Results 5,861-5,880 of 11,700 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Ceisteanna Eile (Atógáil) - Other Questions (Resumed): Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence (13 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy. Since its formation, the Government has made it clear that tackling domestic, sexual and gender-based violence is a key priority. I am conscious of the risk of poverty that those fleeing domestic violence face. The programme for Government contained a commitment to investigate the feasibility of providing paid leave and social protection supports for victims of domestic...

Ceisteanna Eile (Atógáil) - Other Questions (Resumed): Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence (13 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy. What we are doing with this paid leave is significant. We will be the second EU country to bring in paid domestic violence leave and one of a handful internationally. We are very much on the cusp in terms of our response. It part of a recognition of the general zero tolerance approach the Government is taking to this issue. Due to the fact it is new, the...

Ceisteanna Eile (Atógáil) - Other Questions (Resumed): Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence (13 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy. That is why we are bringing forward the policy development element. We will commission independent work on the development of those policies. There is some nervousness. Some of the groups representing some small employers flagged nervousness with us regarding the sensitivity of these issues. Ireland is a small country. People who know the victim may also know the...

Ceisteanna Eile (Atógáil) - Other Questions (Resumed): Parental Leave (13 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: Central to what we are trying to do is to support the rebalancing of those caring responsibilities and move away from the perception, as described by the Deputy, of what mam and dad are doing at this time. That is why parents' leave is not transferable, and I know there was some criticism of this at the time, but that is how it has to be. There are seven weeks for the mother and seven weeks...

Ceisteanna Eile (Atógáil) - Other Questions (Resumed): Parental Leave (13 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Government has recognised, in the programme for Government, the epidemic of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, DSGBV, and is introducing a range of measures, which the Minister, Deputy McEntee, is leading. This is an action I can take in my Department to support victims, recognising their risk of falling into poverty as a result of being a victim of DSGBV. On family leave...

Ceisteanna Eile (Atógáil) - Other Questions (Resumed): Ukraine War (13 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 of...

Ceisteanna Eile (Atógáil) - Other Questions (Resumed): Ukraine War (13 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: The war in Ukraine has generated the biggest movement of population on the European continent since the Second World War. It is happening miles from us so sometimes we forget that this is the scale of what we are doing. There are 1.2 million people in Poland, 800,000 people in Romania and Hungary and 450,000 people in Czechia. I was recently speaking to the Commissioner from Czechia. It...

Ceisteanna Eile (Atógáil) - Other Questions (Resumed): Ukraine War (13 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: Deputy O'Dowd has raised serious issue. I hope it is known to all Deputies that if a serious issue such as this arises they should come to me. This is something I need to know about. I am happy to speak to Deputy O'Dowd after Question Time about this issue. We will look to get a resolution. The point made by Deputy Ó Cathasaigh is important with regard to looking to the medium...

Ceisteanna Eile (Atógáil) - Other Questions (Resumed): Parental Leave (13 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: There have been significant advances in the provision of family leave in recent years. Since coming into office I have prioritised the expansion of types of family leave in line with Government policy and European legislation. The Parent's Leave and Benefit Act 2019 provides working parents with an entitlement to seven weeks of paid parental leave for each relevant parent, to be taken in...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Children in Care (13 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: As the Deputies will be aware, I cannot anticipate the outcome of the next budget. What I can say is that securing an increase in the rate of the foster carer's allowance will be a priority for me going into the next budget.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Children in Care (13 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: There is also a range of other measures within the foster care improvement plan that Tusla has set out and I will be looking to work on each of those as well. If we can achieve them, all of them can provide benefits to foster carers as well. We have to look at the response to foster carers in terms of the suite of alternative care policies that Tusla is bringing forward right now on...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services (13 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: On 15 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 and for quality and affordability for children, parents and families. Together for Better brings together three major programmes, the Early Childhood Care and Education, ECCE, programme,...

Ceisteanna Eile (Atógáil) - Other Questions (Resumed) (13 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank Deputy Higgins. I had a couple of statistics ready for Deputy Richmond in terms of his constituency. For Deputy Higgins's own interest, in south Dublin, where her constituency is, we have an 87% take up of core funding. It is a little less than the national average but still a very strong take up. As I was saying to Deputy Funchion earlier, when we introduced core funding we...

Ceisteanna Eile (Atógáil) - Other Questions (Resumed) (13 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I did not answer the Deputy's original question in terms of payscales. Under the employment regulation order, we have a payscale set in terms of qualifications at present rather than longevity of service. The basic rate is €13 per hour. If one is a graduate, if one is a manager or if one is a graduate manager, there are six different payscales. The money we have for the second year...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Children in Care (13 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 99 and 110 together. Foster care is the preferred option in Ireland for children who cannot live with their parents or guardians. Approximately 89% of children in care are currently being cared for by foster carers, enabling them to live in a safe, secure and stable home environment. Foster carers are paid at a rate of €325 per week for a child...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Children in Care (13 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I, my Department and Tusla recognise the essential importance of the work foster carers do. Deputy Gould is right in saying that we would prefer it if children were not in care, but the truly amazing statistic that 89% of children in care are in foster care rather than in residential situations is extremely important. It is also important that we continue to properly acknowledge this work...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence (13 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I do not have an answer about that fund, but the Minister for Justice works closely with NGOs, as I did when this matter fell within my remit. She listens to them and works to support their actions, expertise and knowledge on the ground. Regarding the pressure on refuges, it is worth highlighting two measures, namely, the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill, which we...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (13 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I am acutely aware of the sense of urgency surrounding the establishment of the mother and baby institutions payment scheme and I am focused on delivering that scheme as soon as possible. On Tuesday, I brought the Bill providing for the payment scheme to the Government and obtained approval for its publication and presentation to the Houses later this month. The scheme will provide...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (13 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: We have sought to learn from previous schemes in how we have designed and will implement this one. We examined the residential institutions redress scheme, under which individuals had to appear before a committee to give evidence and face cross-examination. Everyone understands that that was a retraumatising process. We have designed this scheme based on the length of time in an...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (13 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: Anyone who spent time in an institution for more than six months and was subsequently boarded out will be able to qualify under the scheme. A broad statement was made that boarded out people were being excluded, so it is important to clarify that anyone who was in an institution and was subsequently boarded out can fit within the remit of the scheme. On the suggestion that this will be...