Results 4,981-5,000 of 11,700 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (1 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Matters concerned with household energy bills are for my cabinet colleague, the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications. The Deputy may be aware that the Accommodation Recognition Payment, set at €800 per month, is available to those homeowners who have made their property, either in part or in full, available to house people who arrived in Ireland under the EU...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (1 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The National Childcare Scheme is designed to be flexible and acknowledge that childcare needs differ widely across different families. A core design of the scheme is that parents and providers agree the number of hours of childcare required. The subsidy amount reflects those agreed hours e.g. a child receiving 20 hours of eligible early learning and childcare will receive a greater subsidy...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Wards of Court (1 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: This is a matter for my cabinet colleague, the Minister for Justice, as the court services are under her remit.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (1 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years Services) Regulations 2016 set out the requirements for service providers in relation to First Aid training. Regulation 25 (1) states that   “A registered provider shall ensure that a person trained in first aid for children is, at all times, immediately available to the children attending the pre-school service.” The Tusla Early...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Children in Care (1 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: As the information requested is gathered as part of operational matters, the question has been forwarded to Tusla for direct reply to the Deputy. 

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Child Abuse (31 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. I join her in welcoming Mick to the Gallery. I am glad of the opportunity to speak on the record of the House on this issue. Reports of historical sexual abuse in St. John Ambulance in the 1990s have been highlighted in recent years by a number of Deputies and Senators. The Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, highlighted it when she...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Child Abuse (31 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Like the Deputy, I see the strong support across both Houses for swift publication of this report. I spoke in the Seanad just before Christmas during statements there on the importance of rapid publication. This review of practices within St. John Ambulance has been asked for by survivors for a long time. It is extremely important to them in their ability to seek - I do not want to use the...

Seanad: Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022: Committee Stage (31 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I am happy to be able to introduce this Bill. It is one of Ireland's most ambitious Bills dedicated solely to improving work–life balance. I look forward to the detailed discussion we are going to have. Not only will the Bill transpose EU law on work–life balance for parents and carers but it will also implement some important programme for Government commitments. It...

Seanad: Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022: Committee Stage (31 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: My reading of the legislation is similar to that of Senator Seery Kearney in that the proposed amendment would appear to reduce the 26-week period to one week. As drafted, it would mean that only previous employment in the past week would qualify as continuous service for the purpose of calculation. I do not believe that is the intention of the Senator in the circumstances but it is the...

Seanad: Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022: Committee Stage (31 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Section 6 inserts a new section 13A into the Parental Leave Act 1998 to provide for an entitlement to leave for medical care purposes for parents and carers. This amendment would extend the cohort of parents and carers who are entitled to avail of leave for medical care purposes. I appreciate that there is a wide range of potential caring relationships but the Bill very much follows the...

Seanad: Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022: Committee Stage (31 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: If the grandchild needs a parent or grandparent, that parent or grandparent can-----

Seanad: Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022: Committee Stage (31 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: If the grandchild needs-----

Seanad: Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022: Committee Stage (31 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: In line with Article 6 of the work-life balance directive, the Bill provides for five days leave for medical care purposes. The amendment would extend this entitlement to ten days. The Bill is introducing a range of new entitlements, and that is positive. These entitlements have been discussed at length with social partners, unions and representatives of employers. I have engaged in some...

Seanad: Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022: Committee Stage (31 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: This amendment intends to remove from the Bill the provisions related to the ability of an employer to seek relative evidence of the circumstances in which an employee is taking leave for medical care purposes. The touchstone of policy development from a data protection perspective is that the design of the system should seek to achieve the minimum invasion of privacy rights, be they third...

Seanad: Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022: Committee Stage (31 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: As I said before, we are reasonably confident we have achieved the right balance in the standards set. It is clear that what has been looked for here is whether the relationship between the employee seeking the leave and the individual is meeting the criteria of the directive in terms of the named relationships that are set out. I will chat to officials and confirm that we are happy that...

Seanad: Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022: Committee Stage (31 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: These amendments are to correct drafting errors in the Bill as passed by Dáil Éireann. They ensure that the provisions of the Bill are technically correct and make no amendments to what is provided for. These amendments correct spelling errors where they occur, revise punctuation and insert accurate references, such as replacing “section 13F” with “section...

Seanad: Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022: Committee Stage (31 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: This amendment proposes to amend section 13AA(1), which provides for the circumstances in which an employee is entitled to domestic violence leave. The amendment does not make any policy changes, but merely rewords the section for drafting clarity, including ensuring that the list of purposes for which an employee can avail of the leave is not exhaustive.

Seanad: Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022: Committee Stage (31 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: It is important to state that the issue is not about whether to provide domestic leave but about the issue of the rate. That was misstated earlier. The introduction of new leave is negotiated with the social partners with whom the Government engages. As part of that engagement, some small employer groups raised real and genuine concerns, considering their circumstances, about the...

Seanad: Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022: Committee Stage (31 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Section 8 inserts a new Part IIA into the Parental Leave Act to provide for a right to request a flexible working arrangement for caring purposes. The provisions of the new Part IIA go towards the transposition of Article 9 of the work-life balance directive. Part IIA has been carefully drafted to ensure that the directive is correctly transposed and provides the right to parents and those...

Seanad: Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022: Committee Stage (31 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Senators. There are several amendments which seek to amend the age limits at which a parent of a child is entitled to leave for medical care purposes and a request for flexible working arrangements. The age limits for relevant parents to request a flexible working arrangement for care purposes are aligned to the age limits for applications for parental leave, that is, the leave...