Results 781-800 of 11,687 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (2 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The introduction of Core Funding in 2022 brought a significant increase in investment for the sector, with €259 million of funding paid directly to services in year 1 of the scheme, of which €210.8 million was entirely new funding. This funding, which increased by 11% (to €287 million) in year 2, will increase again by another 15% in year 3 (to €331 million)....

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Disability Services (2 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The allocation made for Specialist Disability Services in my Department's budget for 2025 is €3.2 billion. This funding will help support people with disabilities participate equally in society. The money will go towards improving and expanding services, increasing pay, and assisting people to continue living independently in their own homes. I believe this significant allocation...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (2 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Due to a number of well-documented factors, my Department has not been in a position to offer International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) accommodation to every adult male seeking IP since 4 December 2023. As of 26 September 2024, 2,756 people who applied for international protection (IP) since December 2023 have not been offered accommodation. A triage process is in place for...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Flexible Work Practices (2 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Government is committed to supporting workers, and working parents in particular. The Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023 provides for a right to request flexible working for parents and carers, as provided for in the EU Work Life Balance Directive. Such flexible working arrangements will allow parents and carers to alter their working day or pattern to care for...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Equality Issues (2 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that drafting of the successor to the National LGBTI+ inclusion Strategy is currently advancing well. As the Deputy may be aware, an independent review of the National LGBTI+ Inclusion Strategy was commissioned by my department, and the final report was published in June 2024. This review will inform, in part, the development of the successor Strategy....

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (2 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department is progressing a range of actions to ensure the supply of early learning and childcare meets demand, with work in this area led by a Supply Management Unit that I established earlier this year. A key part of the Supply Management Unit’s remit is to develop a better understanding of the nature of supply and how it relates to demand and to develop policy to support the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Mother and Baby Homes (2 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Deputy has sought some statistics pertaining to the operation of the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme which I provide here up to 30 September. Applications received In processing Notices of determination Benefits No benefits Accepted Paid or in process of being paid Average payment 5,163* ...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (2 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 44 and 45 together. For my own part, I do support the goal that the State become a provider of early years care and education in the future. The Deputy will appreciate that reform of the early learning and childcare sector has been a major focus of this Government. The Programme for Government committed to reforming the system to create one that brings...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Funding (2 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department administers a number of funding streams addressing integration by way of annual and multi-annual grants. I have been working to maximise these funds to support excellent work in communities across Ireland, to help migrants to integrate more fully. The National Integration Fund has the goal of supporting communities across Ireland to play a greater role in promoting the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child Poverty (2 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I am committed to supporting the broader Government action to combat child poverty. My Department is taking a series of actions in this regard. Investment in early learning and childcare is at unprecedented levels, a clear demonstration from Government of the value of the sector. In 2025, my Department’s funding for the early learning and childcare sector will rise to...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (2 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Ensuring access to quality, affordable early learning and childcare is a key priority for Government. Data available to my Department demonstrates that, overall, early learning and childcare provision is expanding in terms of number of services opening, the number of places and hours of provision that services are offering, the numbers of staff employed and the numbers of parents supported...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (2 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The introduction of Core Funding in 2022 brought a significant increase in investment for the sector, with €259 million of funding paid directly to services in year 1 of the scheme, of which €210.8 million was entirely new funding. This funding, which increased by 11% (to €287 million) in year 2, will increase again by another 15% in year 3 (to €331 million)....

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child and Family Agency (2 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Since Tusla was established, its Communications Section has engaged external communications services solely for providing specific expertise in supporting campaigns, projects and events as needed. The table below outlines the costs and descriptions of the services provided for the years requested Year Amount Spent Service/Topics Covered 2022 ...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Family Resource Centres (2 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that I secured an additional €800,000 in Budget 2025 for the Family Resource Centre (FRC) Programme. I expect this additional funding will allow for expansion of the FRC Programme membership from 121 members to 126 members, an increase in 5 FRCs across the country. This is in addition to the funding equalisation scheme for existing FRCs that I...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (2 Oct 2024)

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 in the Scheme. The limitation of public funding schemes to Tusla-registered childcare providers helps to ensure that public funding is provided where there is assurance of the quality of provision. The National...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Youth Services (2 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: From 2020 to 2024, current Exchequer funding provided by my Department for youth services and programmes increased from €61.79 million to €77.95 million, a 26% increase overall. In respect of Budget 2025, I have secured a further significant increase to existing youth schemes to .€84.79 million This increased allocation will support the expansion of both targeted and...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Budgets (2 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy for his question. At the end of September, gross expenditure is running €278.6 million ahead of REV profile. The main expenditure pressures for the Department in 2024 are in International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS), Specialist Community Based Disability Services (SCBDS), Tusla, the Child and Family Agency and Early Learning and Care, and...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (2 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Improving access to quality and affordable early learning and childcare is a key priority of Government. Data available to my Department demonstrates that, overall, early learning and childcare provision is expanding in terms of number of services opening, the number of places and hours of provision that services are offering, the numbers of staff employed and the numbers of parents supported...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (2 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Improving access to quality and affordable early learning and childcare is a key priority of Government. Data available to shows that the level of capacity in the sector has risen substantially in recent years. Sector profile data shows an increase in enrolments nationally of 8% between 2022 and 2023 with a similar increase in enrolments in Kildare for the same period. However, I am aware...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Youth Services (2 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department officials and I regularly meet with representatives of the youth sector, including young people, youth service providers and the Education and Training Boards (ETBs) who administer a number of the key funding schemes on behalf of my Department. My officials are in regular contact with Education and Training Boards Ireland (ETBI), the representative body for all of the ETBs....