Results 11,321-11,340 of 11,744 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Unaccompanied Minors and Separated Children (24 Sep 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Senator for raising this very important matter and for speaking with such passion on it. Before I address her, I want to say that it is an honour to be speaking to this House for the first time. I look forward to working with Members here. I know many Members of this House have a very personal and deep interest in the issues that fall within my Department. We have a lot of...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Unaccompanied Minors and Separated Children (24 Sep 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Senator for her offer of support. If she could send those letters I would appreciate it. I am very happy for the Department to take responsibility but I need additional resources. If they can be achieved it will make a huge difference. I had thought about the point the Senator made about our fostering campaign and we will have a general national fostering campaign. I have...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Childcare Services (24 Sep 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Senator. I am glad to have this opportunity to discuss the future of early learning and care and school-age childcare in the country, particularly the role of the city and county childcare committees. I appreciate the Senator pushing back this Commencement matter by a week to allow me address the matter directly. The 20 city and county childcare committees, CCCs, which operate...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Childcare Services (24 Sep 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: Absolutely nothing has been prejudiced by me. I am listening very carefully. Over the past 12 weeks, since I have taken on this role, I have met a large number of providers in the sector. I am meeting representatives from Childcare Committees Ireland next week and we will discuss its valuable role in this process. In any public engagement I have had, and in every opportunity I have had...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education (24 Sep 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The ECCE programme provides universal free pre-school for all children. The ECCE programme rules specify the age which a child must reach before starting ECCE, which is 2 years and 8 months on or prior to 31 August of the relevant programme year to be eligible for the September start date. Age limits have been used to determine eligibility since the inception of the Early Childhood Care and...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services (24 Sep 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: Pobal is responsible for the administration of the various early learning and care and school aged childcare schemes provided by my Department. Pobal has informed my Department that the registration process has been completed for the child referred to by the Deputy. An official from my Department has contacted the service provider to inform them that this matter has been resolved.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Detention Centres (23 Sep 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: All young persons under the age of 18 sentenced to a period of remand or detention by the Courts are detained in Oberstown Children Detention Campus. The operational costs for the day to day running of Oberstown Children Detention Campus (excluding pension and capital costs) in 2019 was €19.77 million. The Certificate issued by the Minister under Sections 195 and 196 of the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Services (23 Sep 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: Funding from my Department in respect of funded youth organisations is designed as a contribution towards a particular service being provided. My Department does not have a role in determining salaries or other related costs for a particular service, and there are no nationally recognised salary scales on which to draw. The cost of setting up a service will vary depending on the nature...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Ombudsman for Children (23 Sep 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The allocation of the Ombudsman for Children’s Office (OCO), which is provided for in Subhead C.7 of Vote 40 in the published Revised Public Estimates, is outlined in the table below for the years 2018, 2019 and 2020. 2018 2019 2020 €2,633,000* €2,747,000 €2,865,000 The 2020 allocation...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: National Childcare Scheme (23 Sep 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The National Childcare Scheme (NCS) was first launched in November 2019. There are currently over 28,000 children who are subject to a claim by childcare providers. This is the highest number of child registrations on NCS to date and in comparative terms more children are registered for my Department’s schemes overall than were registered at the same time last year. The National...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Abuse (23 Sep 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 a direct response be provided to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services (22 Sep 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: There are 6 personnel employed as Childminding Development Officers to support work with childminders at a regional and local level. The positions are hosted in the Cavan, Cork, Fingal, Galway, Kilkenny and Westmeath County Childcare Committees. However, the posts are regional in scope, and each of the 6 Childminding Development Officers provides support to a number of City and County...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services (22 Sep 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department appointed a National Childminding Coordinator in 2019 to oversee supports for childminders - including supports delivered through the City and County Childcare Committees - and to assist in the development and initial implementation of the forthcoming Childminding Action Plan. The National Childminding Coordinator position remains filled.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Children in Care (22 Sep 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 a direct response be provided to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Children in Care (22 Sep 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 a direct response be provided to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Children in Care (22 Sep 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 a direct response be provided to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Education Schemes (22 Sep 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) is designed to support the meaningful participation of children with disabilities in the universal Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme, within mainstream pre-school settings. To avail of targeted supports, the parent and the ECCE provider jointly make applications for AIM supports. AIM is a needs-based model, with availability of supports...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Covid-19 Pandemic (22 Sep 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: As the matter to which the Deputy refers is an operational matter for Tusla, I have requested Tusla to respond to the Deputy directly within 10 working days.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services (22 Sep 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: In accordance with the rules governing the Community Childcare Subvention Plus (CCSP) savers programme, parents who wish to maintain the "Saver" status for their eligible child under the CCSP programme were required to enrol their child in a Tusla registered service within four weeks of that service reopening. The current programme year for CCSP began on 17 August 2020, and 11 September was...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services (22 Sep 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: Pobal are the administrators of all childcare funding programmes on behalf of my Department. Pobal have confirmed that all outstanding payments have issued to the service referred to by the Deputy.