Results 5,021-5,040 of 11,700 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (31 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I am very conscious of the need for improvement in pay and working conditions for early years educators and school-age childcare practitioners. As the State does not employ staff in early learning and care (ELC) and school-age childcare (SAC) services, my Department cannot set their wage levels or determine their working conditions, but my Department has provided a range of supports to...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Direct Provision System (31 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: As the Deputy will be aware the Government made a commitment in the Programme for Government to end the current system of accommodation for International Protection applicants and replace it with a new model that is based on a not for profit approach. As part of this process, I published A White Paper to end Direct Provision and to Establish a new International Protection Support...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (31 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Deputy, as requested please see below the number of persons currently being accommodated via IPAS in referred locations; and the status type, the number of persons with leave to remain, with temporary protection and those people applying for international protection by household type namely single; couple; household with children, in each location: Accommodation Singles...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (31 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: My officials had been engaging on the matter with Pobal, the administrators of all childcare funding programmes on behalf my Department.  I understand that Pobal have been in direct contact with the childcare provider and any remaining issues have been resolved. Outstanding payments due to the service will issue shortly.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Refugee Resettlement Programme (31 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Awarding contracts to new and existing suppliers of accommodation are commercial decisions made in the context of projections in terms of likely refugee arrivals and the management of our accommodation needs as a whole. Demand for accommodation for those fleeing the war in Ukraine is strong at present and we are offering new contracts to many existing suppliers. It is not possible however to...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Unaccompanied Minors and Separated Children (31 Jan 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: Anti-Racism Measures (31 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: In 2020, the Government established an independent Anti-Racism Committee to strengthen the Government’s approach to combatting individual and institutional racism and build on the antiracism actions included in the Migrant Integration Strategy (MIS) and the National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy (NTRIS). Following an extensive public consultation, including engagement with...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Transport Policy (31 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department does not directly provide an Early Learning and Care or School Aged Childcare transport service. Services may at their own discretion provide for transport as part of their overall service offer and the substantial subsidies provided by this Department contribute to the cost of this throughout the offset of fees in those services. The Early Years division of my department...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Staff (31 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Due to the emergency nature of the war in Ukraine and the sudden influx into Ireland of people fleeing Ukraine, the Department established a new division. This was initially resourced by the internal re-deployment of staff and staff that were assigned temporarily from other Departments. Given the uncertain nature of the situation initially and the significant amount of movement of staff...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Transport Policy (31 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Deputy, as of 22 January 2023, there are over 19,800 people accommodated in the IPAS accommodation system as a whole. This includes the National Reception Centre and IPAS accommodation centres, City West transit hub and emergency accommodation locations nationwide. At this point in 2022, there were approximately 7,500 persons in IPAS accommodation. In regard to your query, following...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Emergency Accommodation (31 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Government is committed to delivering a humanitarian response to welcome people seeking protection in Ireland as part of the European Union's overall response. The scale of response to this crisis has been unprecedented and Irish people have displayed a commendable level of generosity in their support and pledges of accommodation. To date, in excess of 6,300 Beneficiaries of Temporary...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Emergency Accommodation (31 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: AWAITING REPLY FROM DEPARTMENT

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Refugee Resettlement Programme (31 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department is now accommodating over 74,000 refugees and applicants for International Protection in State-funded accommodation. The information requested in regard to counties and Dublin Local Authority Areas has been extracted from our systems and outlined in tabular form below. Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) Rest of Ireland Dublin ...

Parental Bereavement Leave (Amendment) Bill 2021: Second Stage [Private Members] (26 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach. I do not believe anyone in this House claims, and I know I certainly do not, complete ownership of compassion. I completely recognise the issues as well as the need for those raised by the Deputies to be addressed. The Deputies have said that this issue is provided for by the vast majority of employers. However, their concern, which is a...

Parental Bereavement Leave (Amendment) Bill 2021: Second Stage [Private Members] (26 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "That" and substitute the following: "Dáil Éireann resolves that the Parental Bereavement Leave (Amendment) Bill 2021 be deemed to be read a second time this day 12 months, to allow for time to further examine the issues raised in the Bill alongside existing work to examine the workplace impact of pregnancy loss and miscarriage...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: As the Deputy knows, the State is accommodating 54,000 Ukrainians right now. Of those, 46,000 are in hotels and guesthouses. That is more than 700 individual contracts. I recognise that in the latter half of last year a backlog grew in regard to prompt payment. We put in additional resources to address that. We shrunk the backlog. We did not entirely clear it. We will work with the...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (26 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I would advise them to contact the local authority. The local authorities are now doing the vacant homes call. That is the route they should take.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Birth Certificates (26 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I am deeply aware of the disappointment and frustration caused to applicants receiving a notification indicating that there will be a delay in the compilation and release of their information. Information and Tracing services, as provided for under the Act, opened to applications on 03 October 2022. As of Monday 23 January, a total of 6,474 applications for information have been...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Emergency Accommodation (26 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Deputy, as of 15 January 2023, there are 19,698 people accommodated in the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) system as a whole. Of this total, 4,086 are children. The Department has accommodated over 15,000 International Protection Applicants (IPAs) in 2022. Currently, the number of new arrivals each day remains very high. In the first two weeks of 2023 alone, more than...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Ukraine War (26 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department has engaged over 700 properties to provide accommodation for Ukrainian Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection. In line with my Department’s commitment to substantially clear the backlog at the end of 2022, the Department temporarily re-assigned staff from other parts of the Department to the payments team in December, doubling the size of the payments unit. The enlarged...