Results 1,041-1,060 of 11,864 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (25 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank Deputy Shanahan. I had the opportunity to meet with the chamber of commerce and its new chief executive when I was in Waterford. We discussed a range of issues in respect of the enhanced level of infrastructure in Waterford. We talked about the university. I was glad to see the veterinary school that we discussed has now been awarded. I absolutely understand that clarity on the...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (25 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: As the Deputy is aware, as part of our emergency response to both the needs of Ukrainians and international protection applicants, we have opened accommodation all over the country. Many times this accommodation is welcomed by the local communities. Sometimes, there are questions and tensions. That is why is I set up a community engagement team within my Department. The community...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (25 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: At a broad level, the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, and I, like all Ministers across government, are acutely aware of the need of the State to support people with a disability who wish to engage in employment. 1 o’clock That will be a central pillar of the new national disability strategy. I am aware that the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Humphreys, has carried...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (25 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I absolutely hear the Deputy's valid concerns about the risks here, particularly in respect of those two pipes, the structural integrity of one and the risks there, as identified by the EPA. I am happy to bring those concerns forward. I think the investment Irish Water has undertaken nationally and the investment it will be able to undertake with additional capital funding will allow the...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (25 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy for bringing our attention to the incredibly tragic events that happened in Creeslough. I remember the way in which the country rallied around at the time. Even earlier this year, one of the local GAA clubs came down to my local GAA club in Castleknock and there was a wonderful day of support. It is entirely reasonable that families are asking questions about how the...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (25 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: On the matter of housing and meeting our international obligations, I am very clear that I do not agree with the comments Deputy Doherty put forward. As a Minister who has the job to provide accommodation for people and is providing accommodation through that payment, I am not clear what his solution is in respect of the thousands of people who rely on that payment right now if it is...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (25 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: What we are doing to tackle it is make core funding as attractive as possible for providers. Ultimately, providers have a right to make decisions, and we look to make core funding attractive to them. We have done that by growing the overall amount of core funding available to funders. This year, it will go to €331 million, a 15% increase. We have also recognised, however, that the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (25 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy for his long-standing invitation. With respect, it does sound like he is complaining about the allocation of money to cyclists. We do not need to be setting one off against the other. We did not invest in cycling infrastructure in this country for a long time. Plenty of the cyclists who are now benefitting from schemes, some of them urban and others rural, are cycling...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (25 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy for raising a very important matter. It is one that has public health dimensions to it, environmental dimensions and also development and housing dimensions. I will not pretend for a moment that I am in any way an expert on the intricacies of the wastewater infrastructure deficits and challenges the Deputy and her constituents face in Galway. If she does not mind, I will...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (25 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: No one is evicted from international protection accommodation. I want to make that clear. In a situation where people have status, they are entitled to the full range of supports we spoke about earlier that people in the international protection application process are not entitled to. When people get their status, they are entitled to the same set of rights and supports as every Irish...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (25 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy for his question. He is right that I know where Killarney is. I had a very enjoyable experience of visiting it with my family for a weekend in July. On the journey there, like pretty much everyone, we spent 30 minutes caught in the notorious traffic jam in Adare. As we were caught there, I noticed the work on the Adare bypass-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (25 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: -----which is a roads project approved and funded by the Government.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (25 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Deputy would probably agree that the project will probably be of benefit to many of his constituents when it has been completed. I make that point because the Government is building new road infrastructure and upgrading existing roads. No doubt the Deputy was at the opening of the Listowel bypass last month, another major piece of new infrastructure in the Deputy's constituency. The...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (25 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy. It is important to state that this payment is allowing us to meet the accommodation needs of Ukrainians who are here as a legal right under the temporary protection directive. It is an extremely important part of the State's accommodation offering. Thousands of Ukrainians have a legal right to be in this country under the temporary protection directive. We meet their...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (25 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Deputy said what he does not want-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (25 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: -----but has not indicated what he does want.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (25 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Whoever is the Minister has to find the accommodation. He or she cannot draw those kind of lines in terms of what will not happen. The Minister has to show where accommodation will be provided.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (25 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy for the question. For clarity, I spoke to media at some length about this on Monday, but I am very happy to restate what I said at that point. We have to be absolutely factual when we are dealing with these issues and are in a situation where we have a homelessness crisis, where many people are in really difficult situations, where we have a humanitarian response to the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (25 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy for his question. Just before I respond specifically on the ARP, it is worth reminding ourselves of the context in which this payment was introduced. It was at a time of the greatest humanitarian crisis we have seen on our Continent since the Second World War, and the greatest movement of people across the Continent. It was the biggest humanitarian challenge we in...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (25 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Reform of the early learning and childcare sector has been a major focus of this Government. The Programme for Government committed to reforming the system to create one that brings together the best of community and private provision and the development of a new funding model for affordable, accessible, sustainable and high quality early learning and childcare. Significant progress has...