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I was very pleased to secure an additional €1 million in the Budget to support the Targeted Youth Employability Support Initiative, or TYESI, in 2024. The aim of this important scheme is to engage and support harder to reach young people, aged from 15 to 24, who are not in employment, education, or training. The focused interventions are intended to provide community-based...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Asylum Seekers (29 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department is currently accommodating over 100,000 people between those fleeing Ukraine and International Protection (IP) applicants. This includes over 75,000 Ukrainian people who have sought accommodation from the State and over 27,000 IP applicants currently in International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) accommodation. As at 27 February, 1,480 adult males have presented...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Mother and Baby Homes (29 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 92, 110 and 128 together. The Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme will open for applications on 20 March. A dedicated webpage is now live at www.gov.ie/paymentscheme, which contains information on how people will be able to apply to the Payment Scheme, and what information applicants will need. Once the Scheme opens, the Payment Scheme Office will...