Results 3,041-3,060 of 11,687 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Asylum Seekers (7 Nov 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: We are working closely with Tipperary County Council to resolve the issue in Cashel. As I have said, it is a core principle of our Department that regardless of how much pressure we are under to meet accommodation needs, we are not going to interfere with existing homelessness services. As I said, we are looking to resolve the particular issue in Cashel right now. Ireland, like every other...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Strategies (7 Nov 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The youth homelessness strategy steering group was established in January of this year under the auspices of the national homeless action committee of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. Its purpose is to drive the delivery of all the actions set out in the national youth homelessness strategy and monitor progress. My Department is represented on this group, which...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Strategies (7 Nov 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: In terms of the elements our Department is responsible for, we identified, and this is identified in the youth homelessness strategy itself, that young people leaving care are some of the most vulnerable to falling into homelessness. That is why through my Department, working with Tusla, we prioritised the aftercare strategy for Tusla. It is part of its wider continuum of aftercare looking...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Strategies (7 Nov 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Focusing on those young people who are most vulnerable is the best area for Government and for all Departments to focus their resources. As I said, I have set out what we are doing in terms of people exiting care. Another key group that has been identified and, indeed, Focus Ireland did a very good study on this, are young LGBTI+ people who are at risk of homelessness, particularly in terms...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Asylum Seekers (7 Nov 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Government is committed to doing all it can to support all those seeking refuge in Ireland. As the Deputy said, there is significant pressure to find sufficient suitable accommodation for all who seek it. Ireland has provided accommodation to more than 99,000 people between those fleeing the war in Ukraine and international protection applicants. That compares to 8,300 people in early...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Childcare Services (7 Nov 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy. The award-winning access and inclusion model, AIM, has supported more than 27,000 children with a disability to access and meaningfully participate in the ECCE programme since it was first introduced in September 2016. A commitment to expand AIM beyond the ECCE programme was first made in the First 5 strategy. The fulfilment of this commitment was to be informed by an...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Childcare Services (7 Nov 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy. I caught a small amount of the hearings on TV earlier on today. Yes, we do hope to publish the report by the end of this year. As the Deputy knows, AIM right now supports access to three hours per day or 15 hours per week for 38 weeks of the year. Our aim at the start is to enhance that to allow up to a full day, and move it beyond the 38 weeks of the ECCE year to...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Childcare Services (7 Nov 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I agree with the Deputy in that this is a really positive move in terms of expanding access to AIM. It is something I and the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, would have spoken about as a way to support children with a disability. As the Deputy knows, we are also bringing in the brand new equal participation model, and I think that will be seen in a number of years as being as...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (7 Nov 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: In respect of Cashel, Deputy Lowry and all of the other Tipperary Deputies have been in touch with me on this. We continue to need to source additional accommodation for international protection applicants. We had sourced some accommodation in Cashel. We have a very clear policy that we do not source accommodation where that has previously been used for homelessness accommodation....

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (7 Nov 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: In Budget 2024, I secured a total of €1.109bn in funding for early learning and childcare, representing an 8% increase on this year's funding. The funding in 2024 provides for:Investment in the National Childcare Scheme, including a further 25% average reduction to parent’s costs and expansion of NCS to childminders, benefitting more than 150,000 children. Additional funding...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Children in Care (7 Nov 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 37 and 44 together. Foster carers play a vital role in the care of our most vulnerable children. The placement of a child in foster care is the preferred option for children who cannot live with their family of origin. It enables children in State care to live in a safe, secure, and stable home environment. As outlined in Budget 2024, from 1st...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (7 Nov 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: My officials have clarified that the question refers to permanent closures of Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) services in Cork since 2021. Every year it is normal for some services to close while other new services open. Services close for a wide variety of reasons including retirement of owners or other personal circumstances. Tusla is the independent statutory...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (7 Nov 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I am conscious of the disruption caused to a number of early learning and childcare services, owing the recent floods in Cork and I am aware that the local Childcare Committee has been engaging with impacted services. With regard to financial supports for these services, they have been made aware that any service forced to close due to the flooding may apply for the continuation of funding...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (7 Nov 2023)

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; andBuilding Blocks - Innovation Grant.The Building Blocks -...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (7 Nov 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Each year, Pobal gathers data from early learning and childcare providers which informs the Early Years Sector Profile. Based on data captured in respect of the (unpublished) 2022/23 Sector Profile Survey (which was gathered in late Spring/ early Summer 2023), there were 10,091 places across services in County Meath. Of these place, 1,311 were unfilled – representing a vacancy rate of...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Health Promotion (7 Nov 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I launched the first Nutrition Standards for Early Learning and Childcare Services in May this year together with my colleague Hildegarde Naughton, Minister of State, fulfilling a commitment in First 5, the whole of Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families. These standards were developed in collaboration with Healthy Ireland and the Department of Health to inform...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (7 Nov 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Government has agreed that HIQA will monitor accommodation offered to people in the protection process for adherence to the National Standards, which were adopted by Government and published in 2019, and came into effect in 2021. This agreement is time limited to the end of 2024, though it may be extended by agreement of my Department and the Minister for Health. These National...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (7 Nov 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Pobal are the administrators of all early learning and childcare funding programmes on behalf of my Department. Where there is any change in circumstances for a service provider i.e. change of address, change of legal structure or change of ownership, the provider engages with Pobal to flag this change of circumstance and advise of the date that the change will be implemented. Pobal will...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Youth Services (7 Nov 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department is making a significant investment in youth services in 2024, building on the increases in recent years and securing the achievements into the future. The full package of current funding for youth services and programmes in my Department is €77.95 million, an increase of €5 million, or 6.8%, on the 2023 budget. There is no capital allocation in 2024....

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Industrial Disputes (7 Nov 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Members of staff working in the clerical and administrative functions of Tusla have an extremely important role. Their work facilitates and enables many of the agency’s functions, including arranging inter-agency and family meetings, processing work related to child protection referrals, and assisting with calls from members of the public. Clerical and administrative staff...