Results 8,761-8,780 of 11,729 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Childcare Services (7 Oct 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 123 and 159 together. I acknowledge that many early learning and childcare services are reporting staffing and recruitment difficulties, with increased pressures as a result of Covid-19. My Department is actively monitoring the issue and has sought data and evidence-based proposals from sectoral representatives. The primary data source for the sector is the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Funding (7 Oct 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The response to domestic, sexual and gender-based violence (DSGBV) is a cross departmental and multi-agency issue. Policy is coordinated by the Department of Justice. Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, has statutory responsibility under the Child and Family Agency Act 2013for the care and protection of victims of DSGBV. My Department is working with key stakeholders across Government,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (7 Oct 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I maintain a close interest in the Bessborough site, and I will continue to engage with survivors and the local authorities in terms of protecting this site. I know from my engagement with survivors that respectful treatment of burial grounds is an issue of huge sensitivity. The grounds of the former mother and baby institution at Bessborough extended originally to around 200 acres. In...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Medical Cards (7 Oct 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Deputy will be aware that, as part of its response to the Final Report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes (and Certain Related Matters), the Government committed to establishing a Restorative Recognition Scheme for survivors of Mother and Baby and County Home Institutions. The Scheme will include a financial payment and a form of enhanced medical card. An...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Early Childhood Care and Education (7 Oct 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: Capital investment in early learning and childcare will be delivered through the National Development Plan (NDP) during 2021-2030. Investment under the NDP will consist of three pillars : Modernisation, New Capacity and First 5 Initiatives. This will enable significant capital investment in early learning and childcare during the lifetime of the NDP as follows: (1) Modernisation: Much of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Reviews (7 Oct 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 128 and 135 together. I am aware of the Adoptee Voices report published by Aitheantas in July this year, and have given careful consideration to this report, in the context of wider engagement with adoption stakeholders. I have also met with Aitheantas a number of times during 2020 and 2021 as part of my engagement with adoption stakeholders. With regard...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: International Protection (7 Oct 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: Earlier this year, I published A White Paper to End Direct Provision and to Establish a New International Protection Support Service.As outlined in the Programme for Government, the recommendations of the Advisory Group on the Provision of Support including Accommodation to Persons in the International Protection Process, which was chaired by Dr Catherine Day, fed directly into the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (7 Oct 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Deputy will be aware that, as part of its response to the Final Report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes (and Certain Related Matters), the Government committed to establishing a Restorative Recognition Scheme for survivors of Mother and Baby and County Home Institutions. This Scheme will include a financial payment and a form of enhanced medical card. An...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (7 Oct 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: In order to assist the processing of subject access requests from individuals seeking personal information from the archive and to vindicate the rights of data subjects, my Department has put in place a multi-disciplinary team which includes legal and data protection expertise. Officials in my Department who process SARs from individuals completed data protection training delivered by...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Direct Provision System (7 Oct 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: Earlier this year I published A White Paper to End Direct Provision and to Establish a New International Protection Support Service. The new system has a particular focus on the needs of children who come to Ireland with their families or as unaccompanied minors. All staff working with applicants will undertake the ‘Children First’ e-Learning programme. The White Paper commits...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Childcare Services (7 Oct 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The 12 month review of the National Childcare Scheme, as required under Section 26 of the Childcare Support Act 2018, commenced at the end of March 2021. It is an independent assessment of the implementation and impacts of NCS during its first year of operation and will provide key data and information to support the future development of the NCS. The report is in the final stages of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (7 Oct 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Deputy will be aware that, as part of its response to the Final Report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes (and Certain Related Matters), the Government committed to establishing a Restorative Recognition Scheme for survivors of Mother and Baby and County Home Institutions. This Scheme will include a financial payment and a form of enhanced medical card. An...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Policies (7 Oct 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures – The National Policy Framework for Children and Young People, 2014-2020 concluded at the end of 2020. My Department’s Research and Evaluation Unit is preparing a review of the BOBF Indicator Set between 2014 and 2020, the lifespan of the policy framework. A final Annual Report for 2020 is due for publication by the year end. The research and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Special Educational Needs (7 Oct 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: Specialist supports provided by my Department for children with additional needs in early learning and childcare services operate through the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM). AIM is a programme of supports designed to ensure that children with disabilities can access and meaningfully participate in the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) universal pre-school programme. AIM provides...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Childcare Services (7 Oct 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 139 and 148 together. I am conscious of the need for significant improvement in pay and conditions of employment for early learning and childcare professionals. The level of pay they receive does not reflect the value of the work they do for children, families and the wider society and economy. The State, however, is not the employer and therefore cannot...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Childcare Services (7 Oct 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I fully recognise that local Parent and Toddler Groups are providing support to parents, grandparents and childminders, as well as to young children throughout the country. These groups are an important source of social contact especially for new parents and families new to a community. My Department funds a national network of County Childcare Committees (CCCs) who work directly both with...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Third Level Admissions (7 Oct 2021)

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 Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Childcare Services (7 Oct 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The City and County Childcare Committees (CCCs) were assigned by the National Childcare Strategy (2000) as the key local component in the development of a co-ordinated approach to quality childcare. There are 30 CCCs, located nation-wide, who are funded by my Department to provide support and guidance to local early learning and care (ELC) and school age childcare (SAC) service providers and...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Early Childhood Care and Education (7 Oct 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 143 and 144 together. First 5 commits to increasing investment in early learning and childcare to up to €1 billion by 2028 and a new funding model will be a key vehicle to ensure that such significant additional investment delivers for children, families and the State. An Expert Group was established in September 2019 to develop a new funding for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Parental Leave (7 Oct 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Parent's Leave and Benefit Act 2019 introduced 2 weeks' paid parent's leave to each parent of a child born or adopted on or after 1 November 2019. The leave was to be taken during the first year of a child's life, or in the case of adoption, within 1 year of the placement of the child with that family. The Family Leave and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2021 extended paid parent's leave...