Results 10,281-10,300 of 11,997 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Parental Leave (11 Mar 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 145 and 146 together. The Parent’s Leave and Benefit Act 2019 introduced two weeks of paid Parents' Leave for each parent to be taken in the first year after the birth or adoptive placement of a child. In December 2020, the Government approved the drafting of a Parents' Leave Bill to provide an additional three weeks of paid Parents' Leave to each...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Years Sector (11 Mar 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department is committed to supporting ELC and SAC services operating through the medium of Irish. The Department’s ELC and SAC funded programmes are available to all services. In this regard, there are currently 267 services identified as naíonraí with Pobal and these services received over €94m in funding since 2014 from my Department in respect of the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Years Sector (11 Mar 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department is committed to supporting ELC and SAC services operating through the medium of Irish. Officials have engaged in numerous strategies whose aim is to encourage the development of the Irish language in the early learning and care (ELC) and school age childcare (SAC) sector. Collaboration between my Department and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sports and...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Years Sector (11 Mar 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: Early learning and Childcare (ELC) services are private businesses, and determine themselves the medium through which they provide their service. My Department provides funding to ELC providers through various funding programmes to subsidise the cost of ELC, and this is available to both Irish and English medium services. There are currently 267 services that identify as naíonraí...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Years Sector (11 Mar 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department strives to support and facilitate early learning and care (ELC) and school-age childcare (SAC) services operating through the medium of Irish, both inside and outside the Gaeltacht. The Department encourages all ELC and SAC services to engage in continuing professional development (CPD) on an ongoing basis to ensure quality of provision and to meet regulatory requirements....

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Years Sector (11 Mar 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: In 2017, my Department introduced Programme Support Payments (PSP) to recognise the additional time required of early learning and childcare (ELC) providers to complete the administrative work associated with DCEDIY funding programmes. The payment also recognises the time required to perform activities outside of contact time with children, such as preparing materials for sessions and...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (11 Mar 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 152 to 154, inclusive, together. The Terms of Reference for the Commission were developed in accordance with the legislative requirements of the Commissions of Investigation Act 2004, and agreed by the then Government in 2015. The draft Government Order to establish the Commission was also approved by both Houses of the Oireachtas at that time. The...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Registration of Births (11 Mar 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: In 2018, Tusla the Child and Family Agency alerted the Department to concerns of cases of illegal birth registration in the St Patrick Guild files. 126 cases were subsequently confirmed as illegal birth registrations, and the process of informing the individuals concerned commenced. The number of confirmed cases from those files has now increased to 151. While there have been suspicions...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Domestic Violence Policy (11 Mar 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 156 to 158, inclusive, together. Since its formation, the Government has made clear that tackling domestic, sexual and gender-based violence is a key priority. The Programme for Government contains a commitment to investigate the provision of paid leave and social protection provision to victims of domestic violence with a view to establishing a statutory...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Domestic Violence Policy (11 Mar 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: It is my understanding that the Deputy's question is referencing my response to Parliamentary Question 606 of 24 February 2021. While my Department continues to play a central role on issues pertaining to the audit to which the Deputy refers, the audit was not commissioned by my Department and was therefore not included in the table provided as part of my reply of 24 February 2021. My...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (11 Mar 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The 2021 capital funding grant closed for applications on 02 March 2021. The 2021 capital funding programme focused on ensuring fire safety in early learning and care childcare services around the country. The 2021 Capital grant funds were voted are part of the 2021 budget and can only be used for expenditure incurred in 2021. It is not possible to use these funds to compensate early...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Domestic Violence Policy (11 Mar 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. Under the Child and Family Agency Act, 2013, Tusla, the Child and Family Agency has statutory responsibility for the care and protection of victims of DSGBV. The Deputy will be aware that the Programme for Government sets...

Civil Registration (Right of Adoptees to Information) (Amendment) Bill 2021: Second Stage [Private Members] (10 Mar 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank Deputy Paul Donnelly for giving his wife's words and reminding us of the stakes at play in respect of this issue. I welcome the opportunity to speak on the extremely important matters involved here and I acknowledge Deputy Funchion for bringing forward the Bill. Access to birth information has been to the forefront of my agenda since I became a Minister and is a priority for me...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Direct Provision System (10 Mar 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 626, 627, 653 and 656 together. As the Deputy will be aware I have now published the White Paper on ending the 'Direct Provision' system of accommodation and support services. The White Paper sets out a new Government policy to establish a new International Protection Support Service. The transition to the new system will be led by my Department and...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Direct Provision System (10 Mar 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department currently has contracts in place for 49 accommodation centres, including management contracts for 7 State owned centres. The 49 centres comprise 45 accommodation centres for International Protection applicants, the National Reception Centre for International Protection applicants in Balseskin, Co. Dublin and 3 Emergency Reception and Orientation Centres (EROC) for refugees...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Maternity Leave (10 Mar 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Maternity Protection Acts provide for up to 26 weeks paid maternity leave, and a further 16 weeks unpaid leave. Where a child is born prematurely, additional weeks may be available. There are currently no plans to extend this form of leave. There have been a number of developments in terms of leave for working parents in recent years, notably, in 2019, the extension of parental...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (10 Mar 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 630 and 639 together. The experiences of persons whose births were illegally registered, incorrectly registered or who were illegally adopted, were not excluded from the Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters). The Terms of Reference for the Commission were developed in accordance with the legislative...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Foster Care (10 Mar 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The National Treasury Management Agency (Delegation of Claims Management Functions) Order (S.I No. 571 of 2019) was made in November 2019. This order was made under section 9 of the National Treasury Management Agency (Amendment) Act 2000. This order means that there is state indemnity for all foster carers in respect of any claims for personal injury and/or third party property damage...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (10 Mar 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: Public health advice in relation to Covid-19 and pregnancy is provided by the HSE at . This advice is based on the latest evidence available and is kept under review. It is important to note that, at this point in time, the HSE has not categorised pregnant women as falling within the High Risk or Very High Risk groups in relation to Covid-19 (). My Department does not have an employer role...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (10 Mar 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme is a universal pre-school programme available to all children within the eligible age range. A child must have reached 2 years and 8 months of age on or prior to 31 August of the relevant programme year to be eligible for the September start date and a child cannot turn 5 years and 6 months of age during the course of the ECCE programme...