Results 3,361-3,380 of 11,997 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

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 Based on data captured in respect of the (unpublished) 2022/23 Sector Profile Survey (which was gathered in late Spring/ early Summer 2023), there were 10,091 places across services in County Meath.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...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: From September 2024, any family who is not already at the maximum hourly NCS subsidy will see an increase in their subsidy. All families who would currently receive the minimum (universal) subsidy of €1.40 per hour will receive €2.14 per hour - an additional €0.74 per hour off the cost of early learning and childcare. This translates to up to €96.30 off...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: As set out clearly in the provisions of the Children First Act 2015, responsibility for child protection lies with all sectors and reflecting this my Department leads the Children First Interdepartmental Group through which sectors report and update on their work and emerging challenges are discussed and responded to as appropriate. To date this group has not considered the matter of...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: I wish to advise that custody and access arrangements are private family law matters which come under the remit of the Department of Justice. Queries in respect of the operations of the Courts should be directed to the Minister for Justice. As the Deputy is aware, Tusla, the Child and Family Agency has a statutory duty to promote the welfare of children who are not receiving adequate care...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (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.Under the Building...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department provides funding to this organisation under the Youth Service Grant Scheme. The organisation plays an important role in providing young people with opportunities for developmental experiences and informal learning. My officials hold governance meetings with this organisation twice a year, and maintain regular contact with them on any emerging issues.

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

Roderic O'Gorman: Providers of early learning and care and school-age childcare are private businesses. As the State does not employ staff in ELC and SAC services, neither I nor my Department can set wage levels or determine working conditions for staff in the sector. However, there is now, through the independent Joint Labour Committee (JLC) process, a formal mechanism established by which employer and...

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. 65 and 78 together. Opening the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme as soon as possible is a priority for me and my Department. The underpinning legislation for the Scheme, signed into law in July this year, allows for the establishment of an Executive Office in my Department to administer the Scheme and the appointment of the Chief Deciding...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: OECD data from 2018, before the introduction of the NCS in late 2019, showed that early learning and childcare costs in Ireland, relative to household income, were the highest in the EU for couples on low incomes and third highest for lone parents on low incomes, with couples paying on average 26.5 per cent and lone parents paying 25.2 per cent, compared to the EU averages of 9.6 per cent and...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: The state, through its whole of Government approach, is committed to delivering accommodation solutions beyond tourist accommodation to international protection applicants (IPAs) and beneficiaries of temporary protection (BOPTs). The number of IPAs arriving in the county remains significantly elevated. In the first forty-two weeks of 2023, nearly 9,000 people have arrived in Ireland...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: Budget 2024 continues to improve investment for early learning and childcare with funding increasing by 8% or €83 million in 2024, to €1.109 billion. €303.31m has been allocated for Core Funding in 2024, a 14% increase on the 2023 investment in the scheme. This substantial increase on the 2023 allocation will support continued implementation of the scheme for the second...