Results 6,381-6,400 of 11,997 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (4 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: Budget 2023 introduces major reforms to the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) from January 2023, which will substantially improve the affordability of early learning and childcare for families. Additional funding of €121 million has been allocated to the NCS from January 2023 so all families accessing registered early learning and childcare will receive a minimum hourly NCS subsidy of...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Care Services (4 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: Foster carers are paid a weekly allowance, which is a payment to meet the needs of the child in their care. The foster care allowance is currently €325 per week for a child under 12 years of age and €352 per week for a child aged 12 years and over. It is paid in respect of the child and provided in order to allow foster carers to meet all of the child's daily living needs,...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (4 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, with accelerated access to subsidies for childminders through the National Childcare Scheme. The overall objective of the National Action Plan for Childminding is to improve access to high quality and affordable early learning...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Health Services Staff (4 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: This is a matter more appropriate for my cabinet colleague, the Minister for Health.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (4 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Department has secured a landmark €1.025 billion in funding under Budget 2023 for early learning and childcare. This includes additional funding of €121m for the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) which has been allocated to reduce average parental co-payments for early learning and childcare by 25%. From 2 January 2023, all families accessing registered early learning and...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (4 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: As of 2 May, the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) no longer deducts hours spent in pre-school, or school, from NCS awards. This means that parents may use their full awarded subsidised NCS hours for pre-school, or school-aged children, regardless of the term week. If a child is registered for 15 hours per week under ECCE, parents can claim on the NCS for the hours that a child attends outside...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Family Resource Centres (4 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Deputy is referring to an operational matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. Tusla administers the Family Resource Centre (FRC) Programme which provides funding support to 121 FRCs across the country. I have therefore referred the matter to Tusla, and asked that a direct response be provided to the Deputy. I would like to thank the Deputy for meeting with me recently on the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Care Services (4 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 484 and 485 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: Childcare Services (4 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: Affordable, accessible, high-quality and sustainable early learning and childcare is a key priority for Government. In December 2021, Government adopted the 25 recommendations contained in an Expert Group report, Partnership for the Public Good: A New Funding Model for Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School-Age Childcare (SAC).On 15 September, I launched Together for Better, the new funding...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Direct Provision System (4 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: Please see information below, as requested by the Deputy: Direct Provision Centres Co. Wicklow 2018 2019 2020 2021 25/09/2022 The Grand Hotel Wicklow 111 111 111 111 255 Slaney Court Apts, Baltinglass 78 Rathmore Country...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Direct Provision System (4 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: The International Protection Procurement Service (IPPS) procures accommodation for IP applicants. From 24 February until September of this year, IPPS worked to facilitate the accommodation solutions for both IP applicants and circa 40,000 Ukrainian beneficiaries of temporary protection (BOTPs), an unprecedented volume of persons seeking refuge in Ireland. The pressure to accommodate circa...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Direct Provision System (4 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: All inspection reports are published on the gov.ie portal. These can be accessed via the following link - www.gov.ie/en/publication/534c2-ipas-inspection-reports/ I trust this clarifies the matter.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (4 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Department has secured a landmark €1.025 billion in funding under Budget 2023 for early learning and childcare. This includes additional funding of €121m for the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) which has been allocated to reduce average parental co-payments for early learning and childcare by 25%. From 2 January 2023, all families accessing registered early learning and...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Care Services (4 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 491, 492 and 496 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 for...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Public Sector Pay (4 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 493 and 494 together. Section 56(14) of the Child and Family Agency Act 2013 stipulates that 'an arrangement under this section shall not give rise to an employment relationship between a service provider, its employees or agents on the one hand and the Agency on the other'. Therefore, Section 56 agencies are ultimately responsible for the recruitment of...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Public Sector Pay (4 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: Under Sections 56-59 of the Child Care Act, 2013 Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, funds service providers and Community and Voluntary sector bodies to deliver services on its behalf. The service providers operate independently of Tusla and are responsible for the recruitment of employees and the terms and conditions under which they are employed. Section 39 agencies refers to...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Ukraine War (4 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...

Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth: Review of Testimonies Provided by Survivors of Mother and Baby Homes: Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (4 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I welcome the opportunity to speak with the committee today. After the publication of the final report of the commission of investigation in January of last year, many survivors were disappointed and angered by the treatment of testimony they provided to the confidential committee. Having gone to the effort of engaging with the confidential committee and reliving what happened to them in...

Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth: Review of Testimonies Provided by Survivors of Mother and Baby Homes: Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (4 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: What we are seeking to achieve in these proposals is to have the actual words of both those who gave testimony before the confidential committee and other survivors of these institutions on the record and for that to form part of the historical record. It is not just an archive that we are looking to create here. This is going to be part of the wider Government response in the centre for...

Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth: Review of Testimonies Provided by Survivors of Mother and Baby Homes: Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (4 Oct 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I absolutely take the point the Senator is making. On the initial point, the Senator has described what I would like to see in terms of the final outcome. Obviously, as I have made clear, it will be people who have much greater expertise and knowledge in these areas, both in the collection of this material and its subsequent portrayal in the records of a memorial centre, who will make the...