Results 2,541-2,560 of 11,687 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (17 Jan 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 in early learning and childcare across three pillars:Building Blocks - Improvement GrantBuilding Blocks - Capacity GrantBuilding Blocks - Innovation GrantUnder the Building Blocks -...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (17 Jan 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 in early learning and childcare across three pillars: Building Blocks - Improvement Grant Building Blocks - Capacity Grant Building Blocks - Innovation Grant Under the Building Blocks...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: Since its establishment in 2020, my Department has provided a number of services that the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown area has benefited from. Early Years The 2 tables below provide all the details of the funding for ELC for Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown for the period from 2020 to the end of the 2023/2024 programme year. The 1st table gives the budgets for the programme calls listed, from the...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department is involved in negotiations with a range of accommodation providers across Ireland, and has received an offer of accommodation for Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) from Ukraine for the property known as Castlemacgarrett House in Co. Mayo. As the property is in need of significant conversion/refurbishment works it was passed on to the Department of Housing, Local...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: The report of the Independent Financial Review of Sessional Early Learning and Childcare services by Frontier Economics was published on 8 January and is available on www.first5fundingmodel.gov.ie. This Review was commissioned by my Department in early 2023 in response to concerns raised by some Sector Representatives regarding the financial viability of sessional early learning and...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1317 and 1318 together. On the wider issue of supports for training, my Department provides a number of funded training initiatives for early years educators. Funded CPD programmes under the National Síolta Aistear Initiative (including both introductory workshop and the Aistear and Play CPD programme), AIM training (such as EDI training, Hanen,...

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

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

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

Roderic O'Gorman: I am advised my officials that the total expenditure by my Department on the provision of accommodation and related costs for Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection since February 2022, as of 10 January 2024, is just under €1,996m which is on average approximately €100m per month. These figures include direct food and board costs incurred by my Department in accommodating...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: Ireland is currently accommodating more than 101,000 people between those fleeing Ukraine and International Protection (IP) applicants. This includes almost 75,000 Ukrainian people who have sought accommodation from the State and over 26,000 IP applicants currently in International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) accommodation. Intensive efforts are being undertaken daily by...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: The Department has contracted the services of DePaul and the Peter McVerry Trust (PMVT) to provide ‘Housing Support’ for those with Status or Permission to Remain to transition out of International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) accommodation. Prior to the publication of the Request for Tender (RFT) in 2022, IPAS engaged in a Service Level Arrangement (SLA) for...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: After-School Support Services (17 Jan 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 school age childcare needs of families. In September 2022, the upper age eligibility for the NCS universal subsidy was extended from 3 years to...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Ukraine War (17 Jan 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Since the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine in February 2022, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) 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. To date, over 100,000 beneficiaries of temporary protection (BOTPs) have...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: Ireland is currently accommodating over 101,000 people between those fleeing Ukraine and International Protection (IP) applicants. This includes nearly 75,000 Ukrainian people who have sought accommodation from the State and over 26,000 IP applicants currently in International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) accommodation. The Programme for Government committed to developing and...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: It is not possible to comment on a specific individual's potential eligibility for benefits under the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme. It may be helpful to note that the Scheme will be straightforward and non-adversarial, and will provide benefits to applicants based on time spent in an institution without any requirement to bring forward evidence of abuse or harm. I am...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (17 Jan 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The National Childcare Scheme (NCS) provides financial support to help parents to meet the cost of childcare and allow children to access Early Learning and School Age Childcare. The medical card operates on a means assessed basis. The NCS operates on a universal basis with enhanced provision for those lower incomes through an income assessment. As both operate on a needs basis, it is...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: The funding the Deputy is referring to relates to a grant agreement between the organisation and the Irish Refugee Protection Programme which expired in December 2021. In relation to Building Block grants, 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...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1335 and 1355 together. I thank the Deputy for her question. This information will be provided directly to the Deputy in the coming days.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (17 Jan 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Quality assurance of early learning and care (ELC) settings currently includes inspections carried out by both the Tusla Early Years Inspectorate and the Department of Education Inspectorate, while inspection of school-age childcare (SAC) settings is undertaken by the Tusla Early Years Inspectorate. The Tusla Early Years Inspectorate is the independent statutory regulator for the early...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (17 Jan 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Early learning and childcare providers are required to submit a ‘Weekly Return’ under the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) in order to be included in that week’s payment run. These weekly returns can be made from the last day (Sunday) of the reporting week and must be completed no later than 23:59 on the following Tuesday on the Early Years Hive, which is the payment...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (17 Jan 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Core Funding is in operation since 15 September 2022 and has achieved very significant success in terms of the high levels of participation. With 95% participation of eligible services in year 1 and to date, 94% or over 4,300 providers have signed up for Core Funding Year 2, with applications still open. There are officially more services contracted for Core Funding year 2 than there were at...