Results 7,661-7,680 of 11,903 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Direct Provision System (5 Apr 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: The number of persons with some form of status residing in International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) accommodation at end February 2022 was 2,265. There are currently seven households that have been granted some form of status currently residing in IPAS accommodation over four years. The longest household with status is six years and four months. Whilst we cannot comment...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child Protection (5 Apr 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: As the Deputy will appreciate, matters relating to private family law do not fall within the remit of my Department and are a matter for the Minister for Justice. The Courts are, subject only to the Constitution and the law, independent in the exercise of their statutory functions and the conduct of any family law case is a matter for the presiding judge. The Courts Service has...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Refugee Resettlement Programme (5 Apr 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department has developed a comprehensive action plan to respond to the Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) needs of Ukrainian children and their families. Key actions include: - Facilitating access to my Department’s funding schemes – the Early Childhood Care and Education Programme (ECCE) and the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) - Identifying ELC places available locally and...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: Core Funding is a new funding stream for Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) services introduced in Budget 2022 and informed by the work of the Expert Group to develop a new funding model for ELC and SAC, outlined in Partnership for the Public Good: A New Funding Model for Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare. Core Funding is a payment to providers...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (5 Apr 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 the Scheme as soon as possible. Last week, I secured Government approval for the draft Heads of Bill for the Payment Scheme and for the referral of these draft Heads of Bill to the Office of Parliamentary Council for drafting. I...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (5 Apr 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: As of February 2022, 1,347 children were living in International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) accommodation under the care of their parents who were seeking international protection. There are no unaccompanied minors in IPAS accommodation.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (5 Apr 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: The package of measures announced in Budget 2022, which will be implemented throughout the course of 2022, is designed to ensure that fees to parents do not increase and that the full affordability benefits of the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) are felt without being absorbed in fee increases. The NCS comprises two types of subsidies: - A universal subsidyis payable for children between...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Youth Services (5 Apr 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: The annual capital budget available to the Youth Affairs Unit of the Department is approximately €3 million and this funding is utilised to meet the capital needs of all national youth organisations, youth services and youth clubs which are in receipt of youth funding from the Youth Affairs Unit. This limited annual capital funding is distributed among over 30 national youth...

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

Roderic O'Gorman: Family leaves are an important tool for working families to balance their working lives with the needs of their families and the current entitlements for parents in Ireland includes a range of options, both paid and unpaid. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Flexible Work Practices (5 Apr 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: Following Public Health advice staff in my department were supported to work remotely since March 2020. Further to the revised Public Health advice staff are currently attending the office at least 2 days per week. A central policy framework for Blended Working in the Civil Service was launched on 31 March 2022. This framework will inform my Department's blended working policy which is...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Refugee Resettlement Programme (5 Apr 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: To date more than 10,000 of those fleeing the conflict in Ukraine who have arrived in Ireland have been referred to the International Protection Accommodations Service (IPAS) for accommodation. In light of the continued significant numbers of people coming into the State, and the potentially substantial numbers that may arrive, my Department is contracting all forms of accommodation. ...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Refugee Resettlement Programme (5 Apr 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: To date more than 10,000 of those fleeing the conflict in Ukraine who have arrived in Ireland have been referred to the International Protection Accommodations Service (IPAS) for accommodation. The Government is committed to delivering a whole of Government, humanitarian response to people fleeing the war in Ukraine and seeking protection in Ireland. My Department is liaising with all...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Refugee Resettlement Programme (5 Apr 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I wish to advise the Deputy that I am not in a position to comment on these matters which are more appropriate for the attention of my Cabinet colleague, the Minister for Rural and Community Development.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child and Family Agency (5 Apr 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: As the subject matter of the Deputy's question relates to an operational matter I have referred the matter to Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, and the Adoption Authority of Ireland, for a direct reply.

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

Roderic O'Gorman: The Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme will provide financial payments and a form of enhanced medical card for people who spent time as mothers or children in Mother and Baby or County Home Institutions. It is recognised that there are people who suffered stigma, trauma and abuse in other institutions, and outside of institutions also. However, the institutions covered by...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Youth Work Projects (5 Apr 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department does not collate the information requested by the Deputy. Funding provided under the UBU Your Place Your Spacescheme does not directly fund youth worker posts/salaries. Rather, it is allocated on an organisational basis on a 'provision of service' basis to meet the identified local needs of the youth population in an area. The UBU Your Place Your Space scheme is targeted...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Refugee Resettlement Programme (5 Apr 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department is focused on providing emergency accommodation to people fleeing Ukraine where requested. Almost 10,000 people have been provided with accommodation by IPAS to date. IPAS has contracted over 5,000 hotel rooms, with additional capacity also being pursued through hotels, guest houses and B&Bs, accommodation pledged by the general public, religious properties, and local...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Refugee Resettlement Programme (5 Apr 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I wish to advise the Deputy that I am not in a position to comment on these matters which are more appropriate for the attention of my Cabinet colleague, the Minister for Health.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Refugee Resettlement Programme (5 Apr 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: Since the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine, my Department continues to work as part of the whole-of-Government response to meet the immediate accommodation needs of those fleeing the conflict. It is reviewing how best to provide translation services to Ukrainian Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection but has not yet concluded its assessment in this regard.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (31 Mar 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 321 and 333 together. In December, I announced major reforms to the funding model for early learning and childcare services. These reforms are on foot of a report from an Expert Group established in 2019, which comprised national and international experts, and was independently chaired by Michael Scanlan. Its report, Partnership for the Public Good,...