Results 8,581-8,600 of 11,997 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Legislative Process (19 Jan 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: The report of the Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Birth Information and Tracing Bill was received from the Chair of the Oireachtas Committee on Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth in mid-December 2021. My officials and I have carefully considered the recommendations set out within. Having had the opportunity to partake in the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Legislative Process (19 Jan 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2022 (published on 12 January last) provides for the release, on application, of birth certificates, birth, early life, care and medical information for adopted persons, people who were boarded out, nursed out, subject to an illegal birth registration, or who resided in a Mother and Baby or County Home Institution as a child.  The report of the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence (19 Jan 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: The response to Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence (DSGBV) is a cross Departmental and multi-agency issue with overall policy coordinated by the Department of Justice. Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, has statutory responsibility for the care and protection of victims of DSGBV under the Child and Family Agency Act 2013. My Department provided Tusla with core funding of...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (19 Jan 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme is a universal, free, two year pre-school programme, which is available to all children within the eligible age range. The programme is provided for three hours per day, five days per week over 38 weeks per year, with the programme year running from September to June each year. The Department fully funds...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (19 Jan 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department continues to provide significant financial supports to early learning and care (ELC) and school aged childcare (SAC) services throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. Currently, in the case of pod closures or full service closures due to Covid-19, my Department continues to pay the full subsidies for those children registered in one of my Departments’ childcare funding...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Wards of Court (19 Jan 2022)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1136 to 1138, inclusive, together. This is a matter for my cabinet colleague, the Minister for Justice, as the court services are under her remit.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Domestic Violence (16 Dec 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I am pleased to inform you that Tusla’s review is completed and ready for publication. I plan to submit a Memorandum for the Information of the Government on the matter early in the New Year at which time Tusla will publish the Review. I have been in contact with the Minister for Justice and the Minister for Housing in this regard. In advance of publication, Tusla is to arrange a...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Schemes (16 Dec 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: Proposals for the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme were agreed by Government and published on 16 November 2021. The Scheme will include financial payments and a form of enhanced medical card for eligible applicants and will be based on proof of residency in a Mother and Baby or County Home Institution for a defined period of time. According to the proposals for the Scheme, any...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: State Bodies (16 Dec 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department is currently collating the information requested and a reply will issue directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Strategies (16 Dec 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: National action in respect of autism is a firm commitment in the Programme for Government. Earlier this year, my colleague Minister Rabbitte announced an intention to develop an Autism Innovation Strategy with the aim of launching it in 2022. In Budget 2022, Minister Rabbitte and I secured €100,000 for the design and implementation of the Autism Innovation Strategy, and for awareness...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Domestic Violence (16 Dec 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I am pleased to inform you that Tusla’s review is completed and ready for publication. I plan to submit a Memorandum for the Information of the Government on the matter early in the New Year at which time Tusla will publish the Review. I have been in contact with the Minister for Justice and the Minister for Housing in this regard. In advance of publication, Tusla is to arrange a...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Family Resource Centres (16 Dec 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, administers the Family Resource Centre (FRC) Programme. The programme provides funding supports to 121 FRCs across the country. Core funding for the national FRC Programme is provided from my Department (Vote 40) with the allocation of approximately €18m annually to Tusla. FRCs may receive funding from Tusla, other than core funding, including...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Programmes (16 Dec 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department has a commitment to awareness raising activities within the context of the Comprehensive Employment Strategy for People with Disabilities 2015-2024 (CES). It is also intended to conduct awareness raising activities around the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). The CES is a whole-of-government strategy which seeks to address and...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Domestic Violence (16 Dec 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The response to Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence (DSGBV) is a cross Departmental and multi-agency issue with overall policy coordinated by the Department of Justice. Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, has statutory responsibility for the care and protection of victims of DSGBV under the Child and Family Agency Act 2013. In 2021, I allocated €30m to Tusla specifically to...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child and Family Agency (16 Dec 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I wish to thank the Deputy for this question and to advise that it would be inappropriate for me as Minister to comment on an individual case. The Deputy is referring to an operational matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. I have therefore referred the matter to Tusla, and asked that a direct response be provided to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (15 Dec 2021)

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 3 years and 2 months to 3 years of age and the number...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (15 Dec 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: On 7 December, I was pleased to launch a report on a new funding model for Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School-Age Childcare (SAC), entitled Partnership for the Public Good. This report was delivered by an Expert Group which was independently chaired and comprised national and international experts. The new funding model outlined in Partnership for the Public Good comprises four key...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Policies (15 Dec 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department is currently collating the information requested and a reply will issue directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Covid-19 Tests (14 Dec 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department is currently working with the HSE to finalise an antigen testing programme for early learning and childcare services. The antigen testing programme for early learning and childcare services will be similar to the antigen testing programme that has recently been rolled out in primary schools. Antigen tests will be provided free to children and childcare workers who are in the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Covid-19 Pandemic (14 Dec 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: Updated Interim Guidance on the use of Face Coverings in Childcare and Educational Settings was published by the HSE's Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) on 30 November 2021. In line with this guidance, a notice was issued by my Department on 1 December to the Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School-Age Childcare (SAC) sector, including childminders. The notice confirms that at...