Results 5,201-5,220 of 11,907 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

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...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: Disability allowance is a matter for the Department of Social Protection.

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

Roderic O'Gorman: I cannot give the Senator that answer but I trust the Senator.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Equal Opportunities Employment (31 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Discrimination on nine specified grounds, namely, gender, civil status, family, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, race, membership of the Traveller is prohibited by law in the field of employment under the Employment Equality Acts 1998 to 2015. These include recruitment and promotion; equal pay; working conditions; training or experience; dismissal and harassment including sexual...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Equal Opportunities Employment (31 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Discrimination on nine specified grounds, namely, gender, civil status, family status, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, race, membership of the Traveller is prohibited by law in the field of employment under the Employment Equality Acts 1998 to 2021 and in the supply of and access to goods and services under the Equal Status Acts 2000 to 2018.  This includes the area of...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child Abuse (31 Jan 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: Early Childhood Care and Education (31 Jan 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. On 15th September, I launched Together for Better, the new funding model for early learning and...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme is a universal two-year pre-school programme available to all children within the eligible age range. The programme is provided for three hours per day, five days per week over 38 weeks per year and runs from September to June each year, aligned with the primary school calendar. The figures supplied by the scheme administrator Pobal...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 515 and 516 together. My Department is currently rolling out the first phase of the programme of rapid build homes with sites identified in Cork, Cavan, Tipperary, Sligo and Claremorris. The timeframe for the installation of the rapid build homes has recently been recalibrated in the light of experience to date. Accordingly, it is now expected these homes...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: The response to the Deputy's question will issue as soon as possible.

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

Roderic O'Gorman: Supporting parents in bringing down the cost of Early Learning & Care and School-Aged Childcare is a core ambition of the Government and of mine as Minister. To that end, the Deputy will be aware that, owing to the significant investment made available by the Government for providers over two successive Budgets, from 2 January of this year the cost of childcare has fallen for...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: Officials in my Department have contacted the Scheme Administrator, Pobal, in relation to the case raised on behalf of your constituent. Pobal have reviewed the case and advised that the applicant has since submitted a new application, which has been completed. The relevant awards have since been issued by Pobal, which are valid from Monday 30 January. The application referred to here was...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: Deputy, as of 22 January 2023, there are over 19,800 people accommodated in the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) system as a whole. In regard to your query, I can confirm that no offers from providers that are willing to accommodate international protection applicants (IPAs) are outstanding presently and each proposal is expedited as quickly as possible give the acute...