Results 3,281-3,300 of 11,687 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Estimates for Public Services 2023.
Vote 40 - Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (Supplementary). (4 Oct 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department’s response to the crisis arising from Ukraine is part of the all-of-government response. That is co-ordinated through a Cabinet sub-committee. That innovation, which took place about six months into the crisis, was hugely important in giving us a forum where all the Ministers whom the Deputy mentioned were present and the Departments of Social Protection, Education,...

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Estimates for Public Services 2023.
Vote 40 - Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (Supplementary). (4 Oct 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy. We do very extensive modelling in terms of the projected numbers of arrivals, but it is just a model and until the week is over we do not know how many will arrive. Since this has been going on for over 18 months, there are some flows we have recognised depending on the time of year. Coming up to Christmas 2022 and into this year, we had a sudden surge. In January, we...

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Estimates for Public Services 2023.
Vote 40 - Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (Supplementary). (4 Oct 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: We will bring forward the White Paper following the budget. Elements of it are relevant to decisions taken in the budget so we made a determination to hold back until after the budget. Significant work has been done on the revised draft. We hope to be able to publish it soon after the budget. I absolutely agree with the Deputy on the system we have to use at the moment. Every European...

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Estimates for Public Services 2023.
Vote 40 - Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (Supplementary). (4 Oct 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Some 94,000 Ukrainians have arrived into the country and 70,000 are being directly accommodated by the State. There is always a gap between those here and those we are accommodating. At the moment, around 550 are arriving per week. That gave me the figure I spoke to earlier about 80,000 being accommodated by the end of the year. I am not sure if the figure of 110,000 the Deputy quoted...

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Estimates for Public Services 2023.
Vote 40 - Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (Supplementary). (4 Oct 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I suppose I just look at them in those two categories. The accommodated are the ones I am most concerned because of the obligation on our Department. Whichever figure it is, it is substantial. Whichever figure it is, my Department continues to work to bring on more accommodation. It is difficult and tight, which is why we are using tented accommodation. It is important to recall there...

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Estimates for Public Services 2023.
Vote 40 - Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (Supplementary). (4 Oct 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I answered the question on numbers and made the point that tented accommodation comprised a small proportion. Tented accommodation is temporary accommodation for Ukrainians, with most people in it for two to three weeks before being moved on to vacancies in our existing stock. Coming into the winter, there will be pressure due to the overall number. The team in the Department is continuing...

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Estimates for Public Services 2023.
Vote 40 - Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (Supplementary). (4 Oct 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The comparative analysis is a document of the Cabinet committee.

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Estimates for Public Services 2023.
Vote 40 - Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (Supplementary). (4 Oct 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: It is being viewed by the Cabinet committee. No more than any other document that goes before the Cabinet, it is not one that I can publish on my own. It is not just a document for our Department. Rather, it is part of a Cabinet committee.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (4 Oct 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) is a model of supports designed to ensure that children with disabilities can access the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme. Its goal is to empower pre-school providers to deliver an inclusive pre-school experience, ensuring that every eligible child can meaningfully participate in the ECCE Programme and reap the benefits of high quality...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (4 Oct 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The 2023 expenditure for the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) is estimated to be approximately €48m. This funding covers the cost of the seven levels of AIM, which encompass a range of both universal and targeted supports during ECCE for pre-school settings. ECCE, the free preschool provision is 3 hours per day, 38 weeks per year. This funding covers training of staff,...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Proposed Legislation (4 Oct 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Since my Department was established in June 2020, it has prepared eight general schemes which have been referred to Oireachtas Committees for pre-legislative scrutiny. The table below sets out the information requested: Title of general scheme Date referred Date published General Scheme of the Parent’s Leave and Benefit (Amendment) Bill...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (4 Oct 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 188, 189 and 190 together. My Department is currently collating the information requested and a reply will issue directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Childcare Fees: Motion [Private Members] (3 Oct 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I move amendment No. 2: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "welcomes: — the extensive commitments by the Government to address long standing challenges in the early learning and childcare sector; — the increase to over €1 billion per annum in State funding for the sector this year, reaching the investment target set in...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Youth Services (3 Oct 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I have received the Pre-Budget Submission for Budget 2024 from the NYCI and its contents have been noted. Budget 2024 is currently being considered by Government in the context of the annual estimates process. As this is ongoing, the Deputy will appreciate that it would not be appropriate for me to comment further at this stage. As Minister, I have always championed for increases in youth...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Correspondence (3 Oct 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I wish to acknowledge the Deputy's question and to also acknowledge the recent correspondence addressed to me as Minister in relation to the individual concerned. Officials in my Department have had ongoing contact and meetings with Tusla on this case matter since last year. A response to the recent correspondence is being currently prioritised within my Department and will issue to the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (3 Oct 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I acknowledge that many early learning and care (ELC) and school-age childcare (SAC) services report staffing difficulties in relation to recruitment and retention. In general, staffing pressures in the sector are caused not by insufficient supply of qualified personnel, but by high levels of staff turnover. Providers of ELC and SAC are private businesses. As the State does not employ staff...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (3 Oct 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Childminders must be registered with Tusla in order to offer the universal ECCE programme to children. Currently a large proportion of childminders are legally excluded from registration with Tusla, as a result of legal exemptions in the Child Care Act 1991, and therefore cannot offer the ECCE programme. The ECCE programme is restricted to children between the ages of 2 years 8 months at the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (3 Oct 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I expressed my disappointment that the FECP chose to pursue the action of requesting early learning and childcare providers to close from 26-28 September. I understand the FECP was the onlyrepresentative organisation supporting this action. The three day closure of services was unwarranted at a time when investment by the State in early learning and childcare is at an all-time high, having...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (3 Oct 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: In January 2021 Pobal, on behalf of my Department, invited Early Learning and Care and School Aged Childcare services to submit applications for fire safety capital funding of between €1,000 and €10,000 to cover remedial works required to receive a Fire Safety Certificate. As part of the application process, it was a requirement that all eligible expenditure would occur between...