Results 5,041-5,060 of 11,893 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Assisted Decision-Making (9 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015 (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 flexible functional approach, whereby capacity is assessed on an issue and time-specific basis. The Act will abolish the wards of court system for adults...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (9 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Deputy, the response to the ongoing migration crisis has entered an extremely difficult phase, with no apparent accommodation for international protection applicants (IPAs) at scale available into the short term to medium term. I can assure you that every effort is being made to address the current shortfall in accommodation. Since 1 December 2022 to 30 January 2023 over 1,700 additional...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Reports (9 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Government has approved the construction of 700 rapid build homes with the potential to house up to 2,800 individuals in family units. The rapid build homes will be constructed on state owned land. The OPW is leading the development of this accommodation in conjunction with my Department. The objective is to install 500 units by March/April 2023. All the sites will have roads,...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (9 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The health and wellbeing of all people who avail of accommodation provided by my Department is of the highest priority to me and my officials. There is no discrimination between the supports offered to international protection applicants (IPAs) and Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) from Ukraine. There are material differences between the rights and entitlements of IPAs and BOTPs...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (9 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Department is aware of its obligations under the Recast Reception Conditions Directive (SI 230 of 2018), where it is legally required to provide accommodation to international protection applicants who seek it while their claim for international protection is being determined by the International Protection Office. Since the beginning of 2022, Ireland has accommodated more than 74,000...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Registration of Births (9 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Recommendation 17 of the report by the Special Rapporteur on Child Protection was that a State inquiry into illegal adoptions (broadly defined) should be established on a non-statutory basis. The question of creating an effective non-statutory inquiry is a sensitive, complex and challenging one. The Special Rapporteur acknowledges this and, in particular, notes the challenges associated with...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child Abuse (9 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I wish to advise the Deputy that I wrote to St John Ambulance to seek information about the publication of the report on 12th December 2022. St John Ambulance replied on 23rd December and confirmed that they had received a completed report from Dr Shannon. The Commissioner of St John Ambulance stated that the organisation was committed to publishing the full report immediately after the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (9 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 206 and 207 together. My Department is now accommodating over 74,000 refugees and applicants for International Protection in State-funded accommodation. The information requested regarding County Roscommon and Ballaghadreen has been extracted from our systems and outlined in tabular form below. Beneficiary of Temporary Protection (BOTP) Accommodation ...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Policies (9 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Last year, my Department published a Blueprint for the next National Policy Framework for Children and Young People, which set out the approach we are taking to developing the Framework, and the aims it will set out to achieve. The new policy framework will address all children and young people aged 0-24, covering the period 2023 to 2028. It will focus on realising children's rights,...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (9 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: It has not been possible to collate the scale of information sought in the time available. The information sought will be sent to the Deputy as soon as it is collated.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (9 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 210 and 232 together. The National Action Plan for Childminding 2021-2028 commits to develop new, childminder-specific, regulations that are proportionate and appropriate to the home environment and the family setting in which childminders work. This is a necessary step in enabling non-relative childminders to register with Tusla and take part in the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (9 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme provides universal, free pre-school to children in the eligible age range. The programme is provided for three hours per day, five days per week over 38 weeks per year and the programme year runs from the end of August to the following June in line with the primary school year. Data provided by Pobal, who are the administrators of the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (9 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Significant investment has been made by my Department in the last 2 years to support parents with the costs of paying for early learning and childcare and there are a number of further measures planned in the future. In September 2022, I launched Together for Better, the new funding model for early learning and childcare. This new funding model supports the delivery of early learning and...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (9 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Government is investing significantly in the early learning and childcare sector and there is an ambitious new funding model being introduced to improve stability and sustainability for providers. There are supports, financial and otherwise, available to services who need them. In September 2022, I launched Together for Better, the new funding model for early learning and childcare....

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (9 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Ireland is responding to the largest displacement of people on the European continent since the Second World War. Since 24 February 2022, my Department has worked to accommodate an unprecedented volume of persons seeking refuge from the invasion of Ukraine, coming to over 73,000 people, of which over 53,000 have sought accommodation. Overseeing provision of accommodation on this scale...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (9 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Deputy, the Department of Children, Equality, Integration, Disability and Youth is responsible for the provision of reception and accommodation services to international protection applicants. DCEDIY does not collect PPSN information relating to international protection applicants (IPAs). Matters relating to PPSNs are a matter for the Department of Social Protection (DSP). If the Deputy...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Children in Care (9 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Tusla’s latest Service Performance and Activity Report for October 2022 informs that 3,691 children were in general foster care (63.5% of children in care) and 1,473 children were in relative foster care (25.4% of children in care) at that time. Overall, this totals 5,164 children in foster care as of October 2022 (88.9% of children in care), the most recent information available. ...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Rights of the Child (9 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 217 and 221 together. Children's rights, and their enjoyment of these rights, are of paramount importance to my Department, and indeed across Government. The importance of child-centred policies and protections represent a core value in society where children can flourish and see a brighter future. There is no doubt that we must work towards ensuring this...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Children in Care (9 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: At the end of October 2022, which is the latest data published by Tusla, there were 5,810 children and young people in the care of the State. Of these, 446 (7.7%) were in Residential Care, and 15 (3.4%) were in secure Special Care. Both Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, and my Department are committed to promoting safe and high quality practice in all areas of Alternative Care. This is...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child Abuse (9 Feb 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.