Results 4,581-4,600 of 11,893 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

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

Roderic O'Gorman: It is important to note the proposals we are bringing forward and, it is hoped, will be passed into legislation after today's debate, have been welcomed. They have been welcomed by NGOs and organisations working in this sector and by the trade unions, some of which have campaigned for this for a long time. Thus, there is a strong welcome for the proposals. A number of the Deputies have...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: Bearing in mind the warnings of the Ceann Comhairle, I will not respond to some of the general points, particularly about women in the workplace. I was going to outline the measures the Government has taken but I recognise we are only speaking about amendments, so I will control those remarks. Regarding Deputy Sherlock's question, that issue is dealt with in amendment grouping two, but...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: The process is set out in section 7 of the Bill. There is consultation, following which the Minister makes a determination on the rate, bearing in mind various criteria and amendments to the criteria we have just discussed. Another criterion is examining international comparisons. Deputy Sherlock referenced several international comparisons but there are not many because Ireland will be...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: I am happy to be back in the House for a final debate on this important legislation, the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022. The Bill will improve workers' rights in five key ways. It introduces the right to request flexible working for carers and parents, so that mothers, fathers and carers can better balance their family life, work and caring responsibilities. It...

Confidence in Government: Motion (29 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I will speak about the work being done in my Department since this Government took office in 2020 and why I have confidence in this Government. We are making significant strides across all areas of the Department, responding to major challenges throughout. We are in the midst of the largest humanitarian crisis the State has ever faced and one year into the war it is easy to forget that....

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Departmental Funding (29 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I welcome the opportunity to speak to the House on funding to LGBT+ groups. Ireland has become a proud, progressive and modern State that supports and cherishes all people equally. We have made great strides in recent decades to promote equality and respond to the changing needs of a diverse population. I am here today to discuss the funding provided to LGBT+ groups in 2021 and 2022. The...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Departmental Funding (29 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: There were 25 other virements.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Departmental Funding (29 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Senator speaks of the importance of the virement process. It is great to see she has a good knowledge of its importance. Of the 26 virements my Department has undertaken in the past three years, the 26 times when we took money from one place where it was unspent and moved it to the others, why is this the only one she is asking me about?

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Departmental Funding (29 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Perhaps the Senator will do so but she and I both know the reason and it is the unspoken assertion that I have done something dodgy here and looked to channel money into LGBT+ groups. The Senator spoke very eloquently on International Women's Day about the fact she has a voice here to raise issues that maybe others do not want to hear spoken about. I, too, have a voice too and I will not...

Seanad: Independent Review of the Handling of Past Complaints of Abuse in St John Ambulance Ireland: Motion (29 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I acknowledge the central role of the survivors affected by the Shannon report, who advocated for their right to be heard and for the harm that was done to them to be acknowledged. It is through their tireless activism that we have a report that is a testament to the truth as they have told us all along. I have had extensive and valuable engagements with Mick Finnegan since becoming...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Schemes (29 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 137 and 138 together. The National Childcare Scheme income assessment system is a complex and multi-faceted tool to support a fair an progressive approach to calculation subsidies. Models to support calculations arising from parameter changes to the income assessment system are equally complex. Officials in my Department are currently assessing the change in...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Rights of the Child (29 Mar 2023)

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

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Missing Children (29 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Under EU telecoms rules agreed in 2009, the 116 000 number is reserved in all EU member states for a missing children hotline. In Ireland, the 116 000 Missing Children Hotline (MCH) number is operated by the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC). The MCH is not an emergency number but is available to provide emotional support and advice to young people and adults in...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Mother and Baby Homes (29 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I am very conscious of the hurt that continues to be felt by survivors and family members of the people who died while resident in Mother and Baby institutions. One of the most tragic aspects of what happened in the former institution in Bessborough is the uncertainty regarding the burial place of many children who were resident there. The investigation of burial arrangements in Mother...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (29 Mar 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 to accommodate an unprecedented volume of persons seeking refuge following the invasion of Ukraine with over 78,000 people arriving in Ireland, including 57,000 who have sought accommodation from this Department. Overseeing provision...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Rights of the Child (29 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: On 24 and 25 January 2023, I led a delegation of officials from relevant government departments for the hearing before the Committee on the Rights of the Child in Geneva. I was pleased to discuss in detail Ireland’s progress towards realising the rights of children and young people, and pleased to hear the views articulated by the Committee of independent experts that monitors...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (29 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: There are remedial works are being carried out currently in Dolcain House, Clondalkin, Dublin 22 to enable the property to receive a fire certificate for residential use. An application for a valid fire certificate for residential use has been applied for through the Local Authority. While the owners of the site continue to progress works on site, the timelines for approval on the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Emergency Accommodation (29 Mar 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 to accommodate an unprecedented volume of persons seeking refuge following the invasion of Ukraine with over 78,000 people arriving in Ireland, including 57,000 who have sought accommodation from this Department. Overseeing...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (29 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: It is the Government's intention that the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) will monitor permanent International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) centres against national standards as part of transitional arrangements for moving to the new model. It is important that compliance with the national standards should be measured through on-site assessment. Planning is well...

Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth: Foster Care Issues: Discussion (28 Mar 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I share the Cathaoirleach's welcoming of Ms Gibbons back to the committee. I thank the Cathaoirleach and members of the committee for inviting me to discuss matters relating to foster care. I recognise and acknowledge the enormous work foster carers do in this country. They are at the core of the alternative care system in Ireland and they provide a safe and stable home for thousands of...