Results 2,321-2,340 of 11,893 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Family Resource Centres (29 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: As the Deputy will be aware, the Child and Family Agency, Tusla administers the Family Resource Centre programme, funding 121 Family Resource Centres (FRC). Where possible I make it a point to engage with FRC, they play a pivotal role for so many communities across the country providing a comprehensive range of services tailored to individual community needs. My Department allocates core...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: I am advised that a Department official attempted to make contact by phone with the Deputy unsuccessfully on Monday 19 February. The official followed up via email directly the same day, to which the Deputy responded providing additional information necessary to pursue the inquiry within the Department. Following several email exchanges, I am further advised that a Department official...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: Significant progress has been made in advancing plans for a dedicated state agency for early learning childcare. It is envisaged that this dedicated agency will undertake the functions currently carried out by Pobal Early Years (including Better Start), the 30 City/County Childcare Committees (CCC), as well as operational functions currently undertaken by my Department. My Department...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: The Budget 2024 allocation for youth services is €77.95 million, an increase of 26% in youth service funding since 20220. This funding includes the following schemes which support the establishment of additional youth services: the Youth Service Grant Scheme (YSGS) provides funding to a range of national and regional universal youth services. The YSGS is being expanded in 2024 to...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child and Family Agency (29 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Section 3 of the Child Care Act 1991 places a statutory responsibility on Tusla to promote the welfare of children who are not receiving adequate care and protection. Tusla carry out assessments on the information received regarding children and young people to determine any risk and assess the child and family’s situation, and provides appropriate social work intervention and family...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: This is a matter for my cabinet colleague the Minister for Health.

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

Roderic O'Gorman: Some €69 million has been allocated over the period 2023-2025 to the early learning and childcare sector under the revised National Development Plan (NDP). This will enable significant capital investment across three pillars: Building Blocks - Improvement Grant; Building Blocks - Capacity Grant; and Building Blocks - Innovation Grant €9 million was set aside in 2023 under...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Emergency Accommodation (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 27,000 IP applicants currently in International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) accommodation. IPAS continues to require additional accommodation to meet...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: This is a matter for my cabinet colleague the Minister for Health.

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

Roderic O'Gorman: The Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023 was enacted on 4 April 2023, and introduces important entitlements for workers, including leave for medical care purposes for parents of children under 12. The Act also includes provisions to transpose Article 9 of the EU Work Life Balance Directive and provide for a right to request flexible working for parents and carers....

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

Roderic O'Gorman: Public investment in Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare rose from €345 million in 2016, to €1.108 billion in 2024. Investment as a percentage of modified GNI (based on the most recently available modified GNI figures, 2022) increased from 0.20% in 2016 to 0.26% in 2022. For illustrative purposes investment as a percentage of modified GNI (using 2022 figures) is...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: Ensuring high-quality early learning and childcare is affordable and accessible to all children and, in particular, children from vulnerable backgrounds, is a key priority for Government. My Department funds 30 City/County Childcare Committees (CCCs), which provide support and assist families and early learning and childcare providers with early learning, and childcare matters. My...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: I recognise the need for improved data in respect of the distribution of youth work services across the State and this is an area of priority for my officials. A mapping process is currently underway which aims to capture all youth services, both youth worker led and volunteer led. The first stage of the mapping project is to map the 260 projects funded through the UBU scheme which...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: The Deputy will be aware that I am currently in the process of extending the termination date of the Accommodation Recognition Payment (ARP) scheme to March 2025 to mirror the extension by the EU of the Temporary Protection Directive as it applies to the war in Ukraine. In making an Order to extend the scheme, I am required under the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022 (Act of...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department provides significant funding to youth services which provide targeted services to young people who are marginalised, disadvantaged or vulnerable under the UBU scheme. €48million has been allocated to UBU services in 2024. Young people who are applicants for, or are in receipt of, international protection come within the ambit of the UBU scheme, and can therefore...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: I wish to express my continued commitment to improving pay and conditions for early years educators and school-age childcare practitioners through the provision of public funding to Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School-Age Childcare (SAC) service providers via the Core Funding scheme, to support the outcomes of the Joint Labour Committee negotiation process. I met with the members of...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Covid-19 Pandemic (29 Feb 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department actively developed supports for children and young people impacted by the COVID-19 restrictions across a range of service provisions including: 1. Participation and Consultation 2. Youth Services 3. Traveller and Roma 4. Oberstown Children Detention Campus 5. Children and Young People’s Services Committees 6. Growing Up in Ireland 7. Early Years 8. Irish...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: Tax credits/ deductions have previously been considered in the context of work by my Department to reduce the cost of early learning and childcare to parents. Research by an Inter-Departmental Group back in 2016 showed that supply-side measures (such as subsidies paid directly to providers to reduce fees to parents), rather than demand-side measures (such as tax credits to parents),...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department has carried out a review of communications channels with regard to the Deputy’s concerns and a Department official contacted the Deputy on the 23rd of February in relation to this matter. A proposal for temporary accommodation for Ukrainian Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) at the location to which the Deputy refers was submitted to my Department late last...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: Officials in my Department are progressing work to finalise the Equal Participation Model (EPM) which will aim to help children and their families who may be experiencing disadvantage to access early learning and childcare settings, through a range of supports, universal and targeted. This proposed new funding strand within Together for Better will ensure supports are allocated adequately and...