Results 5,741-5,760 of 11,700 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022: Committee Stage (8 Nov 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: On Deputy Sherlock's point regarding leave for medical care purposes, that is defined in section 5(2)(b), which states, "is in need of significant care or support for a serious medical reason." We relied on what is in the directive and that is what the directive says. We were also cognisant of other legislation in which there was an attempt to define things very rigidly. We steered away...

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022: Committee Stage (8 Nov 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: It is section 5(2)(b), which states, "is in need of significant care or support for a serious medical reason."

Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Bill 2022: Referral to Select Committee (27 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I move: That the Bill be referred to the Select Committee on Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth pursuant to Standing Orders 95(3)(a) and 181(1).

Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Bill 2022: Second Stage (Resumed) (27 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank all the Deputies for their contributions. In the time available to me, I will try to address some of their queries, many of which I know we will discuss on Committee and Report Stages. I would like to take the opportunity to set this Bill in the context of the Government's action plan and all that Government is doing in response to the needs of former residents and the legacy of...

Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Bill 2022: Second Stage (27 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." Today I am bringing the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Bill before the House. The primary purpose of the Bill is to establish a scheme to make payments and to provide a form of enhanced medical card to eligible applicants. The scheme will recognise the time spent and the harsh conditions, emotional abuse and other forms of...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (27 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: The National Childcare Scheme is designed to be flexible and acknowledges that childcare needs differ widely across different families. The National Childcare Scheme subsidies are awarded as an hourly rate, based on the agreed weekly hours of childcare for which the subsidy will be paid. The Scheme is designed so that funding is provided for the amount of care agreed between parents and...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child and Family Agency (27 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: The commissioning of services under Section 56 of the Child and Family Agency Act 2013 is an operational matter for Tusla. I have referred the question to Tusla for direct response to the Deputy. You may be interested to know many Community & Voluntary sector organisations in receipt of Tusla Family Support Services funding also receive funding from other government departments or...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Ukraine War (27 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 246 and 248 to 250, inclusive, together. Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine on 24 February, and the invoking of the Temporary Protection Directive by the European Union shortly afterwards, my Department has worked intensively as part of the cross-governmental response to the Ukraine crisis. The operational challenges brought about by responding...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Ukraine War (27 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: Deputy, my officials will require more time to facilitate your request as it involves bespoke vast collation of data. The list will be supplied to the Deputy as soon as it is possible.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Mother and Baby Homes (27 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 252 and 253 together. The Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes made significant findings in relation to the failings of the State and Religious Congregations, who together ran Mother and Baby and County Home Institutions. The Government believes that all relevant parties have a shared moral and ethical obligation to support appropriate...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Asylum Seekers (26 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: Deputy, the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) collates international protection (IP) applicant residency statistics on a county rather than on a locality basis. In addition, an IP applicant is not required to take up an offer of accommodation from IPAS. This, in turn, means that there may be IP applicants living in any town or locality in the country that IPAS is not...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (26 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 129, 136 and 137 together. Services which encounter financial or other sustainability concerns can avail of supports through the case management process. My Department oversees this process, through which local City and County Childcare Committees (CCCs) and Pobal work together to assess and provide support to ELC and SAC services experiencing difficulties....

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Policies (26 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: 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: International Protection (26 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: Deputy, please see below as requested, the number of persons in accommodation provided by the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) who have refugee status, subsidiary protection or permission to remain, broken down by county: County Number Cavan 34 Clare 213 Cork 568 ...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Direct Provision System (26 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: Deputy, Thank you for your further correspondence in relation to this matter and I would like to assure you that the health and well-being of all people who avail of accommodation provided by this Department is of the highest priority. I can confirm that the property referred to in this Facebook video footage dated August 2022, has been inspected again on 19 October 2022 and the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Ukraine War (26 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine on 24 February, and the invoking of the Temporary Protection Directive by the European Union shortly afterwards, my Department has worked intensively as part of the cross-governmental response to the Ukraine crisis. The operational challenges brought about by responding to the conflict are significant. Our country has never experienced an influx...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Mother and Baby Homes (26 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes operated entirely independently of Government. It conducted its investigations in accordance with Terms of Reference approved by the Houses of the Oireachtas and the legal framework provided by the Commissions of Investigation Act 2004. It is not open to Government to retrospectively seek to alter or interrogate its findings or...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (26 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: Every year it is normal for some early learning and care (ELC) and school-age childcare (SAC) services to close while other new services open. Services close for a wide variety of reasons including retirement of owners or other personal circumstances. Tusla is the independent statutory regulator for the sector. Services intending to close must notify Tusla within 28 days of closure. Data...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (26 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: On 15th September, 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 childcare for the public good, for quality and affordability for children, parents and families as well as stability and sustainability for providers. Together for Better brings together three major programmes, the Early...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (26 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I have become aware that some Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) providers intend to fully close, or reduce their service provision by closing their ECCE room/s, on 11 and 25 November 2022. I do not believe that closures are justified, given the very significant additional investment secured for the sector in recent years, with funding in 2023 to exceed €1 billion. These...