Results 2,341-2,360 of 11,893 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

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

Roderic O'Gorman: There has been a number of steps taken by my Department to increase childcare places: 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;...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: In March 2022 Government approved high level proposals for the National Centre for Research and Remembrance to be located on the site of the former Magdalen Laundry in Sean McDermott Street, Dublin 1 to comprise: a museum and exhibition space, the development of which will be led by the National Museum of Ireland a research centre and repository of records related to institutional trauma in...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department provides a number of schemes which provides assistance to families with the cost of childcare both directly and indirectly, these include: The National Childcare Scheme (NCS) The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme The Core Funding Scheme The NCS is a subsidy provided to help parents to meet the cost of childcare and allow children to access Early Learning...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: The Birth Information and Tracing Act 2022 provides for the release of information to all relevant persons, that is individuals who were adopted, boarded out, nursed out, the subject of an illegal birth registration, or resided as a child in one of the institutions listed in the Schedule. The Schedule as included in the Act was based on the list of institutions that were investigated as part...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 135 and 148 together. The Deputy will be aware of the shortage of accommodation for adult male applicants for international protection. IPAS is unable to offer transfers to alternative accommodation on request at this time, due to unprecedented pressure on the accommodation portfolio. The IPAS Centre Management Team has been actively engaging with the...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy for this question. My Department is engaged in discussions with the owner of the property identified. Once the discussions on this specific element conclude I will be providing the Deputy with an update.

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

Roderic O'Gorman: I wish to confirm to the Deputy that, at present, there is no intention to reduce the weekly payment to existing Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs). On 12 December 2023, the Government agreed to amend its support offering for newly arriving BOTPs to more closely align with supports in other EU Member States and to ensure Ireland can continue to meet its obligations under the...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: In December 2023 the Department launched the Early Learning and Childcare Data website. The website provides a new and innovative way of displaying administrative data as well as survey data collected annually from over 4,400 Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) services across the country, to support evidence-informed policy development and planning. This website...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: The Deputy has sought information in relation to the number of children currently in State care in special emergency accommodation, including the number of whom are unaccompanied minors. I am informed by Tusla that, as of the 18th of February, there are 176 children in Special Emergency arrangements (SEAs), and that 115 of these children are separated children seeking international...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: I am pleased to say that a new local integration model has been developed in collaboration with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (DHLGH), the City and County Management Authority (CCMA) and the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA). The model centres on a new national network of four-person Local Authority Integration Teams (LAITs), funded by DCEDIY, to be located...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: St John of God Community Services provide essential disability and mental health community supports to 8,000 people across the country. The Government recognises that they are a valued long-term partner in delivering publicly funded services. Following agreement with the HSE, St John of God Community Services has withdrawn notice of transfer and confirmed it will continue to deliver...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: I acknowledge that the situation you have described must be very difficult for all involved. However, statutory and operational responsibility for the delivery of child protection and welfare services is a matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. I must inform you that as Minister I am not in a position to intervene in individual cases as Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, is required...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: As this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible. The Deputy will likely be aware that the industrial action by certain Forsa grades in the HSE has been suspended. The HSE has indicated that they have recommenced issuing replies to questions but there is a significant backlog of PQs and Reps to...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: As the subject matter of the Deputy's question relates to an operational matter for Tusla, I have referred the matter to them for a direct reply.

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

Roderic O'Gorman: The Department is in the early stages of planning its approach for the delivery of increased state owned accommodation for International Protection (IP) applicants. Discussions are ongoing with Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan (NDP) Delivery and Reform, as part of the NDP review regarding the need for further capital monies to deliver on this. With respect to...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: Contractual arrangements for the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) accommodation centres are deemed confidential and commercially sensitive. IPAS contracts vary in length and cost, and therefore, it is not possible to provide the duration of contracts currently held for accommodation purposes. The total spend for International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS)...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 262 and 273 together. There are currently over 27,000 people being accommodated by the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS). Of those over 9,800 are being accommodated in 70 hotels throughout Ireland. Over 90% of those hotels are contracted exclusively for the accommodation of International Protection (IP) applicants and are not available...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: The Government is committed to delivering on its legal obligations to provide material reception conditions to those seeking International Protection (IP) in Ireland, and the Department is contracting emergency and short-term accommodation across the country in order to accommodate people as they arrive. The Department carries out due diligence on accommodation being contracted including;...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: In February 2021 A White Paper to End Direct Provision and establish a new International Protection Service was published. The paper set out a new approach for accommodating applicants that seek International Protection in Ireland and contains three core themes – accommodation, integration and supports. Since January 2022, more than 29,000 people have come to Ireland seeking...