Results 2,741-2,760 of 11,997 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Mother and Baby Homes (25 Jan 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I believe the Deputy means Question No. 1352 of January 2024. The Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme will be the largest scheme of its type in the history of the State with an anticipated 34,000 people eligible for its benefits. Given its scale and significance the Scheme has been placed on a statutory footing and enabling legislation – the Mother and Baby Institutions...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Expenditure (25 Jan 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Department officials are currently working on both the Quarter 3 2023 and Quarter 4 2023 returns for Purchase Orders over €20,000. The Quarter 3 2023 return will be published on the Department's website by Friday, 26 February 2024, and the Quarter 4 2023 return will be published as soon as it is available. A return for all Purchase Orders over €20,000 in Quarter 1 2024 is...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (25 Jan 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy for his question. A response will be provided directly to the Deputy in the coming days. The Deputy may wish to be aware that the Community Engagement Team has been established within my Department which stands ready to respond to queries of this nature, and they may be contacted directly at community@equality.gov.ie

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (25 Jan 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy for his question. A response will be provided directly to the Deputy in the coming days. The Deputy may wish to be aware that the Community Engagement Team has been established within my Department which stands ready to respond to queries of this nature, and they may be contacted directly at community@equality.gov.ie

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Parental Leave (24 Jan 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Currently, seven weeks Parent's Leave and Benefit is available to all eligible parents of children born or adopted from 1 November 2019. The leave and benefit must be availed of within the first two years of the child’s life or adoptive placement. In line with the EU Work-Life Balance Directive, Parent’s Leave and Benefit is required to increase by an additional two weeks to...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Heritage Projects (24 Jan 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 Irelanda research centre and repository of records related to institutional trauma in the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Staff (24 Jan 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department has implemented a Blended Working Policy which currently requires a minimum of two days attendance onsite as mandatory. This is pro-rated for staff on a reduced working pattern. Formal applications for blended working opened in my Department on 29 August 2022. The end of year breakdown of the staff availing of blended working for 2022 and 2023 is as follows: 2022 ...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Staff (24 Jan 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I wish to advise the Deputy that my officials have asked the respective aegis bodies under my Department to respond directly to you on these matters.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Emergency Accommodation (24 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 from the provider to which the Deputy refers. This offer is being evaluated to determine if it meets my Department's requirements. Due to the commercial sensitivities involved, it is not possible to provide information on the negotiations with any...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Irish Sign Language (24 Jan 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The information requested is available publicly via my Department's social media accounts and the social media accounts of agencies under the remit of this Department.

Seanad: An Bille um an Naoú Leasú is Tríocha ar an mBunreacht (An Teaghlach), 2023: Céim an Choiste agus na Céimeanna a bheidh Fágtha - Thirty-ninth Amendment of the Constitution (The Family) Bill 2023: Committee and Remaining Stages (23 Jan 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Senators for their amendments and for their detailed contributions this afternoon. The majority of the amendments put forward relate to the section of the Bill that deals with the proposals in Article 41.1.1° of the Constitution. I will restate the amendment being proposed by the Government: "The State recognises the Family, whether founded on marriage or on other durable...

Seanad: An Bille um an Naoú Leasú is Tríocha ar an mBunreacht (An Teaghlach), 2023: Céim an Choiste agus na Céimeanna a bheidh Fágtha - Thirty-ninth Amendment of the Constitution (The Family) Bill 2023: Committee and Remaining Stages (23 Jan 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: With respect, they are. The inclusion of the term "durable relationships" builds in a consistent way on those current guardrails. Rather than taking the approach of solely deleting the words on which the family is founded from Article 41.3.1° or using a formulation of "including but not limited to", the approach further reinforces that concept of the family as a fundamental unit group...

Seanad: An Bille um an Naoú Leasú is Tríocha ar an mBunreacht (An Teaghlach), 2023: Céim an Choiste agus na Céimeanna a bheidh Fágtha - Thirty-ninth Amendment of the Constitution (The Family) Bill 2023: Committee and Remaining Stages (23 Jan 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Respectfully, we disagree with that approach. Importantly, the second element of the Senator's proposal is the restriction of the term "durable relationships" to one that only arises between two people. We have a real concern with that in the situation where there is a one-parent family with more than one child or there is a cohabiting couple with children. We have always been clear that...

Seanad: An Bille um an Naoú Leasú is Tríocha ar an mBunreacht (An Teaghlach), 2023: Céim an Choiste agus na Céimeanna a bheidh Fágtha - Thirty-ninth Amendment of the Constitution (The Family) Bill 2023: Committee and Remaining Stages (23 Jan 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: That would fundamentally undermine efforts to protect families where there is a parent and two children

Seanad: An Bille um an Naoú Leasú is Tríocha ar an mBunreacht (An Teaghlach), 2023: Céim an Choiste agus na Céimeanna a bheidh Fágtha - Thirty-ninth Amendment of the Constitution (The Family) Bill 2023: Committee and Remaining Stages (23 Jan 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I want to speak on the point about the special protection of marriage, one that remains constitutionally recognised if this amendment is passed. That special protection remains there. It remains the basis for the State to make distinctions in the areas of inheritance and taxation. I would like to quote from what the Chief Justice said yesterday.

Seanad: An Bille um an Naoú Leasú is Tríocha ar an mBunreacht (An Teaghlach), 2023: Céim an Choiste agus na Céimeanna a bheidh Fágtha - Thirty-ninth Amendment of the Constitution (The Family) Bill 2023: Committee and Remaining Stages (23 Jan 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I have listened patiently to the Senator and to everybody else and I would expect the same courtesy in return. The Chief Justice stated yesterday "It seems clear that it is not constitutionally impermissible to distinguish per sebetween marriage and a long-term relationship, not least because the Constitution makes that distinction itself." Contrary to what Senator Mullen said, marriage is...

Seanad: An Bille um an Daicheadú Leasú ar an mBunreacht (Cúram), 2023: Céim an Choiste (Atógáil) agus na Céimeanna a bheidh Fágtha - Fortieth Amendment of the Constitution (Care) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (23 Jan 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Senators for their amendments and for their detailed consideration of the Bill before them today. Before I start, I would like to follow on from comments made by Senator Seery Kearney in terms of recognising Selina Bonnie. She was a colleague of mine and I regularly received a little text every now and then, usually prodding me on where the assisted human reproduction Bill was...

Seanad: An Bille um an Daicheadú Leasú ar an mBunreacht (Cúram), 2023: Céim an Choiste (Atógáil) agus na Céimeanna a bheidh Fágtha - Fortieth Amendment of the Constitution (Care) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (23 Jan 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Senator Seery Kearney was right about what we are trying to achieve in each budgetary cycle. I think back to when we are looking to achieve improvements for care, and care is so fundamental to so many of the elements of my Department, in budget 2023 I wanted to do something on the foster care allowance but when we looked at it we did not have the money to go round that year. However, in...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Ukraine War (23 Jan 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: As part of my Department’s contractual arrangements with Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTP) accommodation providers, a number of requirements must be met in terms of service provision. This includes delivery of key services: laundry, meals in serviced accommodation and cooking facilities in self-catering accommodation, and compliance with all obligations in relation to health...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 503 and 504 together. Ireland is now accommodating almost 101,000 people between those fleeing Ukraine and International Protection applicants (IPAs). This includes nearly 75,000 Ukrainian people who have sought accommodation from the State and almost 26,000 IPAs currently in International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) accommodation. All...