Results 10,981-11,000 of 11,744 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Correspondence (3 Nov 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: Since my appointment as Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, many people have contacted me about their time spent in the institutions under investigation and the impact this has had on them and their families. I want to acknowledge their engagement and their courage in sharing their deeply personal experiences with me. I want to ensure that those centrally...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (3 Nov 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department will not be in possession of the relevant data until such time as the Commission transfers the records ahead of its dissolution in February 2021. The Department will ensure that appropriate and legal arrangements are developed during this period to process subject access requests, and comply with GDPR and Data Protection Acts. In the interim I have committed to continued...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Children in Care (3 Nov 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Deputy is referring to an operational matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. I have therefore referred the matter to Tusla, and asked that Tula respond directly to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Children in Care (3 Nov 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Deputy is referring to an operational matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. I have therefore referred the matter to Tusla, and asked that Tula respond directly to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Services (3 Nov 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: While my Department does not generally collect and collate demographic information of the nature referred to by the Deputy, a recent survey entitled How's Your Head? was commissioned by my Department to gather information on the impacts of Covid-19 and the public health restrictions on young people in both rural and urban communities. This survey provides valuable data on the current...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Data Protection (3 Nov 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department identified nine personal data breaches in 2019. Three of the data breaches were reported to the Data Protection Commission, with none requiring further action.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (3 Nov 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The application of GDPR will apply to the full archive of the records of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes which is due to be deposited with my Department by 28 February 2021. The Commission was expressly tasked with examining certain vaccine trials so it is possible that the archive may contain relevant information. My Department will continue to engage closely...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Sustainable Development Goals and Departmental Priorities: Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (3 Nov 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: Can the committee hear me?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Sustainable Development Goals and Departmental Priorities: Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (3 Nov 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Chairman. My speech was originally a bit longer, so I will try to skim through some of the elements of it. I thank the committee for the invitation to speak about my priorities, and I thank my officials for joining me. As the committee will be aware, there is new expanded remit in the Department, encompassing equality matters previously under the remit of the Department of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Sustainable Development Goals and Departmental Priorities: Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (3 Nov 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank Deputy Sherlock. He raised many valid points that we will tease out across this discussion. As regards that legislative process, I believe the Deputy is right. We need to see the commission's report. That is why we have committed and put the resources in place to get it published as quickly as possible and every legislative step we take will be influenced by that. I agree with...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Sustainable Development Goals and Departmental Priorities: Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (3 Nov 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Senator for those remarks. Regarding the rush on the legislative side of things, from day one I acknowledged that this was not the way I wanted to proceed. The sole reason for the rush was the need to get this legislation passed by the 30 October deadline to ensure we could protect the database. That was the sole reason for the rush. In all the items of legislation I have...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Sustainable Development Goals and Departmental Priorities: Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (3 Nov 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank Deputy Ward. The entire Government is absolutely committed to publishing the report as soon as possible. There is no desire to keep survivors of mother and baby homes and the county homes that were investigated waiting for the information one moment longer than is necessary. What is necessary is that my Department and the Attorney General carefully scrutinise the report and make...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Sustainable Development Goals and Departmental Priorities: Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (3 Nov 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank Senator Ruane for her questions. On socioeconomic status, the programme for Government did not make an absolute commitment to legislate on this issue but makes a commitment to examine it. I am strongly in favour of doing this but we need to bring forward the evidence. The Senator spoke about research done in this area in the past. This will add to the body of evidence supporting...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Sustainable Development Goals and Departmental Priorities: Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (3 Nov 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: My apologies. I am very wary of doing that. What I can say is that we want to get this report out to survivors as quickly as possible. I have already indicated that all of the legislation that I have spoken about and that I want to start working on needs to be influenced by the report. The report is needed to put that legislation in context. There is no desire among anyone in government...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Sustainable Development Goals and Departmental Priorities: Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (3 Nov 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: On the question of advice, the Deputy will be aware of the convention that we cannot publish Attorney General's advice. I and all Members of Government are bound by that. That is as frustrating for Opposition Members as it would have been for my colleagues when they were in opposition. When the commission of investigation submitted its sixth interim report in January, it outlined that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Sustainable Development Goals and Departmental Priorities: Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (3 Nov 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Sustainable Development Goals and Departmental Priorities: Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (3 Nov 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: I am having phone calls with a range of members of the collaborative forum over the next number of days. I have also received the document that has circulated to Deputies and Senators and, as I have said, I acknowledge that I should have engaged immediately with members of that forum and with representatives of the wider groups on this issue. My initial step is to talk individually with...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Sustainable Development Goals and Departmental Priorities: Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (3 Nov 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: Senator Fitzpatrick has given me quite a list . I agree with her that five years of work has gone into the commission's report and a lot of it was put into creating the database. This is why the legislation was put forward, solely to have a database that will be of use to survivors. It is the only reason the legislation was ever put through. I am glad the legislation was passed because the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Sustainable Development Goals and Departmental Priorities: Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (3 Nov 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: I apologise. My laptop died and I have jumped onto the laptop of one of my officials. Can I be heard?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Sustainable Development Goals and Departmental Priorities: Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (3 Nov 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: I apologise.