Results 11,801-11,820 of 11,948 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Costs (14 Jul 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department strongly encourages service providers to support parents as best they can as they re-engage with early learning and care services. Childcare services which are reopening over the summer, and are in receipt of a Reopening Support Payment, are not permitted to increase their fees above the level which was charged in March 2020, before the Covid closures. Where a service has...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Youth Services (9 Jul 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Ceann Comhairle and Deputy Buckley for their kind words. I look forward to working closely with all Members of the House in my new role. I assure the Deputy of my commitment to young people and the youth sector which provides them with such critical support. I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. I am pleased to note that funding to the youth sector has been...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Youth Services (9 Jul 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: I also like to think of myself as a fairly straight talker. I have come to the House with information my officials have just gathered. I would love to be in a position to say definitively that we will keep this service open but I cannot do that. To do so would be unfair to the Deputy and, more importantly, to the people who are using the services. The Deputy was a member of Cork County...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Covid-19 Pandemic (7 Jul 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: An Advisory Group on the Phased Reopening of the early learning and care sector was established in May 2020 to provide expert advice and guidance to my Department in preparing for the reopening of the sector. The Advisory Group has met on a weekly basis since its first meeting on 13 May. In establishing the Advisory Group, six places were provided for sectorial representatives, which...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: National Lottery Funding (7 Jul 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Department of Children and Youth Affairs operated a discretionary National Lottery Funding Scheme some years ago in which grants were allocated to community groups and programmes to support children, young people and families. The scheme closed in 2014. However, my Department currently has resource provisions for Youth Programmes and Services which are allocated under a distinct...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education (7 Jul 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme is a universal two-year pre-school programme available to all children within the eligible age range. The programme is provided for three hours per day, five days per week over 38 weeks per year. The programme year runs from September to June each year, and is aligned with the primary school calendar. The 2019/20 ECCE programme year is...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Costs (7 Jul 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: Early learning and care services are provided by private enterprises, either privately owned or operated by community organisations. Services are contracted by my Department to provide services at a subsidised rate to parents. Where a child is absent from a service, my Department continues to pay subvention for that child for a period of four weeks, which can be increased to 12 weeks...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (7 Jul 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: Early learning and care services which reopen in the summer months do not need to provide services on five days a week to avail of supports under the Government's €75million support package for the childcare sector, including the €14.2million Covid Capital grant and the continuation of the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme However services which reopen for a minimum period of time...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education (7 Jul 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: Officials from my Department have reviewed the appeal referred to by the Deputy, having regard to the eligibility criteria for the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) scheme. An overage exemption has been approved, due to the exceptional circumstances of the case. This decision has been communicated to the parents of the child referred to.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (7 Jul 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters was established by Government on 17th February 2015 (S.I. No. 57 of 2015). In establishing the Commission, the Government noted that the investigation and associated additional demands on the Department of Children and Youth Affairs were estimated to cost €21.5m, exclusive of third party legal costs....

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Grant Payments (7 Jul 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department funds Tusla registered childcare services to provide both the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) and the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme to eligible children. New Tusla registered early learning and care and school age childcare services are eligible to participate in both ECCE and the NCS. My Department funds the City and County Childcare Committees (CCCs)...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education (7 Jul 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: Officials from my Department have reviewed this appeal with regard to the eligibility criteria for the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) scheme. An overage exemption cannot be granted to the child referred to by the Deputy, as she has already completed two years of ECCE and if the child undertook an additional ECCE year she would be over the age of 6 years starting primary school....

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services (7 Jul 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: Early learning and care services providers who signed up to the Temporary Wage Subsidy Childcare Scheme (TWSCS) agreed that they would retain the place of each child who was registered with their service on 12 March 2020. If capacity is limited when services reopen, they have been asked to prioritise the children of health care and other front-line workers, and vulnerable and disabled...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Children in Care (7 Jul 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. I can advise the Deputy that Tusla has a Performance and Activity Reporting Site, which can be found at the following address: The site seeks to deliver on the Government Open Data Strategy...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Children in Care (7 Jul 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. I can advise the Deputy that Tusla has a Performance and Activity Reporting Site, which can be found at the following address: The site seeks to deliver on the Government Open Data Strategy...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Children in Care (7 Jul 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: Child Protection (7 Jul 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 (7 Jul 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: Asylum Seekers (7 Jul 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 (7 Jul 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: I wish to thank the Deputy for his question, and can confirm that I have referred the matter to Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, for their direct reply.