Results 7,101-7,120 of 11,925 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Programmes (2 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: As the Deputy will be aware, my Department has responsibility for migrant integration policy, including the outgoing Migrant Integration Strategy, that sets out the Government’s commitment to the promotion of migrant integration as a key part of Ireland’s renewal and as an underpinning principle of Irish society. The Strategy provides a framework for a range of actions to...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Youth Services (2 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department maintains close contact with 30 national youth organisations which it funds under the Youth Service Grant Scheme. My officials and I meet formally with these organisations twice a year to share knowledge and information on developments or challenges in the youth sector. This provides a forum for organisations to give information on national issues but also...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child Protection (2 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: Tusla is the statutory body with responsibility for child protection and welfare services. If a child appears to be at risk of harm or neglect, the concerns should be reported to Tusla. Anyone can report a concern about a child to Tusla, and information on how to do so is available on the Tusla website.  If a child is at immediate risk or in danger, An Garda Síochána (AGS)...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (2 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: The most recent edition of 'Key data on early childhood education and care in Europe' published by the European Commission in 2019, highlighted the high level of fees for full time early childhood education and care for under 3s in countries which rely on market mechanisms to including Ireland, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. Since then, the Government has set out a range of...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (2 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: Significant investment is being made by my Department to address affordability for parents through the National Childcare Scheme (NCS). As the Deputy may be aware, I announced a number of changes to the Scheme as part of Budget 2022. These changes will be of significant benefit to many parents. For instance, from 2 May, the NCS no longer deducts hours spent in pre-school, or school, from...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Ukraine War (2 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. My Department is focused on providing short term accommodation to people fleeing the conflict in Ukraine. In excess of 23,000 people...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Policies (2 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: All public bodies have responsibility under Section 42 of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act 2014 to promote equality, prevent discrimination and protect the human rights of their employees, customers, service users and everyone affected by their policies and plans. The public sector duty assessment and implementation for the Department of Children, Equality, Disability,...

Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) (Amendment) Bill 2022: Second Stage (1 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: There are 2,000.

Seanad: Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (1 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Senator for proposing the amendment. It is similar to a number of amendments that have been put forward. We debated the issue of the language of "may" versus "shall" on a number of occasions. As we know, the Bill places obligations on relevant bodies to provide a summary of all relevant records they hold, including information to which the application does not relate. This...

Seanad: Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (1 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: The effect of the amendment, as proposed, is to insert a clause into section 10. The amendment would require that where no birth information is available upon application by an affected person, the authority must seize all records and conduct an investigation into what transpired. We had a fairly significant discussion during the last debate on the Bill on a similar amendment put forward by...

Seanad: Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (1 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank Senators for their detailed contributions and consideration on this, which is an important issue. It is central to this legislation and central to that balancing of rights that we are seeking to achieve in this Bill and which has eluded previous Oireachtais over the last 22 years. I take what we do here very seriously and I take on board the contributions and concerns raised.I hope...

Seanad: Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (1 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: On the question asked regarding a subject access request versus a request under this legislation, subject access requests are individualised and depend on data control around their determination. I cannot, therefore, say that every subject access request will result in the production of all information.What I can say is that every request for information submitted under this legislation will...

Seanad: Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (1 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Senator. We have had a debate on the "may" versus "shall" language on a number of occasions. In legislation there is a distinction between the use of the term "shall" and the use of the term "may". The use of "shall" in legislation creates a compulsion, often on a State body, to act in a certain way in certain circumstances. While this may seem like a good idea on the face of...

Seanad: Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (1 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Senator for tabling these amendments. Part of this discussion relates to the issue of the use of the word "may" versus the word "shall". I have made the point that we believe we are using the correct terminology. In reference to amendments Nos. 73 and 77, the Bill places obligations on relevant bodies to provide a summary of all relevant records it holds, including information...

Seanad: Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (1 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Senator for her amendments and for the clarification on the withdrawal of amendment No. 83. Part 4, which we are discussing here, is very important in terms of providing answers to family members of children who died in an institution. This Part provides for access to records for the family of those children who died in a mother and baby institution or county home institution....

Seanad: Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (1 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: My response will be similar to what I said on amendment No. 74 and relevant amendments. We have examined this matter and feel that the use of "may" rather than "shall" is the appropriate way forward and we do not agree to put an obligation on relevant bodies to search for information that another data controller has. However, they have an obligation under section 63 to assist relevant...

Seanad: Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (1 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I hope to address the concerns the Senator raised, although I cannot support this amendment. The decision to specify that the application for the tracing service should be made to Tusla was taken after careful consideration of how the application process for the various services provided under this legislation would work, particularly in respect of the user experience and ease of...

Seanad: Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (1 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: Section 42(2) in the Bill as passed by the Dáil provides a mechanism whereby the preferences recorded by the current national adoption contact preference register will be transferred to the new contact preference register to be established. This amendment deletes the part of section 42 that achieves this necessary function and does not replace it, leaving a subsection that does not...

Seanad: Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (1 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I cannot accept this amendment, although I understand the spirit of it. Part 7 of the Bill, which relates to the safeguarding of records, has been carefully developed to provide clarity to the adoption authority and to the holders of records. The authority must have the ability to consider whether records are in fact relevant and I believe it is far more sensible and practical for the...

Seanad: Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (1 Jun 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Senator for raising these two issues in his amendment relating to an appeals and complaints mechanism and a review of the legislation. I will address both issues. As regards the first point, I understand, and I think we all know from our engagement on this issue over the past two years, in my case, and for a lot longer in the case of the Senator the level of mistrust that has...