Results 6,041-6,060 of 11,700 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Bodies (6 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: There are seven bodies under the aegis of my Department. They are the Adoption Authority of Ireland, Tusla (The Child and Family Agency), Oberstown Children Detention Campus, the National Disability Authority, the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, the Ombudsman for Children’s Office and Gaisce (The President’s Award). My response to your question pertaining to each...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: DNA Database (6 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Institutional Burials Act 2022, which came into effect on 15 July, provides the underlying legislative basis for an intervention, whereby the remains of those who died in residential institutions in respect of which a public body has or had a relevant role, and who were buried in a manifestly inappropriate manner, may be recovered and re-interred in a respectful and appropriate way. It...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Public Sector Pay (6 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 292, 293, 294, 295 and 297 together. As Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth I value highly the work of the community and voluntary sector across the country that provide services to and on behalf of Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. I am conscious of the extremely positive impact these organisations have on improving outcomes...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Public Sector Pay (6 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I understand that where the Deputy refers to Section 38 and Section 39, he is referring to the Health Act 2004, which is a matter for the Minister for Health. The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) agreement reached between the Department of Health and HSE and trade unions representing staff in certain section 38 & 39 organisations is a matter for the Minister for Health. The...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Public Sector Pay (6 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: The care of our most vulnerable children and young people is a matter of priority for me and for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, which has statutory responsibility to protect children and promote their welfare under both the Child Care Act, 1991 (3) and the Child and Family Act 2013 (8). There are a wide range of safety and quality assurance controls in place to provide oversight of...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (6 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: As of 4th October, 3,879 services had contracted for the ECCE programme in 2022/2023, of which 1,493 are ECCE-only services. (i.e. the only child registrations for the purpose of funding were through ECCE programme). For the 2022/23 programme year, there all ECCE capitation will be paid at a flat rate of €69 per child per week. This is a departure from the previous approach which paid...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (6 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: The term ‘reasonable profit’ within the Crowe report had a particular meaning within European legislation on State Aid. Consideration of profit rates in the Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) sector requires further detailed analysis. I am pleased that with the enhanced financial transparency and public management underpinning the new funding model, we...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (6 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: Together for Better is the new funding model for Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC). Together for Better brings together the three major funding schemes, the Early Childhood Care and Education programme, including the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM), the National Childcare Scheme and Core Funding. It implements a series of recommendations in the Expert Group report,...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (6 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: Through the three early learning and childcare programmes ECCE, NCS and Core funding my Department aims to ensure stability and sustainability in the sector. I do not want any services to be faced with financial sustainability issues and am fully committed to working with any such service to support them in delivering early learning and childcare for the public good. Core Funding is...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Parental Leave (6 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: There have been significant advances in the provision of family leaves in recent years to support parents to play a greater role in their children's early development. Under the Parent’s Leave and Benefit Act 2019 (as amended), working parents are entitled to seven weeks of paid parent’s leave for each relevant parent, to be taken in the first two years after the birth or...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (6 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: As the subject matter of the Deputy's question relates to an operational matter for Tusla, I have referred the matter to them for a direct reply.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (6 Oct 2022)

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. A child must have reached 2 years and 8 months of age on or prior to 31 August of the relevant programme year to be eligible for the September start date and a child cannot turn 5 years and 6 months of age during the course of the ECCE...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Parental Leave (5 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: There have been significant advances in the provision of family leaves in recent years. Parental leave is one of a range of measures supporting parents to reconcile family and working life. Under the Parental Leave Act 1998 (as amended) an employee who is a relevant parent in respect of a child under the age 12 is entitled to 26 weeks unpaid parental leave for each child. Where a child has a...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (5 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I am aware of the sense of urgency surrounding the establishment of the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme and I am focused on delivering the Scheme as soon as possible. It is my intention to bring the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Bill to Government seeking publication and presentation to the Houses of the Oireachtas in the coming weeks. I referred the Bill to the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Ukraine War (5 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 251 and 252 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 to the conflict are...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (5 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: The National Action Plan for Childminding 2021-2028 sets out a plan for extending State support and regulation to childminding on a phased basis over the coming years. The overall objective of the Action Plan is to improve access to high quality and affordable early learning and care and school-age childcare through childminding. A key objective of the National Action Plan for...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (5 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Childcare Support Act 2018, which provides a statutory basis for the National Childcare Scheme, specifies that only Tusla-registered providers are eligible to participate. This limitation of public funding schemes to Tusla-registered providers helps to ensure that public funding is provided where there is assurance of the quality of provision. Childminders who are currently minding...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Staff (5 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department has introduced a blended working policy which provides for staff to apply for blended working. Under this policy staff are required to attend the office 2 days per week, as agreed with head of unit and remote working is not available on a 100% basis. One employee, who has been approved for blended working has identified a designated remote workstation in Co Clare.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (5 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: Many children with disabilities, including autism, take part in mainstream early learning and care services. Participation of children with disabilities in the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) universal pre-school programme in mainstream early learning and care services is supported by the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM). The key objective of AIM is to support early learning and...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Children in Care (5 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I wish to thank the Deputy for her question, and can confirm that I have referred the matter to Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, for their direct reply.