Results 11,061-11,080 of 11,960 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: City and County Child Care Committees (17 Nov 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: Officials of my Department are currently reviewing the Workplace Relations Commission's consideration of the pay rates of the managers of the City and County Childcare Committees (CCCs). The CCCs are one of the key support mechanisms of my Department, and I want to acknowledge the important role they play in providing vital support and guidance to early learning and...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Gender Equality (17 Nov 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 600 and 601 together. Addressing the factors behind the gender pay gap is a key commitment in the National Strategy for Women and Girls 2017-2020, and is a multi-faceted task involving a number of Government Departments and agencies. Tackling this issue is good for equality and it also makes good business sense, as firms that can report a low or...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Direct Provision System (17 Nov 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: As the Deputy may be aware, the Direct Provision system encompasses the range of State services including accommodation, food, health and education directly provided to international protection applicants through all the relevant Government Departments and Agencies. It is a whole-of-government support system for those seeking international protection in Ireland.  Notwithstanding the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: EU Directives (17 Nov 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Directive on Work-Life Balance for Parents and Carers aims to increase the participation of women in the labour market and the take-up of family-related leave and flexible working arrangements. It also provides opportunities for workers to be granted leave to care for relatives who need support. By modernising the existing EU legal framework in the area of family-related leaves and...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Years Sector (17 Nov 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: I am very conscious of the need for improvement in pay and working conditions for practitioners in early learning and care services. The level of pay they receive does not reflect the value of the work they do for children, for families and for the wider society and economy. The most recent data available indicates that the average hourly wage in the sector was €12.55 in mid-2019. This...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Years Sector (17 Nov 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: As the Deputy is aware, the State is not the employer of staff in early learning and care or school-age childcare services. My Department does not pay their wages nor does it determine working conditions for staff, including sick pay. I am, however, very aware of the negative impact that low pay and poor working conditions in the sector have on staff recruitment and retention and thereby...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Budget 2021 (17 Nov 2020)

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 and Equality (DJE). 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 Programme for Government sets out a...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (17 Nov 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters submitted its final report to me on the 30th October 2020.  I had signalled that there would be a short time interval between receipt of the report and the separate arrangements for its publication. A number of relevant procedural issues are being expedited to...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Proposed Legislation (17 Nov 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 608 and 610 together. The Government is committed to fully commencing the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015 (“the 2015 Act”). The Act provides a modern statutory framework to support decision-making by adults with capacity difficulties. The 2015 Act was signed into law on 30 December 2015 but has not yet been fully commenced. The...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Services (17 Nov 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: I am pleased to confirm that I secured an additional €5 million in current funding for youth services nationally as part of Budget 2021.  My officials are currently working on the apportionment of these funds in the context of the publication of the Revised Estimates Volume later this year. As such, I am not in a position as yet to provide a detailed breakdown of these...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency (17 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 Tusla respond directly to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Budget 2021 (17 Nov 2020)

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 and Equality (DJE). 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 Programme for Government sets out a...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency (17 Nov 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: I wish to advise the Deputy that my officials have asked Tusla to respond directly to you on this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Domestic Violence (17 Nov 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: My attention has been drawn to the report to which the Deputy refers. Improving services for victims of domestic violence is very important to me, as reflected in my commitment, with my Cabinet colleague Minister McEntee, to undertake an audit of responsibility for DSGBV across government departments. I have engaged with many service providers since my appointment on issues arising in...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Protection (17 Nov 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: I wish to advise the Deputy that I am not in a position to comment as these responsibilities. These matters are more appropriate for the attention of my Cabinet colleague, the Minister for Health.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Protection (17 Nov 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: I wish to advise the Deputy that I am not in a position to comment as these responsibilities. These matters are more appropriate for the attention of my Cabinet colleague, the Minister for Health.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Parental Leave (17 Nov 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: To support parents of children born during the strict lock-down measures, the Government intends to extend parent's leave from two weeks to five weeks for each parent of all children born or adopted on or after 1 Nov 2019. The Government also intends to extend the period in which parent's leave can be taken up until that child turns two or, in the case of an adoption, two years...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Covid-19 Pandemic (17 Nov 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The National Childcare Scheme (NCS) represents the first ever statutory entitlement to childcare in Ireland. The introduction of the NCS is a landmark moment for making high quality childcare more affordable and accessible to families in Ireland. My Department is not aware of any significant technical problems with the National Childcare Scheme website which are preventing...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Funding (17 Nov 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Learner Fund is a funding stream offered by my Department to practitioners working in early learning and care and school-age childcare seeking to upskill and gain higher qualifications. It has operated for several years by providing either pre-award funding or a post-award bursary. The initiative was initially rolled out from 2014 to support the introduction of the minimum...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Funding (17 Nov 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: A Childminding Development Grant is available to Tusla-registered childminders, childminders who have voluntarily notified their City/County Childcare Committee, childminders proposing a new childminding service, and childminders who have completed the childminding Quality Awareness Programme. The childminder or potential childminder must mind at least 3 children on a part-time basis or one...