Results 1,141-1,160 of 11,687 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (23 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I am advised by my officials that compliance issues had been identified in the property where the family to which the Deputy refers is accommodated. These have now been resolved and the relocation of this family is no longer required. While I cannot go into detail on specific compliance cases, compliance issues include but are not limited to: The health, safety and wellbeing of Beneficiaries...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (23 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1832 to 1841, inclusive, together. A Community Engagement Team (CET) has been established within the Department of Integration to engage directly with elected representatives, relevant Local Authorities, Local Development Companies, and other entities and individuals. The purpose of the team is to improve the flow of information regarding arrivals into areas...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Youth Services (23 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department has carried out a significant reform process in respect of youth funding schemes. in recent years. In 2019, my Department launched the new UBU Your Place Your Place targeted youth funding scheme, which consolidates a number of legacy youth funding schemes. UBU is now on its second cycle, and my officials are working on a review of the scheme. This review will inform the policy...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (23 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: On 27 March 2024, Government agreed a new Comprehensive Accommodation Strategy (CAS) for International Protection (IP) applicants. This strategy seeks to address the current accommodation shortfall, while reforming the system in the longer term, to ensure the State will be able to meet its international commitments. Accommodation in the new strategy will be delivered through the following...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (23 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Over the past eight budgets, investment in early learning and childcare has risen from €260 million in 2015 to €1.109 billion in 2024. The First 5 investment target of €1 billion was met in 2023, 5 years ahead of time. This unprecedented investment speaks to the commitment of Government in prioritising early learning and childcare services. The table below outlines the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Immigration Policy (23 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The most recent research published on immigration in Ireland is a report from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) published in March 2024: Attitudes towards immigration and refugees in Ireland: Understanding recent trends and drivers, Jointly-published Reports 5, Dublin: ESRI and Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, .

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (23 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: An Expert Group was convened in 2019 to review the funding model for early learning and childcare and make recommendations for a new funding model. The Expert Group engaged in a widespread programme of stakeholder consultation as part of this two year project, engaging with parents, providers, the workforce, and other stakeholders. In December 2021, Government adopted all 25 recommendations...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (23 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Ensuring access to quality and affordable early learning and childcare is a key priority of Government. The level of capacity has risen substantially year-on-year between 2022 and 2023 as evidenced by survey data collected by Pobal, by administrative data from Core Funding and the National Childcare Scheme and registration data collected by Tusla. However, there is also evidence that demand...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (23 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: In September 2022, I launched Together for Better, the new funding model for early learning and childcare. This new funding model supports the delivery of early learning and childcare for the public good. Together for Better brings together the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme, the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM), the National Childcare Scheme (NCS), Core Funding and the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (23 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The expansion of funding opportunities for early year’s educators and school-age childcare practitioners to upskill was a key commitment in Nurturing Skills, the Workforce Plan for Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare, 2022-2028 which I launched in December 2021. Nurturing Skills aims to build on the significant progress already made in raising skill levels across the early...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Disability Services (23 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) was introduced in 2016 to ensure that children with additional needs or a disability could access and meaningfully participate in the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme. Its goal is to empower pre-school providers to deliver an inclusive pre-school experience, ensuring that every eligible child can meaningfully participate in the ECCE...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child and Family Agency (23 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: It is a matter for Tusla to process an FOI request submitted to them and these requests are processed accordingly under the Freedom of Information Act, 2014. Tusla has however furnished the following information which you may find informative. Tusla embraces the principles of openness, transparency and accountability, both in the pursuance of its statutory role in accordance with the Child...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (23 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection Up to 18 July 2024, there were 41,229 Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTP) reported as availing of DCEDIY contracted accommodation nationally. The Department publishes regular statistical reports on the Accommodation of BOTPs. It is not considered appropriate to publish information relating to persons or the location of their place of residence....

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (23 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: As of 14 July, there are more than 31,000 people accommodated in the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) system as a whole (of whom 8,112 are children) compared with approximately 8,700 people at the end of February 2022. The Department of Integration has increased IPAS capacity by more than 400% since 2020, from just under 7,000 people on 31 December 2020 to presently more...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Youth Services (23 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Since I became Minister I have secured increases in current funding for youth from €61.8 million in 2020 to €77.95 million in Budget 2024, a 26% increase overall. The UBU Your Place Your Space funding distributed under this scheme has increased during this time by 28%, from €37.3 million to €47.9 million in 2024. The total funding allocated to City of Dublin ETB...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Youth Services (23 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department is currently carrying out a mapping exercise in respect of youth services, which will include the premises currently used for youth services and help to identify gaps and shortfalls in the availability of spaces for youth services. This analysis is necessary to enable the Department to determine how best to direct capital funding over the period ahead. While this research is...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Youth Services (23 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department provides funding to youth services on the recommendation of the local Education and Training Board on the basis of the 'provision of a service' basis to meet the needs of the youth population in an area which are identified by the relevant ETB. As the State is not the employer of the youth workers , we do not set salary rates for workers in this sector. I recognise the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (23 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Programme for Government contains a number of commitments for early learning and childcare, including 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. An Expert Group was established in September 2019 to...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (23 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I acknowledge that many early learning and care (ELC) and school-age childcare (SAC) services report staffing challenges in relation to recruitment and retention. In general, staffing pressures in the sector are caused not by insufficient supply of qualified personnel, but by high levels of staff turnover. In line with commitments in First 5, in December 2021, I launched Nurturing Skills:...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (23 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Over the past nine budgets, investment in early learning and childcare has risen from €260 million in 2015 to €1.1 billion in 2024. Despite this unprecedented increase in investment, I accept that the level of investment is still behind international norms. It is important to note that international comparisons on investment in early learning and childcare are to be treated with...