Results 9,581-9,600 of 11,744 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Human Rights (27 May 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 46 and 57 together. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Ireland ratified in 1992, states in Article 3 that:“In all actions concerning children, whether undertaken by public or private social welfare institutions, courts of law, administrative authorities or legislative bodies, the best interests of the child shall be a...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: United Nations (27 May 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Optional Protocol to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is an international treaty that establishes two procedures aimed at strengthening the implementation and monitoring of the Convention. The first is an individual communications procedure allowing individuals to bring petitions to the Committee claiming breaches of their rights; the second is an...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (27 May 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: Since the onset of Covid-19, my Department has put in place a range of supports for Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare (ELC/SAC) services. The objective of these supports have been to: - support providers’ sustainability to enable services return to normal once restrictions were lifted; - support providers to retain their staff; - ensure that ELC/SAC could reopen and...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (27 May 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department's overarching objectives for school-age childcare (SAC) are, like its objectives for early learning and care (ELC), to strengthen the quality, affordability and accessibility of provision. Specific commitments are included in the Action Plan on SAC (published in 2017), which sets a strategic direction for SAC, and in First 5(which covers the period 2019-2028). Two of the central...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child and Family Agency (27 May 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: Deputy CAMHS services and assessment of needs as it relates to the disability act 2005 fall under the remit of the Health Service Executive and the Department of Health. In the normal course of events we would seek a transfer to that Dept. to provide as full an answer to your question as possible, at this time the ongoing fall out from the cyber-attack has greatly impacted those organisations...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Direct Provision System (27 May 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The potential vulnerability of LGBTI+ persons in the International Protection process is recognised by my Department. Where a protection applicant discloses information in relation to their gender identity or sexual orientation, the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) of my Department makes every effort to ensure that appropriate accommodation is provided. The newly...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Anti-Racism Measures (27 May 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The National Anti-Racism Committee is an independent Committee established by Government in 2020. The work of the Committee will help to strengthen the Government’s approach to combatting individual and institutional racism and will build on the anti-racism actions included in the Migrant Integration Strategy (MIS) and the National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy (NTRIS). The...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (27 May 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I regret that so many children missed out on part of the ECCE programme last year over the last year, due to COVID-19 related closures. ECCE is a free two-year pre-school programme available to all children within the eligible age range. ECCE is a play based learning programme. The programme runs from September to June each year, aligned with the primary school calendar. ECCE is not...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Emergency Accommodation (27 May 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The table below gives expenditure on emergency accommodation apportioned by county for 2020, together with expenditure to the end of April 2021 and estimated expenditure to year-end, based on actual expenditure in the first four months of the year. As the Deputy will be aware, I am committed to moving away from reliance on emergency accommodation. In the course of 2020, my Department...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Strategies (27 May 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Comprehensive Employment Strategy for People with Disabilities 2015-2024 (CES) is the primary disability employment policy initiative in Ireland. It is a cross-government approach, bringing together actions by Government Departments and Agencies to address the barriers and challenges to employment of persons with disabilities. The CES’s strategic priorities are to build skills,...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Regulations (27 May 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The National Action Plan for Childminding, published in April, sets out an incremental and supportive pathway to regulation for non-relative childminders. Phase 1, which will last 2-3 years, involves preparatory work, including developing new regulations that are specific to childminding, amending legislation, and rolling out Foundation Training. Phase 2, which will last 3-5 years, will be...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Cross-Border Co-operation (27 May 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: Preparation of the new PEACE PLUS cross-border programme is being led by the Special EU Programmes Body in close co-operation with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in Ireland and the Department of Finance in Northern Ireland, as sponsor Departments, and with input from other key Departments. The new Programme is at an advanced stage of preparation and public consultation on the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Youth Services (27 May 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department allocates almost €67 million to support the provision of youth services nationwide. This funding has been maintained throughout the recent challenging period and this has enabled the youth sector to continue to provide supports to young people, particularly to marginalised, disadvantaged and vulnerable young people. The Local Youth Club Grant Scheme, supports...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Covid-19 Pandemic (27 May 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The closure or otherwise of temporary accommodation premises operated by the HSE for the housing of frontline healthcare workers is entirely a matter for the HSE. The Social Inclusion Office of the HSE has assured the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) of my Department that there are no plans to discontinue its accommodation scheme and has further agreed with IPAS to...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Disability Services (27 May 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I wish to advise the Deputy that I am not in a position to comment as responsibility for disability services has not yet transferred to my Department. These matters are more appropriate for the attention of my Cabinet colleague, the Minister for Health. The recent cyber attack on the Department of Health has rendered them unable to access their IT systems.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Strategies (27 May 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: My colleague, Minister of State with responsibility for Disability, Anne Rabbitte T.D., recently announced her intention to establish a Working Group to develop an Autism Innovation Strategy. The focus of the strategy in the short term will be to deliver real and tangible solutions to the challenges, needs and experiences of people with autism. The Autism Innovation Strategy will be...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Data Protection (27 May 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Deputy will be aware of Tusla's Data Management Strategy 2019 – 2022. The Strategy includes a a focus on Data Security Management with a view to minimising the risk of inappropriate access to Tusla data. Tusla is developing a verified data security environment in line with regulatory compliance and establishing a culture of data security and trust. There have been significant...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Registration of Births (27 May 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I am interpreting the Deputy's question as referring to the issue of illegal birth registration. When I took office I was briefed on this matter, including the Independent Review into illegal birth registrations and the broader work of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation. Following the publication of the Final Report of the Commission of Investigation in January of...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (27 May 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department has, in the past taken, a number of important steps to support professionalisation of early learning and childcare, including the introduction of a minimum qualification requirement, a Learner Fund to support practitioners to undertake qualifications at Levels 5 through to 8 on the National Framework of Qualifications, and a range of training and CPD supports, including the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (27 May 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 has committed to establishing a Restorative Recognition Scheme for survivors of mother and baby and county home institutions. This scheme will include a restorative recognition payment and a form of enhanced...