Results 3,681-3,700 of 11,700 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Refugee Resettlement Programme (27 Jun 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Ireland has responded to the largest displacement of people on the European continent since the Second World War. Since February 2022, my Department has worked intensively as part of the cross-government humanitarian response to assist over 85,000 arrivals fleeing the war in Ukraine, of which 62,000 have sought accommodation from this Department. Overseeing provision of accommodation on...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (22 Jun 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme is a universal two year pre-school programme available to all children within the eligible age range of 2 years and 8 months to 5 years and 6 months. A child must have reached 2 years and 8 months of age on or prior to 31 August of the relevant programme year to be eligible. The lower ECCE age threshold of 2 years and 8 months...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (22 Jun 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department was allocated €69m in the National Development Plan (NDP) allocation for the period 2023-2025. This will enable significant capital investment in early learning and childcare across three pillars: Building Blocks - Improvement Grant, Building Blocks - Capacity Grant and a Building Blocks - Innovation Grant. My Department has allocated €9m in 2023 for the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Expenditure (22 Jun 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: There are no commercial bodies under the aegis of this Department and, as such, I can advise that it has no expenditure on consulting services or on ‘business-as-usual’ outsourcing to report.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (22 Jun 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The National Childcare Scheme (NCS) is a subsidy provided to help parents to meet the cost of childcare and allow children to access Early Learning and School Age Childcare. My Department has made a number of recent enhancements to the NCS to reduce the cost of childcare for parents availing of the NCS, these include: The removal of the practice of deducting hours spent in pre-school or...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Equality Issues (22 Jun 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department has commissioned a study to evaluate the processes for implementation of three equality strategies, namely the Migrant Integration Strategy, the National Strategy for Women and Girls, and the National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy. Work on this study has now concluded and it is expected to be published very shortly.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (22 Jun 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I would like to assure the Deputy that the health and wellbeing of all Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) who avail of accommodation provided by my Department is of the highest priority to me and to my officials. As part of our contractual arrangements with providers of accommodation for BOTPs, we set out a number of requirements which providers must meet in terms of service...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (21 Jun 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: There is a WRC process under way involving my Department, the Department of Health, Tusla and the HSE and related to both section 39 and section 56 organisations, which have not seen the degree of pay restoration that civil and public servants have received. That process is ongoing. Our Departments and agencies are participating in it. It has not concluded yet but I hope the process can...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (21 Jun 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I hope we will see a satisfactory outcome over the course of the summer.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (21 Jun 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy for his engagement, and that of Deputies Feighan and Kenny, on this issue. As the Deputy said, we put out a request for tender for additional accommodation and we received an offer in response from Sligo. When it became apparent that the offer would have an impact on student accommodation, and recognising the pressure on student accommodation in the north west, my...

Seanad: Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (21 Jun 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank Senator Ruane for tabling the amendment. I will respond to Senator Hoey. She said people are not included. Anyone who is mixed race and was in mother and baby or county home institution is included in this scheme. Anyone who underwent non-consensual vaccine trials and was in a mother and baby home or a county home is included in the scheme. They get a general payment. There is...

Seanad: Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (21 Jun 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I take the point. Unfortunately, I am not in a position to accept the amendments, which propose reports after 12 months to determine the potential to make additional payments to specific groups of survivors and to cause a review of the scheme following any decision, opinion or recommendation of international human rights bodies. In addition in response to Senator Hoey's point, as I outlined...

Seanad: Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (21 Jun 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I accept the point the Senator is making in terms of forced family separation and I accept what she is saying about choice. We have spoken to people where an adoption was a decision and we have also spoken to people where an adoption was not a decision. I accept the Senator's point in this regard, therefore, and I thank her for providing clarity. Ultimately, this legislation seeks to bring...

Seanad: Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (21 Jun 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank Senator Ruane for her amendments. I fundamentally disagree with the argument she is making that a scheme requiring evidence to be brought forward and risking the retraumatisation of survivors is preferable.We know from international experience and domestically from people who have used the mechanisms, such as the residential institutions redress scheme, that individualised schemes...

Seanad: Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (21 Jun 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I will speak to the point about testimony and the value of people's testimony. I agree with that point. That is why I have set out that with the records and the memorial centre, we are looking to create a facility where people can give their lived experience and can ensure that it is kept on the historical record. We are looking to initiate it with the people who gave testimony before the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Student Accommodation (21 Jun 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Ireland has responded to the largest displacement of people on the European continent since the Second World War. Since February 2022, my Department has worked intensively as part of the cross-government humanitarian response to assist over 85,000 arrivals fleeing the war in Ukraine, including 62,000 that have sought accommodation from this Department. Overseeing provision of accommodation on...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (21 Jun 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: As of the end of May 2023 , 5,290 people with status remained in IPAS accommodation, of whom 1,515 were children.

LGBTQI+ Equality: Statements (20 Jun 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Minister of State is going to conclude. He has allowed me one minute to speak. While we have had a very good and productive debate, I cannot remain silent on one remark that was made. Within 20 seconds of his speech beginning, Deputy Danny Healy-Rae explicitly linked LGBT+ and paedophilia. I do not agree with anything Deputies Danny and Michael Healy-Rae said. We can have...

LGBTQI+ Equality: Statements (20 Jun 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: In two days' time, on 23 June, it will be exactly 30 years since former Minister for Justice Máire Geoghegan-Quinn stood where I am standing now and introduced the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Bill 1993. That Bill gave effect to the requirements of the Norris judgment and finally abolished the 19th-century laws, those Victorian laws, that criminalised gay men. Since then, we have...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (20 Jun 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy for his ongoing engagement on this. I recognise the very significant welcome that the town of Roscrea has given Ukrainians and international protection applicants. A former convent in Roscrea has been refurbished for Ukrainians fleeing the war. It is for Ukrainians - primarily family groups. It is to be phased in regarding its use with some over the summer, some in the...