Results 4,561-4,580 of 11,893 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

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

Roderic O'Gorman: The Birth Information and Tracing Act was signed into law on 30 June 2022, and all services established under the Act are open to applications since 03 October 2022. The Act provides for the release of birth, early life, care, and medical information to persons who were adopted, boarded out or nursed out, subject to an illegal birth registration, or resided in a mother and baby home or...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Mental Health Services (30 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: This is a matter for my cabinet colleague, the Minister for Health.

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

Roderic O'Gorman: The Migrant Integration Strategy was launched by my Department in 2017 and concluded at the end of 2021. The Strategy forms the central policy framework adopted by the Government to promote the integration of all migrants and their Irish-born children across ten areas of public policy. The Strategy aimed to enhance diversity, inclusion and equity for migrants across all aspects of Irish...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: There has been an unprecedented increase in State investment in early learning and childcare since 2015, albeit from a low base. Over the period 2015-2018, investment increased by 84 per cent – rising from €265 million per annum to €485 million per annum. This increased investment provided for a doubling of State-funded pre-school under the ECCE Programme –...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child Protection (30 Mar 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. As Minister, I am not in a position to intervene in individual cases as Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, is required by law to be independent in its work as set out in Section 8(11) of the Child and Family Agency Act 2013 that "the Agency...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: While the Department of Social Protection has lead responsibility on the issue of child poverty, my Department has taken steps to contribute to the addressing child poverty and related issues. My Department is preparing a new policy framework for children and young people (0-24), covering the period 2023-2028 for publication later this year. This framework is adopting a rights-based...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence (30 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, has statutory responsibility for the care and protection of victims of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence (DSGBV) under the Child and Family Agency Act, 2013. Supports are generally provided through funded NGO service providers. In the course of its work, Tusla will also become aware of instances of DSGBV through the provision of its other...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department successfully secured €70 million under the revised National Development Plan (NDP) allocation for the Building Blocks Capital Programme, designed to meet current and long-term Early Learning and Childcare infrastructure needs. The Building Blocks Capital Programme includes three Pillars: - An Improvement Grant to improve energy efficiency standards, while also supporting...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Children in Care (30 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: At the end of 2022, which is the latest data published by Tusla, there were 5,759 children in the care of the State. Of these, 89% (5,112) of children in care were in foster care (general and relative) and 7.6% (439) were in a residential (general and special care) placement. Both Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, and my Department are committed to promoting safe and high quality...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child and Family Agency (30 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: In January 2022, the Government agreed that issues relating to international surrogacy required further detailed consideration and agreed to the establishment of a Special Joint Oireachtas Committee on International Surrogacy. Following the publication of the Final Report of the Committee in July 2022, officials from my Department joined colleagues from the Department of Health and...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Legislative Programme (30 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The 2015 Act is an important piece of legislation that represents significant legal reform. It changes the existing law on capacity from the status approach of the wardship system to a more rights based and flexible approach, whereby capacity is assessed on an issue and time-specific basis. Adults currently in wardship will transition to the new decision-making support arrangements on a...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: Thank you for your correspondence. My officials will require more time to collate the information in order to answer this query. My officials will contact the Deputy with the details as soon as it is complete.

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

Roderic O'Gorman: Please see the number of emergency accommodation locations in use for international protection applicants per County in tabular format below: County Number of Emergency Accommodation locations Carlow 1 Cavan 4 Clare 2 Cork 4 Donegal 13 ...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: Thank you for your correspondence. Further to your query, please find in tabular format a list of International Protection Accommodation centres in the Dublin 1, 3, 7 and 9 areas. Centre County Eircode Occupancy Of Whom Children The Central Inn Dublin 1 D01WR94 109 19 Belvedere...

Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022: From the Seanad (29 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: 7 o’clock Section 15 of the Bill amends section 27 of the Parental Leave Act which provides for the retention of records to be held by an employer in respect of the forms of leave and entitlements under the Act. Section 15 provides that those records relating to leave for medical care purposes and the right to request a flexible working arrangement be held for three years only....

Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022: From the Seanad (29 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy.

Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022: From the Seanad (29 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I do not feel I am being cagey at all. A number of important rights have to be initiated through this legislation. There is DSGBV leave. We have to make the changes to the availability to access breast-feeding breaks. We have to do significant work on the right to request remote working. A code of conduct has to be drawn up by the WRC. We have to do some work on flexible working and...

Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022: From the Seanad (29 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: These are amendments to ensure clarity and harmonised language in the drafting of the Bill. They ensure that the provisions can be clearly understood and there is continuity of language in the relevant provisions. These amendments do not substantively change any of the provisions referenced but merely ensure that the policy intention is clear. I recommend that these amendments be accepted.

Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022: From the Seanad (29 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: A new subsection 13H inserts a review clause for the provisions under the new Part IIA of the Parental Leave Act 1998. These amendments make it explicit in the legislation that the review will include a consideration of whether the right to request flexible working should be extended to all employees. This has always been the intention in bringing forward these proposals but the provision...

Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022: From the Seanad (29 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: These amendments revise the proposals in section 7 of the Bill and, in particular, the new section 13AA(7), which provides for the regulation-making power for the Minister in setting the level of pay for domestic violence leave. Amendment No. 2 proposes to amend section 13AA(1), which provides for the circumstances in which an employee is entitled to domestic violence leave. The amendment...