Results 3,141-3,160 of 11,687 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

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

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department provides funding to Education and Training Boards (ETBs) to support youth services in their area. My officials hold quarterly meetings with the ETBs and these meetings assist my Department in identifying service needs and emerging issues, particularly for vulnerable young people. In preparation for Cycle 2 of the UBU Your Place Your Space scheme, each ETB carried out an...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: It was a priority of mine to secure a meaningful increase to the foster care allowance in this year’s Budget in order to support the vital role being carried out by foster carers. As outlined in Budget 2024, from 1st January 2024 the rates of the foster care allowance will increase by €25 per week, up to €350 per week for children aged under 12 and €377 per...

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: 1. Building Blocks - Improvement Grant; 2. Building Blocks - Capacity Grant; and 3. Building Blocks - Innovation Grant. ...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: All Partner Services that had an active Core Funding Contract during the 2022/2023 Programme Year must provide validated Financial Returns. Core Funding payments to providers must run on a programme year, September-August, in line with the school year, the operation of the Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School-Age Childcare (SAC) sector, and the payments made to providers under the...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: The approach to introducing Fee Management under Core Funding is guided by the recommendations of the Expert Group outlined in Partnership for the Public Good, and approved by Government. It ensures that the introduction of Fee Management to the sector is done in a sustainable and considered manner. Specific recommendations on fee management include; the introduction of a fee freeze in...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department has commissioned an internal review of the Community Sponsorship Ireland Programme, which is being carried out by EY Ireland. This review is expected to be completed by end of 2023, although there are no plans to publish the review report at this point. My Department has also secured the services of Fitzpatrick Associates to complete a Mid-Term Evaluation of Ireland’s...

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

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: Mother and Baby Homes (7 Nov 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1086 and 1090 together. The Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme is not yet open and so no applications have been made to the Scheme. It is not possible to comment on a specific individual's potential eligibility for benefits. It may be helpful to note that the Scheme will be straightforward and non-adversarial, and will provide benefits to applicants...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (26 Oct 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) operates in tandem with the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme and as such, provision of AIM supports are directly linked with ECCE participation / hours of operation. AIM’s objective is to support the meaningful participation of children with disabilities in ECCE. ECCE is available to all children within the eligible age range....

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (26 Oct 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: As the Deputy will appreciate, my Department is responding to the largest increase in the number of people seeking refuge in the State's history. Since February 2022, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth has worked extensively to accommodate over 98,000 arrivals fleeing the war in Ukraine, over 80% have sought accommodation from this Department, with the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (26 Oct 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: All Core Funding measures in Year 2 of Core Funding apply to registered childminders, except for the minimum base rate allocation. In line with the approach to Core Funding recommended by the Expert Group report, Partnership for the Public Good, the new funding model can, in principle, apply to registered childminders and centre-based provision, but there is a need to take into account...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (26 Oct 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The National Action Plan for Childminding 2021-2028 commits to extending regulation and supports to paid, non-relative childminders who work in their own homes over the coming years. The National Action Plan sets out a phased approach with a preparatory phase followed by an extended transition phase, to allow childminders a lead-in time for any requirements. This supportive, phased transition...

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) (Non-Disclosure Agreements) Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages [Private Members] (25 Oct 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank Senators for their continued work on bringing forward this legislation, which will address the issue of the misuse of non-disclosure agreements in employment to cover up instances of harassment, discrimination and abuse. I reiterate that sexual harassment and discrimination have no place in the workplace. Employers should be open to addressing these challenges when they occur. The...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Schemes (25 Oct 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Accommodation Recognition Payment Scheme, provided for under the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022, is a tax-free monthly payment available to those providing accommodation to Ukrainians who arrived in Ireland under the EU Temporary Protection Directive since March 2022. The scheme is linked to the activation of the Temporary Protection Directive and is currently due to...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Consultations (25 Oct 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I wish to inform the Deputy in relation to her request that the Children’s Rights Alliance facilitated a remote targeted consultation with a number of invited organisations, including BelongTo, on the National Policy Framework for Children and Young People on behalf of my Department, in 2022. There was no fee associated with their participation in this consultation. In 2021 and 2022,...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Mother and Baby Homes (25 Oct 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I can confirm that Clare (Ennis) County Home is an institution that is included in the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme. While it is not possible to comment on a specific individual's potential eligibility for Scheme benefits, 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...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Asylum Seekers (25 Oct 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Coole Court was successful in a recent public Request for Tender (RFT) process for accommodation for international protection applicants (IPAs). The International Protection Procurement Service (IPPS) are currently contracting with successful tenderers from the panel and once these 2-year contracts execute, the contractors will undertake the identified mobilisation works to deliver their...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Children in Care (25 Oct 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Tusla has advised that various supports are provided throughout the country to foster carers who foster on an emergency basis. Tusla’s National Out of Hours Service (NOHS) has a number of foster carers who accept placements out of hours where an initial or start up allowance is provided to emergency foster carers to facilitate the purchase of a range of items required to foster on an...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Children in Care (25 Oct 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Statutory and operational responsibility for the delivery of child protection and welfare services is a matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. The Deputy is seeking information in relation to an operational matter. Consequently, I have referred the matter to Tusla, and requested that a direct response be provided to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Special Educational Needs (25 Oct 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) operates in tandem with the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme and as such, provision of AIM supports are directly linked with ECCE participation/hours of operation. AIM’s objective is to support the meaningful participation of children with disabilities in ECCE. ECCE is available to all children within the eligible age range....