Results 4,281-4,300 of 11,700 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Data (18 Apr 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1313 to 1319, inclusive, together. Oberstown Children Detention Campus have been asked to compile the information requested by the Deputy and the Campus will provide this information at the earliest possible opportunity.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Refugee Resettlement Programme (18 Apr 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Thank you for your correspondence. I can confirm that my Department's International Protection Procurement Service has not received a proposal to accommodate international protection applicants of a single gender, or international protection applicant families, in this property.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (18 Apr 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: At Budget time I allocated a total of €358 million under the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) for 2023. This figure is based on an additional €121 million being made available as a result of the estimated full year costs of a number of amendments to the Scheme: The removal of the practice of deducting hours spent in school pre-school or school from overall NCS hours reward as of...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Staff (18 Apr 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I wish to inform the Deputy that my officials have asked Tusla to respond directly to you on this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Legislative Process (18 Apr 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) (Amendment) Act 2022 (the 2022 Act) was signed into law on December 17 last year. The Act makes amendments to the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015 (the 2015 Act), particularly with regard to the streamlining of processes in the interests of those using the provisions of the Acts, and the strengthening of safeguards under the 2015 Act. ...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Data (18 Apr 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Deputy will be aware that, on 10 September 2015, as part of Ireland’s response to the migration crisis in central and southern Europe, the Government established the Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP). Under this programme, the IRPP has seen the arrival of over 4100 refugees under various resettlement strands, the largest of which is the United Nations High Commissioner for...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (30 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: We discussed this issue ourselves yesterday. I recognise that there are delays and that these delays are ongoing. There is a backlog. In order to address that backlog, we have taken a number of steps within the Department to automate the processing of the significant number of invoices on hand. About 800 invoices come in on a weekly basis. Most importantly, additional staff are being put...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Child and Family Agency (30 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, tries to ensure the best outcome for children, families, individuals and communities by listening to feedback and complaints through its Tell Us portal, which is available to all. In 2021, there were 598 complaints, in 2022, there were 749 and in 2023 to date, there have been 201 complaints. To note, in 2021, Tusla received 73,000 referrals and in 2022,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Child and Family Agency (30 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Absolutely. In the first instance, with Tusla appearing before the Joint Committee on Children, Disability, Equality and Integration, of which Deputy Funchion is Chair, soon-----

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Child and Family Agency (30 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: -----there will perhaps be an opportunity to explore this matter directly with its representatives in more detail. I am certainly happy. As the Deputy knows, I have a quarterly meeting with Tusla. Perhaps I could raise that specific issue with HIQA at the next quarterly meeting and continue that discussion. It is positive to see that some of these complaints are being resolved at a...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Child and Family Agency (30 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: It is very important that people feel free to make those complaints. As the Deputy knows, whenever there is an issue in terms of the engagement of Tusla with the relationship between a parent and child, it does create an element of stress. The fact that there are a growing number of complaints means that people feel that even if they have an issue, they need not worry about retaliation or...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Early Childhood Care and Education (30 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: As the Deputy knows, the ECCE programme provides free universal preschool care to children in the eligible age range. The programme is provided for three hours per day, five days per week over 38 weeks each year. The programme year runs from the end of August to the following June in line with the primary school year. Data provided by Pobal, which administrates the ECCE programme on behalf...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Early Childhood Care and Education (30 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I would like to have more time because there is a good bit in there. In last year's budget, we put in place €250 million in core funding. The purpose of this new money is to support services to allow them to pay their staff better and deal with a wider range of financial issues they encounter. All services, including ECCE-only services, receive that money. I know that small...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Early Childhood Care and Education (30 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The process is close to over but if Deputy Sherlock wants to give me information for my own decision-making processes that is fine. I think it is too late to join the process that was established. It started in January and we will get the interim report soon. If the Deputy wants to give me information I will be happy to take it from him because it is relevant to my own decision-making process.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Early Childhood Care and Education (30 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: That has never been said before.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Disability Services (30 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: As Deputy McAuliffe knows, CHO9 also covers my area. The children's disability network teams in CHO9 were fully established in late September 2021, with 12 CDNTs in place across the CHO. There are currently 283 posts assigned across the CDNTs in CHO9. This is the whole-time equivalent allocation for the area. Figures up to last month indicate approximately 194 posts were filled across the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Disability Services (30 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank Deputy McAuliffe. He is absolutely right that it is deeply concerning. It is deeply concerning for me as a constituency Deputy to know these figures. On Monday we had a good discussion at the Cabinet committee on health about the issue and longer-term solutions for greater recruitment of staff, particularly opening up more places in third level institutions on courses to do with...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Disability Services (30 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputies. I understand the very real focus this issue has for so many Deputies. The numbers that Deputy Ó Cathasaigh requested for his CHO are deeply concerning. Of 192 positions that are provided 111 are filled at present with 81 unfilled. This is a 42% vacancy rate. It is even higher than what we discussed earlier and it is deeply disturbing. It is having a very real...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Ukraine War (30 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: There have been delays. This has caused problems for hoteliers and other people who are providing serviced accommodation and doing so much to support the Government’s effort. That is why we have put a focus on this in terms of getting external resources. I have also been clear within the Department. We have had to move people and to stop other work that we would like to be doing....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Ukraine War (30 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I recognise the important role the hotel and wider serviced accommodation sector provides in meeting needs we never anticipated in the context of a war. It is an issue that the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Deputy Catherine Martin, has raised with me regularly. We are looking at bringing forth other elements of accommodation. It is 700 modular homes, not...