Results 3,621-3,640 of 11,997 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

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

Roderic O'Gorman: Linguistic diversity in Ireland continues to grow. The 2022 census shows that there has been a 23% increase since 2016 in people usually resident in Ireland who spoke a language other than English or Irish at home . Amongst the linguistically diverse population, there are varying degrees of English language proficiency, and language barriers can be an issue when interacting with public...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: The Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) is a model of supports designed to ensure that children with disabilities or additional needs 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...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: As of 31st August 2023, the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) was accommodating 5,650 people with leave to remain status; 1,580 of whom were children.

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

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 549 and 550 together. Core Funding is a payment to services designed to support quality, sustainability, and enhanced public management, with associated conditions in relation to fee control and cost transparency, incorporating funding for administration and to support the employment of graduate staff. Services must uphold their contractual obligations...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: Investment in early learning and childcare is at unprecedented levels with public funding for the first time reaching more than €1 billion in 2023– a clear demonstration from Government of the value of the sector. The overwhelming majority of this funding is allocated through Together for Better, the new funding model, which comprises the ECCE programme including AIM, the NCS...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: Core Funding is a payment to providers designed to meet the combined objectives of improved affordability for parents, improved sustainability and stability for services, better supports for the employment of graduate staff, and better pay and conditions for the workforce. As of 3 October 2023, there have been 4,182 Core Funding applications received, representing more than 91% of eligible...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: The availability of high quality early learning and childcare is a key Government priority. My Department monitors early learning and childcare capacity on an ongoing basis, with a particular focus on responding to the unmet early learning and childcare needs of families. My Department engages in a broad range of research, evaluation and data projects to inform the policymaking process, as...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: The availability of high-quality early learning and childcare is a key Government priority. My Department monitors early learning and childcare capacity on an ongoing basis, with a particular focus on responding to the unmet early learning and childcare needs of families. The annual data captured by Pobal on behalf of my Department - through the Early Years Sector Profile Survey - is one...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: The International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) is currently utilising two properties which previously operated as nursing homes. Negotiations are ongoing with one provider regarding a former nursing home at present. Discussions are at an early stage, and a full assessment of the property must take place, following completion of works to meet required standards, before suitability...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: This is a matter for my cabinet colleague, the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.

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

Roderic O'Gorman: There is great diversity in how individual Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare services operate. I assume the Deputy is referring to a typical ECCE-only service for the purpose of this response. These services offer only the ECCE programme, which runs for 15 hours a week and 38 weeks per year. The regulatory ratios for this provision is 11 children per staff member. With a...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: I am acutely aware of the sense of urgency surrounding the establishment of the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme and I am focused on delivering the Scheme as soon as possible. To that end, a significant milestone was achieved on 11 July with the enactment of the underpinning legislation - the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Act 2023. This Act allows for the...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: I wish to inform the Deputy that the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) does not have a policy on the use of artificial intelligence; and that no Departmental functions are assisted by language model-based chatbots (details supplied). DCEDIY is guided by the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer and by the National Cyber Security Centre...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Children in Care (28 Sep 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy for his Topical Issue submission and for raising this important matter. I recognise that he has long championed this particular issue. I share his concern about children in the care of the State and his recognition that those requiring special care, who are perhaps the most vulnerable, should have access to a special care place when they need it. Tusla and I are well...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Children in Care (28 Sep 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy. As he knows, I meet Tusla on a quarterly basis. I was not at a meeting held two weeks ago, but at a previous meeting we discussed special care and the particular recruitment challenges in the sector. I specifically asked Tusla to bring forward a detailed business case for a special care allowance. That has been brought forward and we are considering it. We will revert...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Youth Services (28 Sep 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department is providing current funding of some €72.948 million in 2023 to support the delivery of youth services and projects. The Local Youth Club Grant Scheme, supports youth work activities at a local level by providing small grants to youth clubs and groups. €2.5 million has been made available for the Local Youth Club Grant Scheme this year. These grants are made...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (28 Sep 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I am advised by my officials that there are contractual arrangements inplace for 14 locations in County Kilkenny which accommodate Ukrainian Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection. Of these, five are provided on a self-catering basis and nine on a full-board basis. I am further advised that there are two locations in Co Kilkenny in use for the accommodation of international protection...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (28 Sep 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: Childcare Services (28 Sep 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The availability of high-quality early learning and childcare that is affordable and accessible is a key Government priority. A key objective of First 5, the Whole-of-Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families is to 'maintain and extend the supply of high-quality publicly subsidised early learning and childcare to best serve the developmental needs of babies and...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child Safety (27 Sep 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Department's officials continue to liaise with St John's Ambulance ireland (SJAI) with regard to the publication of the Independent review report by Dr. Shannon which SJAI commissioned. The Department's officials have been informed by Tusla Children's Regulations Service, Child Safe Guarding Statement Compliance Unit (CSSCU), that the organisation Safeguarding statement has been...