Results 10,421-10,440 of 11,997 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Legislative Measures (24 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I know the absolute importance of access to birth certs and early life information for adoptees. Addressing this issue is a key part of the Government’s Action Plan in response to the Commission’s Report. It is a priority for myself, the Attorney and the Taoiseach. My Department and I are engaging intensively with the Attorney General to find a solution to the issue of...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Covid-19 Pandemic (24 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: On 6 January it was announced that, in order to reduce movement in the population, early learning and care (ELC) and school-age childcare (SAC) services can remain open on a restricted basis, to offer services to the children of essential workers and to vulnerable children only. These arrangements were subsequently extended until 5 March. An essential worker is someone who works in an...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child Detention Centres (24 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: As of today 23 February 2021 there are 34 children (14 children on remand and 20 in detention) in Oberstown Children Detention Campus (Oberstown). Oberstown has advised me that each young person is assigned a keyworker on admission. There is also a Social Worker and Advocacy Officer on campus and all young people have access and meet with them on a regular basis. Where a young person has a...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (24 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme is a universal two-year pre-school programme 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. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (24 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The statutory Commission of Investigation is independent in the conduct of its inquiries and as such I had no role in, or knowledge of, the particulars of its approach to its investigation or how it managed the audio recording from the Confidential Committee module. I note that the final report states that witnesses were asked for permission to record their evidence on the clear understanding...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (24 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 641 and 642 together. I have engaged in numerous correspondences with both the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes and the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner, in relation to the audio recordings used by the Commission. I will consider the Deputy's request in the hope to assist in furthering public understanding of this issue.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Autism Support Services (24 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: This is not a matter which has previously been brought to my attention. I am not in a position to comment on this matter as the provision of autism assistance dogs does not come within the remit of my Department.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (24 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I am aware that there have been many individuals who gave evidence to the Commission of Investigation, and who appeared before the Confidential Committee to tell their stories, who are now seeking access to these records. As the Deputy is aware, the Commission of Investigation is independent in the conduct of its investigation. Requests of this nature must be made directly to the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Children in Care (24 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy for bringing this matter to my attention, and wish to apologise for the inconvenience. I have referred the matter to Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, seeking clarification on why the requested response has not issued, and instructing that a reply issue to the Deputy as a matter of urgency.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Direct Provision System (24 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department is currently engaged with HIQA with regard to undertaking the role of monitoring the services provided to those accommodated in our centres against National Standards that were published in 2019. The National Standards meet the requirements of the EU (recast) Reception Conditions Directive (Directive 2013/33/EU) which we voluntarily opted into in June 2018. It is hoped that...

Seanad: Report of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation: Statements (Resumed) (19 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Acting Chairperson for his kind words. I have appreciated the opportunity to come into this House on three occasions to hear at length and in depth from Senators from around the country. They have had engagements, experiences and conversations with people in their own areas who have been impacted by this situation and-or seen the impact of local mother and baby home institutions...

Seanad: Report of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation: Statements (Resumed) (19 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I will speak to the Senator afterward.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (18 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I am acutely aware of the very human stories and the real upset this has caused to survivors. I have engaged and continue to engage with survivors. My absolute priority is to see if there is a technical solution to seek to retrieve that information and those recordings. That is what we are looking at currently. We will continue to engage intensively with the commission on that point, to...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (18 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. I understand the anger of survivors regarding the deletion of tapes. For a long time, they have felt that their voices have not been heard and this action is compounding that anger and frustration. I am aware of recent calls for the timeframe of the commission to be extended to enable it to deal with concerns relating to the audio...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Funding (18 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The National Integration Fund (NIF) is a key element of the Migrant Integration Strategy and was developed to help facilitate the effective integration of migrants, or persons of migrant origin, into communities all over Ireland on an equal basis with those of Irish heritage. Its primary objective is to ensure that barriers to full participation in Irish society are identified and addressed...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Schemes (18 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: Every year since 2013 the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth has provided Local Authorities with the opportunity to apply for funding to support new and existing play and recreation facilities for children and young people the Capital Grant Scheme for Play and Recreation. One of the consistent criteria under this scheme is that the playground must be...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Adoption Data (18 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I understand that Here2Help closed its operations on 30 June 2020 and proposes to transfer its adoption related files to the Adoption Authority of Ireland. The Authority and Here2Help are currently in the process of finalising the suite of files to be transferred. Once this transfer of files happens, the Authority will need to integrate relevant records and consider how best it can...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child and Family Agency (18 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: Following the receipt of representations on this issue, I asked Tusla for an update on services provided by the organisation named by the Deputy. Tusla has advised me that there is ongoing engagement between Tusla and the organisation named by the Deputy about service and funding arrangements for 2021. All organisations in the sector have also been invited to submit proposals to address...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Joint Labour Committees (18 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I can inform the Deputy that contact details for the various grant funding schemes provided by my Department and the National Disability Authority are set out in the below table. The question has also been referred to Tusla and the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission for those bodies' direct reply to the Deputy. My Department's other agencies do not operate grand funding schemes.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Joint Labour Committees (18 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Programme for Government contains a commitment to “support the establishment of a Joint Labour Committee in the childcare sector and the drawing up of an Employment Regulation Order, which would determine minimum rates of pay for childcare workers, as well as terms and conditions of employment”. To progress this commitment, in December 2020, working in partnership with...