Results 6,961-6,980 of 11,997 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (15 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I was pleased to have secured a Budget 2022 package of €716 million for investment in Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC), a very significant advance on the previous year and designed to begin to introduce major changes to the model of funding the sector. The most substantial new development in Budget 2022 was the introduction of Core Funding. Core Funding...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Direct Provision System (15 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: Deputy, as at 31 May there are 2,387 adults and 891 children, a total of 3,278, who have received leave to remain and continue to reside in direct provision. Please see below for a breakdown of these figures in the format as requested by the Deputy: Length of time with Status Number of People 1 year or less 2,754 1 to 2 years ...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Refugee Resettlement Programme (15 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department currently contracts approximately 6,200 rooms in hotels, guesthouses and B&Bs in use for refugees arriving from Ukraine. This equates to a capacity of approximately 16,300 beds. The Deputy should note that this number only includes rooms in hotels, guesthouses and B&Bs so excludes other accommodation types. Please see the table below for the breakdown by county,...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Strategies (15 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Government is committed to achieving its vision of a safe, fair and inclusive Ireland where people are supported to flourish and to live inclusive, healthy and fulfilling lives, whatever their sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or sex characteristics. Ireland’s first National LGBTI+ Inclusion Strategy 2019-2022 is the primary policy vehicle to achieve this vision....

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Unaccompanied Minors and Separated Children (15 Jun 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...

Seanad: Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2022: Report Stage (14 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Senators for their amendments. I will speak to Nos. 1 and 2 first, then to Nos. 24 and 25. Amendment No. 1 seeks to include illegal adoption in the definition of "adoption". The insertion of these words is not necessary. In any case where an adoption order issued, a person is considered to be an adopted person and therefore a relevant person under the Bill. Amendment No. 2...

Seanad: Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2022: Report Stage (14 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I agree with the Government, Senator Higgins and all Senators on the need for full access to all information on vaccines, vaccine trials and medical trials. There is no disagreement on that and it is for that reason that I cannot accept these amendments. They are unnecessary because the legislation before us provides comprehensively for the full release of medical records to an applicant....

Seanad: Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2022: Report Stage (14 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: At no stage would I seek to question the bona fides of any Senator here. Senator Higgins is making it look like I am wishing that this is what is going to happen, crossing my fingers and hoping. The clear reading of these provisions is that it includes all elements of vaccination, including vaccinations and vaccination trials. I accept that there is a difference between those things. A...

Seanad: Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2022: Report Stage (14 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: Amendment No. 5 seeks to ensure that, where a relevant person had visitors or inquiries made in relation to them, this information will be available to be released, including the name of the person and, where available, their relationship to the relevant person. This amendment comes on the back of intense engagement with the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel on this issue. It shows that I...

Seanad: Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2022: Report Stage (14 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Senators for their comments.

Seanad: Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2022: Report Stage (14 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: The definition of provided items is inclusive and seeks to ensure that a broad range of items can be shared with a relevant person, including items such as letters, mementos, presents or photographs. It is central to ensuring clarity and consistency in facilitating the release of these items. It is important to note that the definition is specific that it covers items left by a genetic...

Seanad: Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2022: Report Stage (14 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: With respect to the monitoring of any potential blockages, the implementation group, comprising the Department, Tusla and the Adoption Authority of Ireland, AAI, will be working to understand how the implementation is taking place. We also have the stakeholder reference group that is being brought together. It will include people who were adopted, parents and people who were the subjects of...

Seanad: Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2022: Report Stage (14 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I am not in a position to accept these amendments, which seek to add to the list of secondary information sources provided for within the legislation, because I do not believe they are required. It is important to note the list of secondary information sources already includes a person prescribed under section 43(2). That is something that can be done through statutory instrument. There...

Seanad: Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2022: Report Stage (14 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I am not in a position to accept this amendment because it would introduce a broad and sweeping power to the Minister beyond the agreed policy intentions underpinning the Bill. When drafting this legislation, I wanted to ensure that it was as broad and encompassing as possible while ensuring that the definitions and parameters included in it were strong enough to be sound legislatively and...

Seanad: Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2022: Report Stage (14 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: Amendment No. 32 seeks to ensure that in a scenario where a person has applied to a relevant body for birth, early life care, or medical information, and no records exist, as well as informing the applicant of this fact - which was provided for already under the legislation - the relevant body will also advise the applicant of the right to make an application through the contact preference...

Seanad: Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2022: Report Stage (14 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: Amendments Nos. 29 to 31, inclusive, relate to the information session. Amendment No. 30 entirely removes or deletes it whereas amendments Nos. 29 and 31 seek to alter the mechanism. At this point we have debated this Bill for 30 hours across the two Houses and a very significant proportion of that time has been spent on discussing this issue. I recognise the very strong and deeply held...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Ukraine War (14 Jun 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...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Ukraine War (14 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: Please see below breakdown of persons admitted to Ireland as refugees including their country of origin from 2016 to 2021, in tabular form as requested by the Deputy: 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 Iraq 63 23 5 19 7 Syria 531 771 ...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (14 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: The availability of high-quality early learning and childcare that is affordable and accessible is a key Government priority. Since 2015, significant increases in State investment in early learning and childcare has given rise to a substantial growth in the numbers of children participating in these services. More than 100,000 children now participate on the universal pre-school programme...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (14 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: When first introduced, the ECCE Programme was delivered over 38 weeks in a given ECCE programme year and children were required to be between the ages of 3 years and 2 months and 4 years and 7 months in September in the year they enrolled. The entry age has since been decreased on two occasions, the first in 2016, when it was reduced from 3 years and 2 months to 3 years of age and the number...