Results 4,061-4,080 of 11,893 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Mother and Baby Homes (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Last week I announced the appointment of Mr Daniel Mac Sweeney as Director of Authorised Intervention, Tuam. Mr Mac Sweeney will head up the independent Office that has been established under the Institutional Burials Act 2022 to oversee the important and highly sensitive work of ensuring the children’s remains at the site of the former Mother and Baby Institution in Tuam are recovered...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: On 29th March 2022, Government accepted the findings of an Independent Review of the Early Learning and Childcare Operating Model in Ireland that a dedicated state agency is the optimal operating model for the early learning and childcare sector for the years ahead. A dedicated state agency will assist in the development of a more streamlined structure to better support the delivery of early...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Community Development Projects (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Earlier this year, I was pleased to have the opportunity to meet with representatives from Carlow County Council to discuss this matter. As the Deputy may be aware, the organisation which is due to be the main tenant of this facility is Carlow Regional Youth Services. This service receives €128,726 in annual funding from Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, to provide a range of...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child Protection (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 49 and 91 together. To ask the Minister for Children; Equality; Disability; Integration and Youth the number of children reported to his Department as being at risk or under threat of becoming at risk depending on individual circumstances; the action proposed or taken in response; and if he will make a statement on the matter. In January 2023, Tusla...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: As the Deputy will be aware, in September 2022, I launched Together for Better, the new funding model for early learning and childcare. Together for Better brings together three major programmes, the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme, including the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM), the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) and the Core Funding scheme. A fourth programme –...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Rights of the Child (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: In January this year I led the Irish delegation to the UN Committee Hearing on the Rights of the Child in Geneva. Their concluding observations welcomed the legislative, institutional and policy measures Ireland has already taken to implement the Convention. However, they also raised concerns and gave recommendations on where we need to do better. The UN observations, along with the available...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The accommodation of international protection applicants (IPAs) is a demand-led process with applicants arriving in the country and seeking accommodation spontaneously. Ireland is now accommodating over 85,400 people between those fleeing Ukraine and international protection applicants (IPAs). This compares with over 8,500 at the end of February 2022. In terms of the Ukraine Crisis,...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 56 and 75 together. Record levels of investment is been made by my Department to, inter alia, support parents with the costs of early learning and childcare In September 2022, I launched Together for Better, the new funding model for early learning and childcare. Together for Better brings together three major programmes, the Early Childhood Care and...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Mother and Baby Homes (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: As outlined in my previous reply to the Deputy on 30 March 2023, consultation with survivors and relative groups was an important part of the development of the Institutional Burials Act 2022. After taking Office, I visited the site of the former Mother and Baby Institution in Tuam, Co. Galway, and met with survivors and relatives of those who died while resident there. I carefully considered...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Unaccompanied Minors and Separated Children (30 May 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 for Tusla. 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: International Protection (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: As at 24 May the Department has been unable to offer accommodation to 217international protection applicants (IPAs). Since 24 January, a total of 1063people who were previously unaccommodated have subsequently been offered accommodation All IPAs who cannot be accommodated by the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) are registered at the International Protection Office (IPO),...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Homeless Persons Supports (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The primary responsibility for housing and managing homelessness lies with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the local authorities. This area of work requires a whole-of-Government approach, with a multitude of key stakeholders playing a vital role in addressing the fundamental issues arising in addressing homelessness. Tusla provides family support and...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Schemes (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: From February 2023, 350 expectant parents from the Rotunda Hospital Dublin and 150 parents from Waterford University Hospital were offered an opportunity to participate in the First 5 Little Baby Bundle pilot project. 329 expectant mums from the Rotunda hospital and 148 mums from Waterford applied to participate. Included in this number is 8 sets of twins who will each receive a bundle....

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I am aware of the challenges a service can face when there is an unexpectant lose of premises. While decisions about the day-to-day running of services, including the choice of location, contracts, leases for premises and any decision to close, ultimately lie with the provider, my Department can provide support through the City and County Childcare Committees (CCC) in such a scenario. In...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (30 May 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. However, providers of ELC and SAC are private businesses. As the State does not...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Human Trafficking (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: As the Deputy is aware, statutory and operational responsibility for the delivery of child protection and welfare services is a matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. A 'separated child' is someone under 18 years of age who is outside their country of origin and separated from both parents or their previous legal / customary primary caregiver, but may arrive with other relatives or...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Direct Provision System (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Since publishing A White Paper to End Direct Provision and to establish a New International Protection Support Service, my Department has placed a significant focus and drive on delivering these reforms. As will be appreciated the war in Ukraine has had an unavoidable impact on the timelines and deliverables for the White Paper. Alongside this, there has been a substantial increase in the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Department has received a number of offers of ‘floating accommodation’ in recent times. The consideration of such proposals comes in the wake of an unprecedented accommodation crisis. Following detailed investigation and analysis of its use, and in consultation with various stakeholders including the Maritime Unit in the Department of Transport and various Port...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Capital Expenditure Programme (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Some €69 million was allocated to the Early Learning and Childcare sector in the revised National Development Plan (NDP) allocation. 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. The €9 million...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (30 May 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department is now accommodating approximately 84,000 persons between those fleeing the war in Ukraine (BOTPs) and those seeking international protection (IPAs). While efforts are made to notify public representatives and State agencies in advance of utilising a building for accommodation of IPAs, the emergency nature of the response required means that advance communications are not...