Results 5,061-5,080 of 11,893 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

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

Roderic O'Gorman: The Revised Estimates for Public Services 2023, published by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, detail gross expenditure of almost €3.3 billion in respect of my Department for 2023. These Estimates have just been approved by Select Committee and will be voted on in the Dáil shortly. This allocation represents an increase of €463m (16%) over the 2022...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: As this is an operational matter for Tusla. I have referred the question to Tusla for direct response to the Deputy. Please be advised if this relates to an ongoing matter before the courts it may limit the response to an extent.

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

Roderic O'Gorman: The Migrant Integration Strategy was launched in 2017 and concluded at the end of 2021, having been extended for a year due to the impact of COVID-19. 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 aims to enhance diversity, inclusion and equity...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department provides funding to Education and Training Boards (ETB) to support youth services in their area. My officials hold quarterly meetings with the ETBs and these meetings assist my Department in identifying service needs and emerging issues, particularly for vulnerable young people. Last Year the UBU programme manager within my Department visited all 16 ETBs and over 70 youth...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: The National Childcare Scheme is designed to be flexible, recognising that childcare needs are different for each family. In creating a single scheme, it was important to recognise these differences and create a system that could respond to them. For this reason subsidies are awarded as an hourly rate, along with a maximum number of weekly hours that the subsidy will be paid for. The...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: In September 2022, the new Core Funding scheme was launched as part of Together for Better, the new funding model for early learning and childcare. Core Funding is worth €259 million in full year costs and its primary purpose is to improve pay and conditions in the sector as a whole and improve affordability for parents as well as ensuring a stable income to providers. To...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: Since the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine in February 2022, my Department continues to work as part of the whole-of-Government response with a focus on meeting the immediate accommodation needs of those fleeing the conflict. My Department is focused on the short-term accommodation needs of those who have fled here. To date, more than 73,000 people have arrived in Ireland and in excess of...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department has now contracted in excess of 42,000 beds with over 700 providers to accommodate approximately 53,000 beneficiaries of temporary protection. As part of the whole of Government humanitarian response, my Department launched an updated commercial accommodation offer management process on 23 January 2023. The objective of this updated approach is to streamline the offer process...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department has made extensive provision to support children with additional needs in the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme. The Access and Inclusion Model (AIM), which is a model of supports designed to ensure that children with disabilities can access ECCE. Its goal is to empower pre-school providers to deliver an inclusive pre-school experience, ensuring that every...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: Following my announcement of the hot meals pilot scheme in November 2022, my Department have collaborated with Pobal to recruit nine services as pilot sites to examine the delivery of an enhanced food offer in sessional pre-school and part-time services. Given that a large number of settings including all full-day care services already provide this service, the aim of this pilot is to provide...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Unaccompanied Minors and Separated Children (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.

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

Roderic O'Gorman: Information and Tracing services, as provided for under the Act, opened to applications on 3rd October 2022. As of 7th February, a total of 6,744 applications for information have been received by the Child and Family Agency, Tusla and the Adoption Authority of Ireland (AAI), in addition to 3,080 applications for tracing services and 3,031 preferences registered to the Contact Preference...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: As the Deputy will be aware, Budget 2023 has introduced a major reform to the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) from January 2023, which will substantially improve the affordability of early learning and childcare for families. From 2 January, all families accessing registered early learning and childcare receive a minimum hourly NCS subsidy of €1.40. With the previous minimum...

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 40 - Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (Revised)
Vote 25 - Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (Revised) (8 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I welcome the opportunity to discuss the Revised Estimates for my Department for 2023, including that of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission. As members will have seen from the briefing material provided last week, my Department is projected to spend €3.173 billion on current expenditure and €103 million on capital expenditure during 2023. This represents an...

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 40 - Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (Revised)
Vote 25 - Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (Revised) (8 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy. I agree and share, as I am sure all Deputies do, his concern regarding the rhetoric we have seen in recent weeks and months. It comes from a small group in society but one that is vocal and uses online techniques to organise and perhaps amplify its voice more than may be representative. It is, however, a voice that is also dangerous and makes threats to elected...

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 40 - Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (Revised)
Vote 25 - Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (Revised) (8 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: There are two key areas where we are providing in this year's Estimates for the response and action plan the Government is bringing forward, namely, subhead C9, which I will speak about in a moment, and subhead C8. Subhead C8 makes provision for €9.1 million. The key element of that is meeting the costs of the Tuam agency that is currently being established. The process for...